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1 – 10 of over 6000Jeronimo Esteve-Perez and Antonio Garcia-Sanchez
Cruise traffic has dynamically advanced worldwide over the past two decades. This maritime business and tourism typology is strongly concentrated in several links that comprise…
Abstract
Purpose
Cruise traffic has dynamically advanced worldwide over the past two decades. This maritime business and tourism typology is strongly concentrated in several links that comprise the cruise product. With regard to destination regions, the concentration occurs both in the few worldwide destination regions and in the specific ports within a given destination region. Moreover, in a cruise itinerary’s configuration, there is a strong spatial dependence between the ports that comprise it. Taking these into account, the aims of this paper are to identify the current competitive positions of Spanish cruise ports and to explain the different features of the competitive positions obtained.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 21 Spanish ports is selected to conduct a competitive positioning analysis. The analysis is developed by applying portfolio analysis based on the “growth-share matrix” adapted to the port industry. Moreover, the sample of ports is divided into three groups based on geographical positions of ports on the Spanish coast, and each group is analysed separately.
Findings
The three Spanish coastal areas have a behavioural pattern in which few ports concentrate the greater share of the cruising activity. The highest number of competitive positions are mature leader and high potential. In the three Spanish coastal areas, there are ports with these positions. Additionally, there are homeports available in the three coastal areas.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to the research of the cruise industry sector especially from the point of view of cruise ports. The results obtained may be useful to cruise port managers for developing strategies aimed at increasing cruise traffic in a port.
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Jerónimo Esteve-Pérez and Antonio García-Sánchez
The cruise tourism industry has experienced a positive evolution, with an average annual growth rate in the worldwide number of cruise passengers of 7.84% between 1990 and 2013…
Abstract
The cruise tourism industry has experienced a positive evolution, with an average annual growth rate in the worldwide number of cruise passengers of 7.84% between 1990 and 2013. This chapter presents an empirical analysis particular to Spanish cruise ports and their associated tourist hinterlands. With regard to cruise ports, an evolution analysis and port portfolio analysis technique using the growth-share matrix for the period 2000–2013 is applied in order to identify the competitive positions of a range of 18 ports in the Spanish Mediterranean coast. While for the tourist hinterland of each port is characterized the geographical area encompassed. The results obtained identify the different competitive positions of ports and the different types of hinterlands characterized.
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This chapter reviews and analyses the contemporary development of liner shipping, port development and competition. It begins with a comprehensive review on the latest…
Abstract
This chapter reviews and analyses the contemporary development of liner shipping, port development and competition. It begins with a comprehensive review on the latest developmental trends of liner shipping and business strategies, as well as their impacts on port development and competition. Then, it discusses the responses of ports, past, present and (likely) future, in addressing these new demands and challenges. A very important point from this analysis indicates that, in the past decade, port development and competition have gradually evolved from being individual, technical efficiency-oriented to become more regional, economic efficiency-oriented. At the same time, ports have also moved out of their rather passive positions and undertaken positive steps to avert the traditionally strong bargaining power of shipping lines. This illustrates that port development and competition is a continuous morphological process which can change dramatically within a rather short period of time. This chapter provides a new perspective on port development and competition and a decent platform for further research.
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Norlinda Mohd Rozar, Mohd Hazeem Sidik, Muhammad Ashlyzan Razik, Saadi Ahmad Kamaruddin, Mohd Kholil Ashari Mohd Rozar, Indrianawati Usman and Bandar Ersan Alown
The term competitive has always been used as a comparison to provide a distinction between two or more things. Southeast Asia handles billions of tonnes of global seaborne trade…
Abstract
Purpose
The term competitive has always been used as a comparison to provide a distinction between two or more things. Southeast Asia handles billions of tonnes of global seaborne trade annually. Thus, there is a necessity to look in detail at the performance indicators of port competitiveness on the basis of port performance.
Design/methodology/approach
This study has categorized 18 Malaysian bulk terminals into two different classes based on various performance indicators. The distinctions used a hierarchical cluster analysis by arranging the performance indicators. The technique is among the most popular techniques used to form homogeneous groups of entities or objects.
Findings
In this study, it was found that two classes were classified as being competitive from the homogeneous groups created. Based on the performance metrics chosen, Group 1 had the lowest score and Group 2 had the highest score. It was found that the Westport and Northport of Klang Port had the best performance of all.
