Effectiveness of supply chain orientation in container ports: liners’ perspective

Abstract

This paper employs the concept of supply chain orientation in container port management and empirically tests whether the measurement models proposed in some notable previous research have universal application. In addition, this study attempts to identify any significant causal relationships between port supply chain orientation and port performance from the view point of shipping companies. In the current study port supply chain orientation was found to have limited effect on customer satisfaction and port competitiveness, which might has been caused by some implemental and practical issues. However, the present study reveals the potential importance of port supply chain management by empirically demonstrating that “closer relationship with shipping lines” and “innovative value added service” could function as critical components for container ports/terminals to improve customer satisfaction and enhance their competitiveness.