• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.59-71
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• 2021

This study investigated the extent to which rice producers from the Ayeyarwaddy Region of Myanmar could improve their productivity if inputs were used efficiently in rice cultivation. To achieve this objective, simple random sampling was used to collect data from 300 rice growers in the study area. Data were analyzed with the translog stochastic frontier approach to understand the production efficiencies. The study further estimated the influencing factors that affect the efficiency levels of rice farmers. The empirical result reveals that the average technical, allocative, and economic efficiencies were at 76.11, 47.85, and 34.15%, respectively. This suggests that there is considerable room for improving rice production by better utilization of the available resources at the current level of technology. This study suggests that strenthening agricultural training programs and adoption of improved rice varieties may reduce overall inefficiencies among rice farmers in Myanmar. Factors like age, household size, education, farming experience, farm size, rice variety, training, and off-farm income have a significant impact on increasing/decreasing farmer's efficiency. Efficiency can be improved by establishing farmer field school programs to increase the scale of operations. The government should encourage young educated people to participate in paddy production and also intervene to reduce input prices and control the quality of seeds.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.23-44
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• 2022

Purpose - Recent issues such as vessel enlargement, strengthening of environmental regulations, and port smartization are expected to increase costs and intensify competition in the port industry. In the new normal era, when external growth has reached its limit, the efficient operation of ports is becoming indispensable for achieving sustainable growth. This study aims to identify the determinants of inefficiency by examining the cost structure and efficiency of container terminals in Korea and furthermore propose the political implications to derive the maximization of efficiency. Design/methodology - This study estimates the cost function of container terminal operators and identifies the efficiency of container terminals using stochastic cost frontier (SCF) in the first stage. In the second step, the SCF results are compared with the data envelopment analysis (DEA). Last, this paper proposes efficiency determinants on container terminal operation to establish appropriate strategies. Out of the 29 container terminal operators in South Korea, 13 operators participated in the survey. The translog cost function was estimated utilizing a total of 116 observations collected over the 2007-2017 period. Findings - Empirical analysis shows that economies of scale exist in Korea's container ports, which provides a rationale for the government's policy to establish the global terminal operator by integrating small terminal operators to enhance competitiveness. In addition, as a result of the determinants analysis, container throughput, weight of direct employment costs, and labour cost share have positive effects on improving cost efficiency, while inefficiency increases as the length of quay increases. More specifically, cost efficiency improves as the proportion of direct employment costs to outsourcing service costs increases. Originality/value - This study contributes to analyzing the inefficiency factors of container terminals through efficiency analysis with respect to a cost function. In addition, this study proposes the practical and political implications, such as establishing a long-term manpower pool, the application of the hybrid liner terminal system, and the construction of a statistical data system, to improve the cost inefficiency of terminal operators.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.141-157
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• 2007

This paper evaluates the effects of privatization and deregulation on the firm-specific efficiency and total factor productivity (TFP) growth in the Korean and Japanese railways. Using a stochastic frontier approach and a generalized translog functional form, the paper specifies the equation system consisting of a multiproduct variable cost function and input share equations which is estimated with Zellner's iterative seemingly unrelated regression and the corrected least squares method. The Korean and Japanese railway firms are assumed to produce three outputs (Shinkansen passenger-kilometers, incumbent railway passenger-kilometers, ton-kilometers of freight) using three input factors (labor, fuel, maintenance and rolling stock). A monetary value of the ways and fixed installations held by the railroad firm is also included as a quasi-fixed input. The empirical results indicate that the average estimate of cost inefficiency is 2.57% for the total sample and on the average, JNR and JR Kyushu are found to be worst efficient while the most efficient railway firm in the sample is JR West. Also the cost efficiency levels of seven JRs have been improved after the reform and privatization of JNR. The findings also indicate that TFP growth of the privately-owned JRs are higher than those of the government-owned KNR and JNR. Three-island JRs and JR Freight have slightly higher TFP growth than Honshu JRs as well. Thus, the results suggest that managerial autonomy and increased competition via deregulation have improved efficiency and TFP growth.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.63-76
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• 2009

On the basis of a Stochastic Frontier Approach (SFA), this paper analyses revenue efficiencies for the same sample of Korean and Japanese railways in the papers which analyze cost efficiencies using a generalized translog functional form. The paper also compares the results of revenue efficiencies with cost efficiencies and evaluates the effects of managerial autonomy and privatization on the firm-specific efficiencies. The results show that the average estimate of revenue inefficiency is 7.02% when the term of inefficiency is assumed to be distributed as a half-normal and 6.98% as a exponential for the total sample. Also, standardized inefficiencies in revenues (7.5%) are greater than those in costs (2.1%). JR East and JR West are found to be most efficient on the revenue side and on the cost side respectively while JNR and JR Kyushu are worst efficient on the both sides. Finally, the correlations between efficiencies in revenues and costs also between efficiencies and privatization are positively correlated. The results suggest that the most independent companies, with increased managerial autonomy via privatization, are the most efficient in both revenues and costs.