especially the growing competition of foreign products and services once the commercial barriers had fallen. Romanian SMES are the one of the most affected area.
In order to create a general perspective on small and medium enterprises in Romania apprehension of the innovative activities developed within these institutions has an essential role.
innovation, Romanian SMES, performance, entrepreneurship I. RESEARCH ISSUES In order to create a general perspective on small and medium enterprises in Romania,
apprehension of the innovative activities developed within these institutions has an essential role. The undertaken research revealed 1 1 Research sponsored from Romanian National Council for SMES Fund, Romanian Government Research Project PN2 91-043 and CNCSIS 1162 Professor Ph d
%demonstrating that Romanian entrepreneurs are aware of the fact that as the competition increases within each activity field,
new informational systems and human resources training increase together with the enterprises'size. 2009 International Association of Computer science and Information technology-Spring Conference 978-0-7695-3653-8
I. INNOVATION ACTIVITIES WITHIN SMES BY SIZE CLASSES Size classes No Innovation activities Micro enterprises Small enterprises Medium enterprises 1 New products 30.75%41.82%44.54
new products are the most frequently among enterprises within tourism (52.63), %big efforts in order to develop new technologies are undertaken within companies activating in the industrial field (45.33),
INNOVATION ACTIVITIES WITHIN SMES BY FIELDS OF ACTIVITY Fields of activity No Innovation activities Industry Constructions Trade Tourism Transportation Services New products 47.56%32.26%31.25
%Considering the part of SMES'investments dedicated to innovation (products, processes or organization), we observed that in most of the enterprises subject to our research (22.17%)there is no interest for innovation activities.
These are followed by the companies that dedicated for innovation between 5-10%,10-20%and 0-5%of the invested amounts (with weights of 20.00%,19.25%,respective 18.21%),companies with investments of 20%and 50%(13.40),
%and the last position goes to economic agents with investments of more than 50%of the investments fund (with a weight of 6. 98%of the SMES).
One can notice that most of the SMES accomplish in a higher or lower degree innovative investments,
which actually make the difference between companies, generating competitive advantage. See figure 2. Figure 2. SMES'investments in innovation Analyzing SMES'investments in innovation by size classes (table 3),
we observe that: the percentages of SMES investing in innovation weights from 5 to 10%and 10-20%increase in a direct proportion to the companies'size,
and the proportion of companies that have no innovation activities decreases together with the enhancement of the enterprises, due to the differences regarding the economic potential.
As for enterprises investing 20-50%and more than 50%in innovation, the highest weight is covered by small sized enterprises (22.67%and 9. 00%)and the lowest by micro enterprises (8. 37%and 5. 89%.
SMES'INVESTMENTS IN INNOVATION BY SIZE CLASSES Size classes No Part of investments dedicated to innovation Micro enterprises Small enterprises Medium enterprises 1 0%29.46%10.67%9
enterprises that allocated to innovation more than 50%of investments register higher percentage in constructions (14.29%)and lower in trade business (2. 26%;
%enterprises within tourism register a higher percentage regarding the investments in innovation of 10-20%(27.03%)and lower proportions
if we take into account investments of 5-10%and 20-50%(13.51%,respective 8. 11%).%See table 4 for further details. 337 TABLE IV.
SMES'INVESTMENTS IN INNOVATION BY FIELDS OF ACTIVITY Fields of activity No Part of investments dedicated to innovation Industry Constructions Trade Tourism Transportation Services 0%12.82%17.86%29.32
or renewed products and/or services introduced in the last year, we notice that: 21.53%of the enterprises hold a percentage of 5-10%;
%21.24%of the economic agents had no innovation activities in 2007; 19.31%of SMES register a 10-20%percentage;
Only in 5. 50%of the SMES, the turnover resulted more than 50%from new and/or renewed products and/or services.
and the number of enterprises with a 5-10%percentage from their turnover generated by new products/services increases as the size of the firm increases As well as for the enterprises having 10-20,
%20-50%and more than 50%of their turnover generated by new products/services, the small sized companies hold the highest weights (23.21%,22.18%,respective 6. 83%).