Research limitations/implications
A major challenge for the study is the lack of variables relevant to other port competitiveness requirements, and a detailed research study is needed to gather information on the satisfaction of terminal customers, the paperwork involved, the accuracy and consistency of tariffs paid, the level of safety at sea and on land and environmental protection around the facility site.
Originality/value
The study on ports has been given less attention among researchers in this particular area. Therefore, this paper focuses on the port terminals in Malaysia and compares port performance metrics between ports to determine their competitiveness.
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José Antonio Pedraza-Rodríguez, Martha Yadira García-Briones and César Mora-Márquez
This article aims to explore the concept of chain value of the public port system in Ecuador from the perspective of importing/exporting companies, analyzing how perceived value…
Abstract
Purpose
This article aims to explore the concept of chain value of the public port system in Ecuador from the perspective of importing/exporting companies, analyzing how perceived value in the use of port services affects customer satisfaction and the intermediate links of the influence of trust and commitment on customer loyalty.
Design/methodology/approach
Relying on a survey of 634 Ecuadorian companies with experience in international trade as port users and a theoretical framework well-established in the literature on consumer behavior, the empirical study found evidence of a positive and significant relationship with the knowledge of chain effects.
Findings
The findings confirm the chain effect and reveal ways to maintain an ongoing satisfactory, trust and committed relationship with users, thereby ultimately gaining and maintaining their loyalty. The conclusions suggest how this postulate can help to close the gap referred to the effective management of port services, and point out that port managers should be concerned with a continuous in-depth understanding of the perceived value and its chain effects.
Originality/value
The authors add evidence of the use of the postulate of the chain of effects on these dimensions, whose applicability is very well established, tested and consensual for the doctrine in industrial marketing. In contrast, it is scarcely present in the port relationship with its users.
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This study assessed the contribution of containerization to the development of Western Ports, Lagos Nigeria. The aim was to assess the influence of containerization on some…
Abstract
This study assessed the contribution of containerization to the development of Western Ports, Lagos Nigeria. The aim was to assess the influence of containerization on some indices of port development such as port infrastructure development, ship turnaround time, cargo dwell time and congestion. Questionnaire was used to gather information on the contribution of containerization to change in maritime trade in the country, the influence of containerization on terminal expansion, congestion, level of investment in container port infrastructure as well as the influence of such investment on container dwell time and ship turnaround time (TAT) and the competitiveness of container terminal within Nigeria port systems and with other developed container ports of the world. Secondary data used included statistics of reports of operations of Western Ports between 2000 and 2010 as reported by NPA, as well as reports of some selected ports derived from Containerization International Year Book, which were used in this study for the sake of global reference. Summary tables and ANOVA for the analysis of the data. Results revealed a significant contribution of containerization to maritime trade relative to the ports’ annual records but with no significant influence on ship turnaround time, cargo dwell time congestion which are determinants of port productivity and competitiveness. The study concluded that Western Ports have still not reaped gains of containerization and lacking in competitiveness when compared with other developed ports of the world.
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Abstract
Purpose
The importance of international dry port integration in the supply chain has received a great deal of attention and been widely discussed in the literature. This study empirically examines the relationship among dry port logistics supply chain integration (DPLSCI), its operational performance (OP) and dry port competitiveness (DPC) in the context of China.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors developed a structured questionnaire based on the supply chain integration (SCI) theory and resource-based view, and collected data from the dry port operation enterprises and their stakeholders in central and western China. A structural equation model (SEM) is used to test the research hypotheses.
Findings
The results demonstrate that DPLSCI has a positive effect on logistics cost performance (LCP) and service quality performance (SQP), which further improves DPC. Meanwhile, OP (LCP and SQP) is a full mediator between DPLSCI and DPC.
Practical implications
This paper provides guidelines for dry port operators and their stakeholders to integrate supply chain resources and develop the OP for improving the overall competitiveness of an international dry port. The government could also invest in physical infrastructure and system platform to strengthen the OP of a dry port and further enhance its competitiveness.
Originality/value
The authors emphasise that the international dry port is a proactive and integrated system in providing a supply chain logistics service. This study fills up a research gap in the extant literature on theoretically proposing and empirically testing a new theoretical model. It also contributes to dry port stakeholders by providing useful guidelines to enhance OP and dry port competitiveness.
