Mary R. Brooks | Dalhousie University (original) (raw)

Journal Papers by Mary R. Brooks

Research in Transportation Business and Management

Advancements in port governance, organization and performance have been significant over the last... more Advancements in port governance, organization and performance have been significant over the last two decades. As noted by the editors in our examination of the port literature to 2000 (Brooks and Pallis, 2012), “this is a young field, only coming into its own in the last decade.” While port policy on the part of governments was a post-World War II interest, the flowering of the field really began with the development of new public management principles in the late 1980s and the resulting wave of port governance reform in the early and mid-1990s. In the last two decades, scholars studying ports developed multidisciplinary re- search streams and produced a maturing research field (Pallis, Vitsounis, & de Langen, 2010). Given the international character of the sector, and not least the nature of the changes that shape modern ports, port researchers initiated international collaborations in order to identify research gaps and challenges, develop common research themes, and then jointly apply meaningful research approaches across broader port samples and link port studies with developing concepts in other areas of management.

Maritime Policy and Management

The objective of this paper is to examine how users evaluate port effectiveness and identify thos... more The objective of this paper is to examine how users evaluate port effectiveness and identify those constructs relevant to that evaluation. The three user groups studied are carriers, cargo interests, and suppliers of services at the port. The study team developed an on-line survey instrument and delivered it to Canadian port users with the assistance of eight industry organizations. The findings of the research are based on the contributions of 57 decision-makers with port usage experience, many of whom fit into more than one group of users. The study concludes that the evaluation criteria influencing users’ perceptions of satisfaction, competitiveness and service delivery effectiveness are different, and so while the determinants of these constructs have considerable overlap, they are different constructs. This paper also illustrates how independent (or third-party) evaluation of port performance might be used by a port to strategically improve its service to users, and therefore have value from a port perspective in its strategic planning.

Dalhouse University: Work Paper I

This practice-focused research examines ports that are in a particular way on the periphery of th... more This practice-focused research examines ports that are in a particular way on the periphery of the port business: they are off the main shipping routes or not located proximal to a large domestic market. Our starting point is that these particular ports have development potential, but that this requires specific strategic actions to realize. The paper opens with a discussion of the nature of peripheral ports followed by a literature review and conceptualization of what coordination and cooperation among seaports and supply chain operators entails. Examples are discussed. The paper then considers the case of Atlantic Canada’s ports, the nature of the port business in Atlantic Canada, and discusses their current coordination and cooperation initiatives to determine if they reflect practice elsewhere and if there are lessons that these ports might learn from others engaged in cooperative activities or increasing
competitiveness through coordination along the supply chain. The paper concludes with recommendations on how the ports of Atlantic Canada may better serve their individual and regional interests through applying coordination and cooperation strategies found elsewhere in the world.

This paper develops a conceptual framework that integrates various relevant port performance com... more This paper develops a conceptual framework that integrates various relevant port performance components in a way that can be used for a comprehensive port evaluation and adjustment of existing port governance models. The paper presents a synthesis of the literature on port governance models and port performance, arguing that the process of change is a dynamic one, and that the performance outcome of a reform process influences the next round of reforms. It also explores the potential for decomposing performance into two different, although related, port performances components, namely efficiency and effectiveness. Bringing into the analysis concepts like the need to integrate users’ satisfaction in port performance assessment, the paper explores the content of each of these components and their relationship. This discussion, along with empirical evidence provided by port authorities, leads to the conclusion that governance decisions, both at firm and government levels, are largely based on a very limited assessment of port performance. The effectiveness of port reform is largely neglected, with user perspectives not being an integral part of an effort to improve performance by the port or as feedback to assess the effectiveness of the governance model imposed by the government’s port policy.

Keywords: Port, governance, port performance, efficiency, effectiveness, reform

Papers by Mary R. Brooks

Tables rondes FIT, 2015

Le Gouvernement chilien elabore actuellement un plan de developpement des ports nationaux, dont c... more Le Gouvernement chilien elabore actuellement un plan de developpement des ports nationaux, dont ce rapport fournit un apercu, accompagne d’une reflexion sur ses consequences pour le developpement strategique de la capacite des infrastructures de transport desservant l’arriere-pays. Ce rapport passe en revue les capacites portuaires et definit le cadre juridique propice a la concurrence entre concessions de terminaux portuaires ; il aborde egalement la repartition des responsabilites, entre autorites portuaires et concessionnaires de terminaux, en ce qui concerne l’investissement dans de nouvelles installations. Enfin, il compare la demande prevue a la capacite projetee des terminaux a conteneurs, et presente une vue d’ensemble des projets d’amenagement d’un nouveau grand port a conteneurs, le Puerto de Gran Escala (PGE).