%TABLE V. PART OF SMES TURNOVER GENERATED BY INNOVATION CLASSIFICATION BY SIZE CLASSES Size classes No Part of turnover generated by innovation Micro enterprises Small enterprises Medium enterprises 1
as for the enterprises with no innovation activities the highest weight is registered in trade business (25.58%)and the lowest one in constructions (10.34%.
%If we consider the firms having more than 50%of their turnover generated by new products/services the highest percentage is recorded by the companies in tourism (11.11),
%respective 31.03%)of their turnover generated by new products/services. See table 6. TABLE VI.
PART OF SMES TURNOVER GENERATED BY INNOVATION CLASSIFICATION BY FIELDS OF ACTIVITY Fields No Part of of activity turnover generated by innovation Industryconstructions Trade Tourismtransportation Services 0%15.26%10.34%25.58
Taking into account the percentage of investments dedicated to innovation in products, processes or organization, the majority of enterprises subject to our research (22.17%)register no innovative activities.
%10-20%and 0-5%of the investment fund (with weights of 20.00%,19.25%,respective 18.21%),companies with investments of 20-50%(13.40),
%and the last position is held by economic agents with investments of more than a half of the investment fund (with a weight of 6. 98%of the SMES).
Innovation investments of more than 50%are more frequent for the SMES with more than 15 years of experience (10.14%),enterprises in North West (14.71%),small sized companies (9),
%companies with other juridical status (10.91%)and firms within constructions (14.29%)Almost 1/5 of the enterprises hold a percentage of 10-20%from their turnover generated by new products/services
and 21.24%of the economic agents made no innovation efforts in 2007 Only in 5. 50%of the SMES turnover is generated by new products/services in a proportion of more than 50%.
A review of its role to organisational performance and SMES operations sustainability Rangarirai Mbizi Lecturer Department of Entrepreneurship and Business Management Linet Hove Student of Entrepreneurship Arnold Thondhlana
Rangarirai Mbizi Abstract When the SME competitive advantage is based on the knowledge as is the case in the knowledge economy,
innovation and creativity becomes a decisive factor in the economic activity because knowledge tends to be developed in the actual contexts.
With this in mind therefore the study is designed to assess the role played by innovation in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMES) operations sustainability in the manufacturing sector of Chinhoyi.
SMES, innovation, manufacturing, operations sustainability 1. Introduction Worldwide, small and medium enterprises (SMES) are seen by policymakers as the ideal way to increase sustainable development (Naude 1998.
SMES are pivotal to the growth and development of the South african economy (Butcher 1999), and inextricably linked to economic ijcrb. webs. com INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS COPY RIGHT 2013 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 3 7 1 MARCH 2013 VOL 4
and integrate this sector into the mainstream of economic activities (Luiz, 2002). In Zimbabwe, although SMES are currently at the forefront of local economic development
Although entrepreneurs/SMMES may act as catalysts of activity for an entire economy (Chichoni, 2011), many of them fail.
In Zimbabwe 80%of economic activities are in hands of SMES and big enterprises only contributes the remaining 20%(SEDCO Report, 2010).
This shows that the SMES have been dominating the country and one would expect that by now the big entrepreneurs should have increased in number
Long term survival and sustainability of SMES remains a dream in Lowly Developed Economies (LDES) like Zimbabwe.
capturing market share, increasing return on investment, and long-term viability. In this vein it is imperative to assess the role played by innovation on SMES operations sustainability in the manufacturing sector in Zimbabwe,
According to Terziovski (2010) Small and Medium enterprises (SMES) in the manufacturing sector make a significant contribution to economic growth,
and services developments that are driven both market and offer a value-addition component to the supply chain.
