Liang, X, Fan, S, Lucy, J, Chen, J, Coleman, J, Li, Y, Qu, Z, Li, H and Yang, Z (2024) Quantitative sustainability assessment of freeports: Hybrid model evidence from the UK. Journal of Cleaner Production, 487. ISSN 0959-6526

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Abstract

Freeports and their equivalents are designed to boost national economic prosperity, yet their associated sustainability concerns are often overlooked. Existing research on freeport performance evaluation is largely fragmented, with a predominant focus on economic metrics specific to individual cases. Moreover, the existing methods for sustainability assessments face inherent limitations in addressing uncertainty and integrating indicators within both hierarchical and interconnected network structures. To address these research gaps, this study introduces a novel methodology for holistically assessing freeport sustainability using a hybrid Bayesian Network and Evidential Reasoning (BNER) model. This model can process both qualitative and quantitative performance data, and integrate different Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to generate a comprehensive index. The new contributions of this paper include: (1) It proposes a novel framework for evaluating freeport sustainability across economic, environmental, and social dimensions and synthesising them into a singular index. (2) It prioritises all relevant KPIs from multiple stakeholder perspectives. The findings indicate that information technology and customs clearance efficiency are the most significant among the 42 identified KPIs. (3) A new BNER model is introduced to address data uncertainty and interdependent factors in performance assessment. (4) The applicability of the developed model is demonstrated through a real-world case study of a UK freeport, providing valuable practical insights.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	0907 Environmental Engineering; 0910 Manufacturing Engineering; 0915 Interdisciplinary Engineering; Environmental Sciences
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > HF5001 Business T Technology > TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General) V Naval Science > VM Naval architecture. Shipbuilding. Marine engineering
Divisions:	Engineering Liverpool Business School
Publisher:	Elsevier
SWORD Depositor:	A Symplectic
Date Deposited:	10 Jan 2025 15:06
Last Modified:	10 Jan 2025 15:15
DOI or ID number:	10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.144521
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/25245

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