An examination of the continuing validity of the considerations that have served to formulate Can... more An examination of the continuing validity of the considerations that have served to formulate Canada's coasting trade policy, including a comparison with evolving maritime cabotage policy thinking in other developed maritime States.

WMU Journal of Maritime Affairs, 2021

Transparency remains an under-analyzed topic in port research, and previous research has shown th... more Transparency remains an under-analyzed topic in port research, and previous research has shown that port decision-making and governance reporting are inconsistent across countries. While transparency might be imposed through legislation or voluntarily adopted, effective transparency also includes (a) an organization’s willingness to consistently communicate and make transparent information available to internal or external stakeholders and (b) the stakeholder`s expectations on the visibility and verifiability of information. This paper focuses primarily on the second of these, extending an earlier study that explored the availability of information accessible to the public and port stakeholders through a port’s most public face—its website (Brooks et al. 2020). This research examines a subset of 27 governance variables from Brooks et al. (2020), who explored 59 separate items to identify transparency practices by ports, revealing uneven levels of port transparency. The scope is to identify what different port stakeholders expect to be visible and readily available in terms of board meeting openness, board director conflict of interest, board provided information, and board reports/publications. Stakeholders also provided their perceptions of how trustworthy board reporting was perceived. The data set includes 134 usable responses from 38 countries and this paper analyzes similarities and differences across stakeholders and countries. The responses from the survey are also considered in the light of the results from Brooks et al. (2020) and the extent that ports currently make these variables visible and available. The study concludes by discussing a further research agenda towards a more transparent and thus better port industry.

The Future of Ocean Governance and Capacity Development, 2018

Reduced intervention in transport markets has provided the stimulus for the transport supply indu... more Reduced intervention in transport markets has provided the stimulus for the transport supply industries to modify their management practices with the aid of real time electronic information systems. These systems offer the potential for closer control over transport operations, and provide the ability to rapidly adapt transport strategies to evolving market trends. The focus of the paper is to consider one particular practice which has been a feature of several transport industries in the '70s and '80s, namely the adoption of fairly sophisticated yield management techniques. The aim is to examine the conditions which have led to the use of such techniques and to assess the longer term durability of such a management strategy for transport industries into the next century. The shipping sector provides a case study of current practice. (A)

ABSTRACT This paper explores factors influencing the rates charged by liner shipping firms on the... more ABSTRACT This paper explores factors influencing the rates charged by liner shipping firms on the North Atlantic and, in particular, the influence customers type plays. The study makes use of a disaggregate data base to examine the role of factors such as cargo weight and nautical distance as determinants of standard (dry van) container rates. The nature of the customer (freight forwarder, consignee or shipper) is examined to reflect the influences of requirement variations on pricing in addition to that of the commodity cost of provision. The study uses basic statistical procedures to consider variability of rates and to relate these to the set of explanatory factors. No previous studies of conference pricing have included a customer type variable.

The Future of Ocean Governance and Capacity Development, 2019

NV reserves the right to protect the publication against unauthorized use and to authorize dissem... more NV reserves the right to protect the publication against unauthorized use and to authorize dissemination by means of offprints, legitimate photocopies, microform editions, reprints, translations, and secondary information sources, such as abstracting and indexing services including databases. Requests for commercial re-use, use of parts of the publication, and/or translations must be addressed to Koninklijke Brill NV. This book is printed on acid-free paper and produced in a sustainable manner. This is an open access title distributed under the terms of the CC-BY-NC 4.0 License, which permits any non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.

WMU Journal of Maritime Affairs, 2015

They cover issues of considerable importance in the maritime industry and reflect new development... more They cover issues of considerable importance in the maritime industry and reflect new developments in the industry of interest to shipping lines, the ports that serve them and governments seeking to bring policy in line with modern shipping practice. More specifically, the first four papers discuss the environmental aspects ranging from environmentally-friendly technologies in shipping and designing for emissions allocation in container shipping to the use of LNG-fueled vessels in China and the development of LNG bunkering facilities in North European ports. These four papers indicate the significant interest in new technologies, emissions calculations, and the greening of the industry and are particularly relevant for readers interested in what the future may hold. Those developing new technologies have long considered how to improve technology uptake and ensure that technologies become more widely adopted, eventually becoming mainstream. The first paper titled Towards understanding the stepwise dissemination of shipping technologies suggests that adoption does not follow a logical and incremental path but rather a stepwise one where shifts in adoption are significant and abrupt. It provides food for thought to those seeking to understand the conditions by which technologies are adopted, and the concerns that face those with new technologies and hoping for their adoption. There are many in the industry that believe that the impacts should be obvious and that the uptake of new concepts will be logical and predictable. This paper, by arguing for an alternative adoption trajectory, provides insights into what is more likely to happen. It suggests that those with new technologies in development might consider building a program that enhances the probability of