It was against this background that the researcher carried out an assessment of the role played by innovation on SMES operations sustainability in the manufacturing sector. 2. 0 Literature Review 2. 1 Small to Medium Enterprises (SMES
However in Zimbabwe, according to Small and Medium Enterprises Institute, SMES are defined as a registered enterprise with employment levels ranging from 30 to 70 depending on the types of industry.
It went on to state that enterprises that are formalized not through a legal structure such as registration in terms of the Companies Act
or a Partnership Agreement was referred as micro-enterprises. In a study by Machipisa (1998) he defined an SME as a registered company with a maximum of 100 employees and an annual turnover in sales of a maximum of 830
while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come.
and The idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs."
"In this case long time life of the organisation and its stakeholders is vital. Previous research indicates that the operations function in SMES generally has a poor relationship with other functions in the business.
NO 11 Business failure is attributed often to the lack of entrepreneurial knowledge and business management skills (Zimmer, 1990).
Most entrepreneurs often start a new enterprise while ignorant of many key dimensions of running their own enterprises
and must obtain the necessary skills if they are to survive (Shepard, 2000). It is imperative that the entrepreneur be knowledgeable about all the functional areas in business.
and education in general form part of human capital and according to human capital theorists these assets can improve SME productivity significantly (Honig, 2001).
Entrepreneurs who have built high-growth companies have solid entrepreneurial and management skills. Competency in a variety of skills will contribute to the profitability and sustainability of a business (Chrisman and Mcmullan, 2000),
and less than 30, making a profit and expanding in terms of infrastructure and growth (Nieman et al, 2003). 2. 4 Innovation According to Bessant and Tidd (2007) Freeman defined innovation in the manufacturing sector as the technical, design,
but also the successful bringing of the new product or service to the market. 2. 5 Innovation and SMES Operations Sustainability According to Casals (2011), globalization of the markets and increasing international competition force SMES
The importance of innovation as a key factor of economic growth and development was highlighted also by Joseph Schumpeter in his Theory of economic development (1912) who considered the entrepreneur s task
The first empirical studies on innovation as quoted by Oncioiu et al (2003) have taken as a point of departure the investment in R&d by industry
In today's markets the inputs of customers and their fast changing needs makes it imperative that enterprises continuously improve the way business is conducted.
According to Gaither and Frazier (1999), SMES constantly experience shortages in capital to employee skills to improve production capacity,
and services being enhanced over time. However these enhancements typically took the form of refinements in components rather than changes in the system.
They asserted that manufacturers may well take the opportunity to refine and improve some ijcrb. webs. com INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS COPY RIGHT 2013 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 3 7 5 MARCH 2013 VOL 4, NO 11 components,
Baker (2002) stated that incremental product/service innovation was oriented toward improving the features and functionality of existing products and services.
Radical product/service innovation was oriented toward creating wholly new products and/or services. Hamel (1996) contended that radical business concept innovation was paramount.
Radically re-conceiving products and services, not just developing new products and services Redefining market space Redrawing industry boundaries.
For the sake of the study the first reviewed types were considered as the types of innovation
while competition had a strong negative effect, on organizational innovations. Moreover, diversification was associated with more innovation.
Also they confirmed the general view that heavy competition isnegatively associated with innovation and showed that this was more in the case for process and organizational innovations than for product and marketing innovations. 2. 7. 2 Manager's Characteristics Perry et al.
Ettlie and Rubenstein (1987) in support stated that for radical innovations they required additional funds for technical work, capital investment for plant and equipment, marketing and promotions.
and the business environment in which they operate according to Burrone and Jaiya (2005). Leseure (2000) in support observed that,
It terms of flexibility, SMES were found to be better in providing an environment for innovation.
Ahmed and Taha (2008) stated that it was necessary for organizations to put together different capabilities and services with the goal,
through cooperation between suppliers and customers, service providers and scientific institutions to achieve innovations of high quality.
The results of Nguyen and Mothe (2008) confirmed that cooperation with customers had a positive impact on performance.
