Concession agreements (CAs) in the port sector are designed to establish mutually beneficial arrangements for involved parties. They serve as catalysts, enabling ports to attract adept private investors and secure requisite funding to enhance port infrastructure, superstructure, and service quality. Concurrently, the imperative to mitigate negative externalities and promote sustainable practices in port organization and development remains paramount. In this context, the paper explores the nuanced landscape of CAs, specifically focusing on the urgent need for an innovative framework that integrates sustainability within port organization, operations and development. Drawing from existing academic discourse and field evidence, it systematically identifies, examines, and analyzes fundamental requirements and key factors that should be considered in CAs, in line with sustainable development and proposes a reference framework for an ideal Concession Agreement model. Despite evident strengthening of sustainability implications in port concessions, significant room for improvement persists. Nevertheless, dynamics in the field create a certain optimism for the future.

Purpose—Quality service plays a significant role in enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty. The main objective of this research is to investigate the effect of Salalah port service quality on customer satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach—This paper used a quantitative research design. Data were collected from 300 repeated customer of Salalah Port in Oman. Statistical Package (SPSS) version 25.0 was used for analysis of data and adopted to test the hypothesized model. Findings—The research findings confirm the positive influence of the five dimensions of service quality – tangible, empathy, reliability, responsiveness, assurance (TERRA) on customer satisfaction. Originality/value—The findings of this study develop the literature by adding empirical research evidence that the TERRA of Salalah port service quality which have a significant effect on customer satisfaction. The result also provide evidence from the Arab region where the data and research in this region are limited.

This study aims to identify the risk factors causing the delay in the completion schedule and to determine an optimization strategy for more accurate completion schedule prediction. A validated questionnaire has been used to calculate a risk rating using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method, and a Monte Carlo simulation on @RISK 8.2 software was employed to obtain a more accurate prediction of project completion schedules. The study revealed that the dominant risk factors causing project delays are coordination with stakeholders and changes in the scope of work/design review. In addition, the project completion date was determined with a confidence level of 95%. All data used in this study were obtained directly from the case study of the Double-Double Track Development Project (Package A). The key result of this study is the optimization of a risk-based schedule forecast with a 95% confidence level, applicable directly to the scheduling of the Double-Double Track Development Project (Package A). This paper demonstrates the application of Monte Carlo Simulation using @RISK 8.2 software as a project management tool for predicting risk-based-project completion schedules.

Pattaya City is a well-known tourist destination in Thailand, famous for its beautiful beachfront, lively nightlife, and stunning natural scenery. Since 2019, the Eastern Special Development Zone Act, the so-called EEC (Eastern Economic Corridor), has positioned the city as a focal point for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE), boosting its tourism-driven economy. Infrastructure improvements in the region have accelerated urban development over the past decade. However, it is uncertain whether this growth primarily comes from development within existing areas or the expansion of urban boundaries and what direction future growth may take. To investigate this, research using the Cellular Automata-Markov model has been conducted to analyze land use changes and urban growth patterns in Pattaya, using land use data from the Department of Land for 2013 and 2017. The findings suggest an upcoming city expansion along the motorway, indicating that infrastructure improvements could drive rapid urbanization in coastal areas. This urban expansion emphasizes the need for urban management and strategic land use planning in coastal cities.

This study aims at analyzing the consumers’ perception towards online purchasing bakery goods on subjective norm (SN), computer self-efficacy (CSE), and technology acceptance model (TAM). Convenience sampling was used and the final sample of respondents was made of 344 participants, with an effective recovery rate of 96%, who bought bakery goods on the LINE social platform in Nantou County. Descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, and SEM structural equation model were used to test the research hypothesis. The results show that after adding external variables to the technology acceptance model (TAM), the application of purchasing bakery goods online is significant; the consumers’ behavior of purchasing bakery goods online, subjective norm (SN), computer self-efficacy (CSE), and technology acceptance model (TAM) have cause-and-effect relationships. This research concludes that it is easy, helpful, and worthy to use the Internet to buy bakery goods.