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This study aims to investigate the concept of port service quality (PSQ) and examine its influence on customer satisfaction in the container port sector in Vietnam. Despite the importance of the maritime industry in which port is a critical sector in the national economy, there has been no research so far which examines what PSQ entails and how it affects customer satisfaction in the context of Vietnam.

Following a literature review, a conceptual model of PSQ and its influence on customer satisfaction was proposed. A survey questionnaire was then developed and piloted with senior executives who are working in various container shipping lines and logistics companies in Vietnam. The questionnaire was first designed in English and then refined through the process of translation and back-translation to ensure language non-discrepancies. The survey was administered to 200 members of Vietnam Shipowners’ Association, Vietnam Logistics Associations and Vietnam Shippers’ Council. By the cut-off date, 108 questionnaires were received, in which 99 valid replies were used for further analysis.

Results from this study reveal that PSQ is a construct of 4 factors and 16 items, and that enhanced PSQ will positively influence customer satisfaction, in which the outcomes of port service performance and its image would have the greatest impact. Interestingly, most items relating to social and environmental responsibility were dropped, and this result is expected in the context of a developing country like Vietnam.

Findings from this research may enhance port managers’ understanding on areas of PSQ to improve so as to meet and exceed their customers’ satisfaction.

This present study uses political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental (PESTLE) analysis and the strategic management theory to examine how external factors, namely the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the industrial revolution (IR) 4.0 technologies, the fuel price crisis and Sultanate of Oman Logistics Strategy (SOLS) 2040, affect the performance of container terminals in Oman.

A hybrid decision-making method that combined the analytical hierarchy process technique and Bayesian network model was used to achieve the objective of the present study.

The COVID-19 pandemic (54.60%) most significantly affected the performance of container terminals in Oman, followed by IR 4.0 technologies (19.66%), SOLS (17.00%) and fuel price crisis (8.74%). Container terminals in Oman were also found to perform “moderately,” considering the uncertainty of external factors.

This study enriches existing literature by using PESTLE analysis to assess the impact of the external business environment on firm performance in the context of the maritime industry as well as highlights how challenging external environmental factors affect the performance of container terminals in Oman.

This study contributes to developing novel study models and determining the performance level of container terminals in Oman considering integrated uncertainties and external factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, IR 4.0 technologies, the SOLS 2040 and the fuel price crisis.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a risk assessment of port-centric threats that may have adverse effects on supply chain continuity from the perspectives of port operators and port users, thereby determining the significance of these threats to supply chain disruptions.

Drawing on literature review and reported cases, 19 port-centric disruptive events were identified. Subsequently, surveys were conducted to collect data from 102 port operators and 123 port users worldwide on the frequencies and consequences of the identified port-centric disruptive events. Risk matrices were then generated to compare the perspectives of port operators and port users.

The results show that threats related to the planning of port resources require the highest level of attention. This highlights important areas for port managers seeking to improve port resilience and supply chain continuity through a more prudent management of risks.

The results help port managers understand where they should establish strategic capability to increase port resilience and enhance sustainability to benefit port users. However, the study could be further enhanced by evaluating the threats based on different regions of ports and port users and making recommendations for port operators to undertake.

The findings of this paper are significant as they provide an analysis of data gathered from international port operators and port users. Risk matrices have been widely applied in many industries, yet no studies have been conducted to develop a portfolio of port-centric risks at a scale as large as this paper.

An implicit assumption of current supply chain integration (SCI) research is that the results obtained from product supply chains can be directly extrapolated to service supply chains. The purpose of this paper is to question this assumption of equivalence by proposing that the effects of internal integration (II) and external integration (EI) on operational performance (OP) are contingent on whether a firm operates in a product and service supply chain.

Drawing on the contingency theory, a model that specifies and contrasts the interrelationships between II, EI, and OP in product and service supply chains was proposed. Subsequently, measures were developed and survey data were collected from 138 product and 174 service companies in Singapore. The data were then analysed using multi-sampling analysis.

The effects of II and EI on OP varied significantly between product and service supply chains. In addition, the relationship between II and OP was found to be partially mediated by EI in product supply chains whereas a fully mediated relationship was observed in service supply chains.

Within the context of SCI, different mediation patterns exist in product and service supply chains. The results suggest adopting a contingency rather than a universalistic approach in the management of firms’ internal and external integrative capabilities to maximise OP. Specifically, managers should adjust their II and EI efforts to achieve congruency with the type of supply chain they serve.

This paper tests the assumption of equivalence and extends the current scope of SCI contingency research by cross-examining the effects of II and EI on OP in both product and service supply chains simultaneously.

As the concept of corporate sustainable management activities (CSMA) has become an increasingly important element of corporate management, much attention has been paid to its impact on customer relationship. Although there exists many studies concentrating mainly on the environment aspect of CSMA, only a few address the three dimensions of CSMA (environmental, social and economic) and examine their comprehensive impact on relationship marketing. In an attempt to fill this gap, the purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the influence of CSMA on customer satisfaction (CS), word of mouth intention (WOMI) and repurchase intention (RI).