Pavitt (1991) raised issues such as flexibility, short communication lines, close relations with customers, motivation of management and labour force, less bureaucracy, little filtering of proposals with strong interest
efficiency, informal communication, flexibility were emphasised further by Birchall, Chanaron and Soderquist (1996. Adaptability through nearness to markets and close working relationships with customers were again found to be associated with innovation.
In addition, Chandler, Keller and Lyon (2000) found close analysis of competitors, supervisory and reward system support to be most relevant to successful innovation.
Heunks (1998) also found successful SMES associated with committed leaders with vision, enthusiasm, future-oriented exploit external opportunities for inward investment and information gathering.
All the above themes such as fostering a creative environment, the right leadership in addition, listen to new ideas, top management play multiple roles,
According to their study, close linkage and cooperation with customers and suppliers had a direct and significant positive impact on the innovation performance of SMES. 2. 8 Capabilities Required To Execute Innovation Processes In SMES Albaladejo
and the capabilities included the level of competition and extent of customer options, geographical co-location, inter-organizational associations and communities of practice, partnerships and alliances, the regulatory context,
and the extent of customer and stakeholder engagement. However, Hamel (2000) suggested different capabilities and he stated that an innovation competency requires both an internal and external organizational perspective.
He said typical strategic planning was often antithetical to promoting radically innovative business models and strategies.
Create an open market for capital investment and rewards. He outlined that strategic thinking must not only be encouraged
He said organisations must open up innovation opportunities to all staff and engage customers, suppliers, competitors,
and complementary organizations to develop new approaches to generating new wealth. The above were required capabilities to execute innovation processes.
This was in line with the findings done by Pavitt (1991) he raised issues such as flexibility, short communication lines, close relations with customers, motivation of management and labour force
and customers loyalty. Hypothesis test results were analysed also and the following results were obtained. ijcrb. webs. com INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS COPY RIGHT 2013 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 3 8 3 MARCH 2013 VOL 4,
and strategies periodically in order to suit the changing environment From the hypotheses conducted, the results showed that there was link between innovation and SMES operations sustainability.
through networking some services can be exchanged for free. SMES should recruit skilled personnel. New ideas can be injected in the business rather than relying on the founder or owner s knowledge.
Innovation Speed in the Small and Medium Sized Enterprise (SME. Creativity and Innovation Management 15 (3): 279-295.
Chapter14, Innovation, www. maxwell. af. mil/au/awc/awcgate/doe/benchmark/ch14. pdf Accessed 18 september 2012 Baumgartner, J. P. 2009.
The innovation process. http://www. innovationprocess. htm Accessed 18 september 2012 Beaver, G. & Prince, C. 2002, Innovation, entrepreneurship and competitive advantage in the entrepreneurial venture, Journal
of Small Business and Enterprise Development 9 (1): 28-37. Beck, T.,Demirguç-Kunt, A. & Levine, R. 2005.
Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Wiley, UK. Birchall, D.,Chanaron, J. &soderquist, K. 1996. Managing innovation in SMES, International Journal of Technology Management 12 (3): 291-305.
Innovation processes within Small and Medium-sized enterprises: http://www. dare2. ubvu. vu. nl/bitstream/handle/1871/16050/dissertation. pdf. Accessed 19 september 2012 Buysse, K. &verbeke, A. 2003.
A stakeholder management perspective. Strategy Management Journal 24 (5): 453-470. Cummings, B. S. 1998.
Unravelling the determinants and consequences of an innovation-supportive organizational culture, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 25 (1): 59-76.
Virtual Environments Innovation and R&d Activities, University of Technology Malaysia, Malaysia. Essentials, 1999. Entrepreneurship development, 2: 1 http://www. essentials-on-entrepreneurship. pdf. Accessed 25 october 2012 Ettlie, J. E. & Rubenstein, A. H. 1987, Firm size and product
innovation, Journal of Product Innovation 4: 89-108. Gupta, A k. &govindrajan, V. 1991. Knowledge flows and the structure of control within multinational corporations.