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This paper analyses container throughput developments in the East Asia container port system. Throughput evolutions and concentration/deconcentration patterns in the multi-range…
Abstract
This paper analyses container throughput developments in the East Asia container port system. Throughput evolutions and concentration/deconcentration patterns in the multi-range container port system of East Asia are analysed. The paper also provides a more in-depth qualitative analysis of the reasons underlying the observed trends and results. It is demonstrated that the East Asian port system is undergoing major structural shifts in cargo patterns and is witnessing a cargo deconcentration trend as a result of the rise of the Chinese ports and the relative stagnation of the Japanese range.
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Hilde Meersman, Eddy Van de Voorde and Thierry Vanelslander
Ports are widely recognised as crucial nodes in international trade and transport. However, for various reasons, capacity does not always match demand: sometimes there is…
Abstract
Ports are widely recognised as crucial nodes in international trade and transport. However, for various reasons, capacity does not always match demand: sometimes there is overcapacity, whereas in other cases, demand exceeds capacity and there is a shortage of the latter. This chapter therefore looks at where port congestion occurs, both globally and in the port-calling chain; it analyses actual responses by various chain actors, and it sheds some light on potential future evolution and reaction patterns.
Congestion, in general, can feature various forms of appearance: it can be more or less hidden, featuring congestion costs, or it can be visually present, featuring queues which are building up. The chapter discerns eight zones in the port-calling chain where congestion may emerge. As a result of a wide literature search, supplemented with a survey, it can first of all be observed that quite some congestion seems to occur, globally spread, and hitting larger as well as smaller ports. Most of the congestion is generated at the terminals, hinterland connection points and hinterland transport itself.
In terms of reaction patterns, one would assume that pricing throughout the system is adapted in such way that demand equals capacity. In practice, prices are hardly making any effort to make marginal revenue equal marginal cost. The reason is mainly that the power balance is quite strongly in favour of shipping companies, who impose on port and port operators the need to expand capacity at low fees. Port operators, in turn, apply various kinds of technical and procedural adaptations. The same is true for hinterland operators.
Looking towards the future, it seems that with the increase in world trade, the risk of port congestion will be even more outspoken, be it in some parts of the world more than in others. It is also very much likely that most problems will occur landside, as this is the part of the chain where solutions are least easy: who is going to take the initiative, how will co-ordination take place and where will the funding come from? Most actors seem to be aware of this trend, and seek for solutions like dedicated terminals and vertical integration or co-operation.
With the above observations, the chapter sheds some light on where the future needs and trends in the abatement of capacity will lie. It is therefore useful from a scientific point of view as well as with an eye on policy-making and operational port management.
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Majid Eskafi, Milad Kowsari, Ali Dastgheib, Gudmundur F. Ulfarsson, Poonam Taneja and Ragnheidur I. Thorarinsdottir
Port throughput analysis is a challenging task, as it consists of intertwined interactions between a variety of cargos and numerous influencing factors. This study aims to propose…
Abstract
Purpose
Port throughput analysis is a challenging task, as it consists of intertwined interactions between a variety of cargos and numerous influencing factors. This study aims to propose a quantitative method to facilitate port throughput analysis by identification of important cargos and key macroeconomic variables.
Design/methodology/approach
Mutual information is applied to measure the linear and nonlinear correlation among variables. The method gives a unique measure of dependence between two variables by quantifying the amount of information held in one variable through another variable.
Findings
This study uses the mutual information to the Port of Isafjordur in Iceland to underpin the port throughput analysis. The results show that marine products are the main export cargo, whereas most imports are fuel oil, industrial materials and marine product. The aggregation of these cargos, handled in the port, meaningfully determines the non-containerized port throughput. The relation between non-containerized export and the national gross domestic product (GDP) is relatively high. However, non-containerized import is mostly related to the world GDP. The non-containerized throughput shows a strong relation to the national GDP. Furthermore, the results reveal that the volume of national export trade is the key influencing macroeconomic variable to the containerized throughput.
Originality/value
Application of the mutual information in port throughput analysis effectively reduces epistemic uncertainty in the identification of important cargos and key influencing macroeconomic variables. Thus, it increases the reliability of the port throughput forecast.
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