Rivista Internazionale de Economia dei Trasporti, Oct 1, 1995

The 1980s represented a significant period of market liberalisation. The 1990s has seen much of t... more The 1980s represented a significant period of market liberalisation. The 1990s has seen much of the focus shift to questions of infrastructure provision and use. In sectors such as energy, telecommunications and transport policy makers have been seeking ways of separating operating units from infrastructure networks. This paper focuses on the rail industry and provides an overview of some of the approaches which are being developed around the world to initiate a new relationship between rail services suppliers and the providers of track and associated fixed facilities. It looks at the merits of the alternatives and at the lessons which are being learned. (A)

PortReport No 5 explores the levels and standards of transparency in the governance of ports. Key... more PortReport No 5 explores the levels and standards of transparency in the governance of ports. Key actors in port governance, such as government departments involved in port policy-making, port authorities, and port regulators need to be transparent about their behavior, policies, and practices as a way of enhancing economic performance and accountability to their stakeholders, particularly the community that hosts the port. The report explores the availability of information to the general public and port stakeholders through the ports most public face—its website and examines key transparency indicators used at public ports in North America, Europe, and South America. The constructed database includes 87 ports, 23 in the United States (U.S.), 17 in Canada, 21 in South and Central America and the Caribbean (LAC), and 26 in Europe. This exploratory investigation centered on identifying the parameters that would be useful for the general public to have sufficient information to monitor, review and, in many cases, participate in the decision-making process carried out by the port authority, irrespective of whether or not laws mandate such disclosure. Fifty-one items were identified for the examination of each port’s website, focusing primarily on four major categories: decision-making governance, port communications and accessibility, transparency in reporting, and transparency in port operational activities. Beyond reporting the findings, and regional variations, with respect to each of these 51 items, nine have been selected as potential proxies that might serve as key indicators for recording and monitoring the evolution of port transparency levels over time.

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2017

Coastal shipping in Chile has a long tradition, and national cabotage laws continue to protect th... more Coastal shipping in Chile has a long tradition, and national cabotage laws continue to protect the domestic shipping market. The country's extensive coastline, the population concentration along the coast, and a lack of connecting rail networks might make coastal (short sea) shipping seem to be a viable option as part of an efficient and sustainable freight mobility strategy for Chile. This paper examines the potential for coastal shipping in Chile. It evaluates freight structure, demand and modal split, and the supply of shipping services over the past decade. Three markets are presented—a northern corridor, a southern corridor, and a combination of the two—and evaluated for adequate demand for coastal shipping. Six conclusions are drawn about the promise of short sea shipping developments in Chile, including identifying a future research agenda and filling missing data gaps.