Architectural innovation, Administrative Science Quarterly 35 (1): 9 31 Heunks, F. J. 1998, Innovation, creativity and success, Small Business Economics, 10
and performance in Chinese technology ventures. Strategy Management 23 (6): 469-490. Machipisa L. 1998.
Motwani, J.,Dandridge, T.,Jiang, J. and Soderquist, K. 1999, Managing innovation in French small and medium-sized enterprises, Journal of Small Business Management
Stakeholder influences on sustainability practices in the Canadian forest products industry. Strategic Management Journal 26 (2): 159-180.
a study of small to medium enterprises (SMES), Measuring Business Excellence, 7 (2): 78-92. ijcrb. webs. com INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS
Innovation practice and its performance implications in small and medium enterprises (SMES) in the manufacturing sector.
Linking Entrepreneurship and Economic growth, Small Business Economics, August 13 (1): 27-55 World bank (2009. Innovative Firms or Innovative Owners?
and Medium Enterprises, The World bank Development Research Group, Finance and Private Sector Team. Yin, R. K. 1989) Case study Research:
Demand for passenger and freight transport is constantly increasing in cities and towns, contributing to congestion, pollution,
and planning 1 Increasing demand for passenger and freight transport in urban areas is a challenge for governments and transport authorities in all EU Member States.
As well as the detrimental impacts on the urban environment itself, congestion adversely affects economic competitiveness, social cohesion and sustainable growth in Europe.
and cities and towns are key drivers of the economy, contributing up to 85%of EU Gross domestic product (GDP).
Efficient urban transport is essential to the competitiveness of European cities as commercial and economic hubs in their national economies and for the EU in the global context.
and constitute the‘last mile'in many transport services. Traffic congestion Urban expansion and high dependence on the car and truck have led to congestion in cities and towns across Europe.
The priority is to create urban transport systems that meet individual needs for mobility and the economic and social demand for rapid and efficient movement of goods and people,
Changing mobility culture Breaking the cycle of increasing urban congestion and accompanying impacts on economy, society and the environment requires a change in mindset by both decision makers and transport users.
and demands for new and flexible lifestyles, cities are faced with finding new transport solutions for rapid and easy movement of people.
New technologies also bring opportunities for integrating data for journey planning and electronic ticketing, and smart cards to facilitate interoperability between public transport modes.
and was followed in 1998 with the Communication on Developing the Citizens'Network. To promote sustainable transport
In addition, the European commission's Thematic Strategy on the Urban Environment adopted in 2006, stresses the contribution of urban mobility trends to the environmental challenges faced by many cities and towns in Europe.
noise hindrance, damage to the built environment and social exclusion, as well as increasing traffic volumes and congestion.
A key element of the programme is the exchange of knowledge and results in‘demonstration'cities with stakeholders in other urban areas in Europe.
Demand management strategies based on economic tools, regulatory measures and tele-services; Mobility management plans and communication campaigns for managing mobility demand;
Safe and secure road infrastructure and transport for all users; New forms of vehicle use and/or ownership and a less car-dependent lifestyle;
Innovative approaches to city logistics are being developed that incorporate new mobility concepts and seamless mobility services.
In addition, participatory processes engaging stakeholders help to bridge the gap between research and market take-up.
key stakeholders and citizens by including dissemination of results and best practices in research programmes,
and through information and communication tools such as the ELTIS portal. Launched by the European commission in 2003, the Intelligent Energy Europe programme (IEE-STEER) focuses on initiatives in energy saving and efficiency in the transport sector.
The Partnership's stakeholders define joint targets for 2020 and more specific operational objectives, they analyse barriers,
regional and local government organisations is essential to spur on local action and investment. For more information, the Smart Cities and Communities Stakeholder Platform is available at:
www. eu-smartcities. eu.*Smart city solutions could include: innovative, integrated technologies and services with applications in buildings (heating/cooling), grids, mobility, traffic management,
broadband communications that contribute to sustainable development in cities and communities. 6 Innovation in urban mobilit y-polic y making
and planning Integrated and sustainable transport planning The EU policy objective of reducing dependency on the private car is pivotal in achieving cleaner and more efficient transport in urban areas.
i c y P r i o r i t y Sustainable transport planning requires an integrated approach to manage transport demand
and to provide services that enhance the overall urban system and surroundings. Thus, an integrated package of measures needs to be developed that includes consideration of the environmental and social impacts of transport
Furthermore, early participation of stakeholders in local decision-making contributes to wider acceptance of new mobility measures.
Various research initiatives have developed innovative ways to establish coordinated dialogue between policy makers, stakeholders and civil society.
Urban traffic management Increasing transport demand is creating a major challenge in traffic management in urban areas throughout Europe.
To this end, there is increasing emphasis in urban areas on interconnecting road, rail, underground metro infrastructure and services,
In addition to providing infrastructure such as new tramlines, roads and cycle lanes, mobility management can influence transport demand to some extent.
Research has focused on information and communication on alternative transport options, such as awareness raising and information campaigns, organisation of sustainable homework and home-school transport services,
and planning 9 investment and may have a high cost-benefit ratio. The concept of mobility management has been investigated in various research projects,
The EU supports public transport and EU legislation regulates a large proportion of public transport investment and operations.
The EU Regulation on Public Passenger Transport Services by Rail and Road (Regulation EC no 1370/2007) sets out conditions for competent authorities to grant exclusive rights and/or compensation to public service operators.
and integrating services into the urban transport network. Directed to stimulating use of public transport, research has been carried out on infrastructure design (such as, accessibility of stations), operational and maintenance systems,
and on the public image of the public transport services. Research on intermodal public transport is directed to seamless transfer from one mode to another by, for instance,
and car and bicycle sharing services. New technologies are being developed to improve public transport use, such as PRT (Personal Rapid transit), BRT (Bus Rapid transit) and GRT (Group Rapid transit
and new services such as demand responsive public transport. These technologies and services are being tested in the CIVITAS Initiative, in the Citymobil projects and in the Intelligent Energy-Europe (IEE) programme.
Sustainable mobility concepts Research has shown that sustainable mobility concepts include solutions that stimulate sustainable car use (such as car sharing
and use of flexible public transport services such as buses on demand. Increasing attention is being given to nonmotorised transport.
and tested based on in depth analysis of bus stakeholder needs. As a result, the EBSF vision has been formulated for the bus system for the future to respond to passenger needs, social and environmental requirements,
Bringing together 47 stakeholders in the bus sector, the European Bus System of the Future (EBSF) project launched a bus renaissance.
For the first time, Europe's leading bus manufacturers have pooled resources in pre-competitive research to define innovations in urban buses. The R&d project is focusing on providing passengers with real-time multimodal information, quality services
and onboard services. In addition, R&d included improving commercial speed by shortening journey times, improving reliability and punctuality of services,
and enhancing safety for passengers and drivers. Project reference: European Bus System of the Future Status:
Four prototype vehicles have been tested by partner operators in eight cities across Europe: Bremerhaven, Brunoy, Budapest, Gothenburg, Madrid, Paris, Rome and Rouen.
Improved onboard e-services with screens providing information on real departure times and disruptions with alternative routes,
and takes account of future mobility trends and services for passengers and operators. For example in Paris, the EBSF bus station offers diversified services to fulfil both transport and urban requirements:
electric bikes for better intermodality, library, public Wi-fi, dedicated space for mobile retailers. EBSF can become the core of the transport network for seamless mobility of urban citizens.