Research in Transportation Business and Management

Maritime Policy and Management

Dalhouse University: Work Paper I

Keywords: Port, governance, port performance, efficiency, effectiveness, reform

Tables rondes FIT, 2015

WMU Journal of Maritime Affairs, 2021

The Future of Ocean Governance and Capacity Development, 2018

The Future of Ocean Governance and Capacity Development, 2019

WMU Journal of Maritime Affairs, 2015

Rivista Internazionale de Economia dei Trasporti, Oct 1, 1995

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2017

Almost all of the past effort in port performance measurement has focused on the technical perfor... more Almost all of the past effort in port performance measurement has focused on the technical performance of port assets such as land, cranes, berths, and labour; that is, it has focused on their efficiency. Very little port performance research has focused on whether the inefficiencies or inadequacies of ports have created problems for users that require the injection of more assets or the application of performance improvements to improve service delivery. Users are in the best position to determine if the port, and its tenants and partners, are able to deliver the services required. If the delivery of services does not match expectations, the port does not deliver a value proposition to its customers, and is therefore seen as ineffective. The objective of this research paper is to examine how users evaluate port effectiveness and identify those constructs of relevance to that evaluation. The three user groups are defined as carriers, cargo interests and suppliers of services at the port to the first two. As this phase of the research is focused on the development of effectiveness constructs and the survey instrument in one geographic market, it is our intention to validate these findings in other geographic markets in the future research program. The study team developed an on-line survey instrument and delivered it to Canadian port users with the assistance of eight industry organizations. The findings of the research are based on the contributions of 57 decision-makers with port usage experience, many of whom fit into more than one group of users. The study concludes that the evaluation criteria influencing users‘ perceptions of satisfaction, competitiveness and service delivery effectiveness are different, and so while the determinants of these constructs have considerable overlap, they are different constructs. This paper also illustrates how third-party evaluation of port performance might be used by a port to strategically improve its service to users, and therefore have value from a port perspective in its strategic planning. Constructs in Port Effectiveness Research Brooks, Mary R.; Schellinck, Tony; Pallis, Athanasios A. 12 th WCTR, July 11-15, 2010 – Lisbon, Portugal 2 BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Governments need to be able to evaluate the effectiveness of the port system in meeting the needs of their trading communities; supply chain participants also need to evaluate whether ports meet their needs. As a result, a program of regular performance measurement is recommended. In most port performance assessments, measurement focuses on efficiency but fails to include effectiveness by those who ̳use‘ a port system. It is the starting premise of this paper that efficiency measurement must be accompanied by the measurement of effectiveness in order to improve the overall and specific performance of the port system. Furthermore, companies that receive third party effectiveness research learn where continuous improvement activities will pay off in future performance improvements, whether the company itself or its suppliers provide the service. The purpose of this study is two-fold:  To understand the evaluation criteria by which users determine that a port‘s performance is satisfactory (or effective in meeting their needs). As will be seen below, this has not yet been adequately addressed in the scholarly literature. Therefore, the port competitive environment is not well understood as is the case for airports (also discussed).  To facilitate the assessment by relevant decision-makers—whether governments, port authorities, or service providers—of port service delivery, and to indicate such findings to ports so that they may fine tune operations to meet customers‘ expectations and competition. Without such understanding, governments are unable to assess when investment decisions in port infrastructure, or port policy adjustments are required to meet the needs of the market, port authorities are less likely to make the optimal resource allocations to improve the competitiveness of their port, and service providers will be frustrated in their efforts to grow and exploit business opportunities. Identifying the user‘s perceived importance of different dimensions of a service is therefore the first step in evaluating the port‘s competitiveness relative to other options in the supply chain. Knowing how a port performs is the first step in a program of continuous improvement of benefit to both ports and their users. Users are more than just the buyers of the port‘s services. Other supply chain partners may not be the purchasers of those services but have experience with and influence on the delivery of port services. The three user groups are defined as carriers and cargo interests, as well as suppliers of services at the port to the first two. Our goal is to understand how port users evaluate ports, what is most important to them in terms of the services received, and how they evaluate the performance of ports…

Journal of Shipping and Trade, 2022

This study examines the concept of transparency as practiced (or not) in ports. It explores the a... more This study examines the concept of transparency as practiced (or not) in ports. It explores the availability of information to the general public and port stakeholders through the ports’ most public face—its website, studying public ports in North America, Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean. This exploratory research centred on identifying the parameters that would be useful for the general public to have sufficient information to monitor, review and in many cases, participate in the decision-making processes carried out by the port authority, irrespective of whether or not laws mandate such disclosure. Fifty-one items were identified for the examination of each port’s website, focusing primarily on four major categories: decision-making governance, port communications and accessibility, transparency in reporting and in port operational activities. Using nine items as proxies for the 51, the research reveals uneven levels of port transparency both regionally and by governan...

The Dalhousie Law Journal, 2012

The paper begins with some background on modern liner shipping and cargo interest perspectives be... more The paper begins with some background on modern liner shipping and cargo interest perspectives before considering the Rotterdam Rules 2008 (The Convention on Contracts for the International Carriage of Goods Wholly or Partly by Sea), which could ultimately replace Canada's existing carriage of goods legislation. The authors explore the key issues arising from the implementation of the Rules, and discuss why, from a manufactured goods perspective, there will likely be limited acceptance by cargo owners. They conclude that the gains made in the areas of electronic documentation and greater clarity on delay, as well as altered limits of liability, do not offset the fact that most manufactured goods now move under confidential service contracts that may or may not choose to incorporate the Rotterdam Rules. On balance, it is unlikely that there will be widespread acceptance of the rules by those purchasing liner shipping services.L'article explique d'abord brievement les inte...

Maritime Policy & Management, 2016

Classics in Port Policy and Management, is a journey of discovery of the evolution of port studie... more Classics in Port Policy and Management, is a journey of discovery of the evolution of port studies in the 20th century. It bring together 41 seminal contributions from 50 years of scholarly research in port policy and management, while they discuss the evolution of this emerging research field.

Building a foundation of knowledge in port studies is not easy in today's ivory tower. The modern scholar searches the electronic journals readily available in library databases, relies on citation indices to indicate the most important journals in the field and reads few others unless the process of discovery is cherished, not common in the modern time-starved world of the academy.

From the perspective of port researchers, many of the more important journals have not been widely adopted by libraries, and some journals are only now seeking to have a citation impact factor.

Yet if new scholars in the field want to understand the evolution of port policy and management, they should read the seminal works. The challenge is that only a few libraries retain the dusty "stacks" housing them.

This volume intends to address that by making the early work more accessible. In revisiting the key foundations established by previous researchers, the reader of the volume that was just published by Edward Elgar, will discover the knowledge necessary to examine these issues in new contexts and in conjunction with new port business models."