Further steps More than 100 bus stakeholders contributed to the EBSF Roadmap, which identifies key areas and priorities for research on bus systems.
directed to providing the More accessible urban transport Easy access to efficient transport services whether road,
and to improve access to regular services in all appropriate transport modes. Policy focuses on improving the mobility of the disabled
services and facilities to help overcome social exclusion. The key policy focus is to provide all citizens with easy access to alternative transport solutions to the car.
All passengers commuters, local residents, visitors need real-time information to make choices on when and how to travel, such as schedules, travel options, orientation guides, connecting services,
and visitors with real-time travel information and transport planning services both face-to-face and via the web.
and planning combination of factors including increasing transport demand, integration of transport into residential areas and increasing shortage of space in city centres.
Security criteria and benchmarks are being developed to enable authorities and transport operators to assess security levels
These projects have developed a common methodology for assessing accessibility of public transport services and have identified best practices on how to improve urban mobility,
travel opportunities need to be equitable for all. This includes ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL Mediate Access 2all 16 Innovation in urban mobilit y-polic y making
services and public information directed to eliminating barriers in the public transport chain. In addition, a software tool was developed to assess the accessibility level of buses, stations and hubs,
providing a selfassessment tool to support stakeholders in assessing the strengths and weaknesses in the transport system,
Greener urban transport contributes to reducing transport's impact on climate change, the environment and human health.
This situation leads to concerns about security of supply as well as to a significant deficit in the EU trade balance and increasing costs to the environment.
The 2011 Transport White paper stresses the need to phase out‘conventionally fuelled'vehicles in the urban environment
The Communication on Clean Power for Transport: A European alternative fuels strategy evaluates the main alternative fuel options available to substitute oil,
The directive covers vehicles purchased by public and private entities providing public transport services. Such requirements are expected to enhance market uptake of environmentally friendly vehicles,
Based on open ICT software systems, prototypes and applications have been developed for activities such as truck access control, dynamic tunnel access control,
onboard equipment, heterogeneous wireless communication infrastructure and CALM (platform for vehicleto-vehicle and road-to-vehicle communication) implementation in on-board and on-cargo units.
Policy and research outlook The EU acknowledges its role in supporting urban transport authorities to meet the manifold challenges posed by the increasing demand for passenger and freight transport.
The policy aims to minimise the consequences of congestion and pollution in the urban environment,
New mobility concepts have been investigated to influence transport demand, including incentive schemes for more sustainable use of transport modes and infrastructure.
In addition, mobility management strategies to influence citizens'behaviour and to improve stakeholder participation in the decisionmaking process have been implemented with the EU support.
Citymobil Advanced Transport for the Urban Environment, Final Citymobil Brochure, November 2011. Civitas Initiative (2012:
Communication from the Commission Developing the Citizens'Network, COM (1998) 431 final, Brussels. European commission (2006:
Communication from the Commission on the Thematic Strategy on the Urban Environment, COM (2005) 718 final, Brussels. European commission (2007a:
Regulation of the European parliament and of the Council on Public Passenger Transport Services by Rail and by Road, Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007, Brussels. European commission (2009a:
Communication from the Commission, Action Plan on Urban Mobility, SEC (2009) 1211, SEC (2009) 1212, final, Brussels. European commission (2009b:
Communication from the Commission, Europe 2020 Flagship Initiative, Innovation Union, SEC (2010) 1161, Brussels. European commission (2010b:
Communication from the Commission, European Disability Strategy 2010-2020: A Renewed Commitment to a Barrier-Free Europe SEC (2010) 1324, Brussels. European commission (2010c:
Communication from the Commission, Towards a European road safety area: policy orientations on road safety 2011-2020, COM (2010) 0389 final, Brussels. European commission (2010d:
Communication from the, The EU Internal security Strategy in Action: Five steps towards a more secure Europe, COM (2010) 673 final, Brussels. European commission (2011a:
Communication Clean Power for Transport: European alternative fuels strategy (COM (2013) 17) European commission (2013b: Proposal for a Directive on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure (COM (2013) 18) IRU (2009:
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