The data come from 214 shipping industry practitioners (shippers, freight forwarders and third party logistics service providers in South Korea). Structural equation modeling (SEM) is employed to test the impact of CSMA on CS, WOMI and RI.

Based on a survey conducted in South Korea, the findings indicate that environmental and economic aspects of CSMA play a significant role in enhancing CS and the enhanced CS positively affects WOMI and RI.

As the field data were obtained from only one industry, future replication of the findings to other industries should consider industry-specific factors, if applicable.

The results highlight several implications for shipping industry practitioners to consider when establishing the strategy for effective corporate sustainable management to enhance CS.

This study is one of the first empirical attempts to explore how CSMA affects CS in the shipping industry. In addition, this paper empirically investigates the influence of CS on WOMI and RI.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influences of total quality management (TQM) and supply chain integration (SCI) practices on firm performance (FP) of container shipping industry in Singapore.

A survey was conducted with 159 container shipping companies in Singapore to examine the interrelationships between SCI and TQM practices and FP. A stepwise multiple regression analysis using SPSS version 14.0 was performed on the data.

Statistical results suggest that both TQM and SCI practices have positive effects on service quality and FP but at different extents, while TQM also contributes positively to SCI.

The small sample is the main limitation. The findings bear important implications for further research as understanding these dimensions can help to position key changes and industry improvement that will increase revenue and reduce cost to the container shipping companies in Singapore.

This research provides guidelines for shipping managers on how to implement the SCI and TQM practices appropriately to boost their FP to the fullest extent.

This study has unique implications for social sustainability especially the container shipping industry, which is hard pressed to combat the challenges within the logistics/transportation sector.

This is perhaps the first study that examines the influence of SCI and TQM practices on the performance of container shipping firms that helps them see beyond the silo mentality and focus on greater value addition in FP.

Building on the resource-based view (RBV) perspective of common resources, the objective of this paper is to empirically examine the impact of container terminals' common resources (i.e. government support and terminal resources) on resource bundling strategies and subsequent effect on service performance.

Using cross-sectional survey data collected from a sample of 216 respondents of Indonesia's container terminals, this study used structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the hypothesised relationships between common resources, resource bundling strategies and service performance.

Government support and terminal resources (personnel and physical), both as sources of common resources when bundled effectively, are found to have positive and significant effect on terminal service performance. The resource bundling strategies fully mediate the relationship between container terminals' common resources and service performance.

The study introduces the notion of common resources to container terminal managers in contrast to the valuable, rare, inimitable and non-substitutable (VRIN) types. It is recommended that appropriate resource bundling strategies can turn the common resources into VRIN resources that can be used to obtain desired service performance.

RBV theorists suggest that resources that are VRIN types can be the source of competitive advantage. However, the resources can also be common, basic and valuable, a fact that is rarely investigated in the literature. These common resources can be bundled judiciously with other pre-existing resources to create VRIN resources. This research enriches the RBV by empirically validating that VRIN resources are embedded within various common resources bundling strategies.

This research aims to investigate how organisational and contextual factors affect supply chain collaboration and how that, in turn, influences firms' competitive advantage in the garment industry in the context of Vietnam, a developing country.

Following a qualitative research design, in-depth interviews were conducted with senior managers who are involved in supply chain collaboration in twelve garment companies in Vietnam. The data were recorded, transcribed and analysed using NVivo 12. Based on the literature and interview findings, a research model underpinned by the relational view (RV) and institutional theories, with organisational and contextual factors being the antecedents and competitive advantage as the outcome of supply chain collaboration, was proposed.

The findings showed that organisational and contextual factors induce both internal, supplier and customer supply chain collaboration. There is also a positive relationship between supply chain collaboration and competitive advantage. Based on these findings, a strategy matrix for supply chain collaboration is also put forward.

This is one of the first empirical attempts to investigate the role of organisational and contextual factors as potential antecedents of supply chain collaboration and its effects on competitive advantage in the garment industry. The research is expected to enrich both the literature and management practices on supply chain collaboration in the context of developing countries.

Anchoring on configuration theory, the purpose of this paper is to evaluate how supply chain relationship quality (SCRQ) differs across firm characteristics (FC) in the maritime logistics industry. In addition, it utilises transactional cost theory to establish the relationship between SCRQ and supply chain performance (SCP).

The data were obtained from a survey with 205 maritime logistics service players (shipping firms, shippers and freight forwarders) in Singapore. MANOVA and t-test analyses are used to examine the difference in SCRQ (i.e. trust and commitment) across FC which includes firm types and ownership types. Thereafter, structural equation modelling is employed to examine the influence of SCRQ on SCP.

The results indicate that the effects of trust and commitment on SCRQ vary significantly. It was also found that trust as an aspect of SCRQ has a significant impact on SCP, whereas commitment does not.

As the field data were obtained from only one industry, future replication of the findings to other industries should consider industry-specific factors, if applicable.

It is suggested that maritime logistics service players should carefully manage trust and commitment to simultaneously enable SCP. By identifying the various aspects of FC that contribute to SCRQ, maritime logistics service providers could devise appropriate strategies for different customer segments more effectively.

This study expands current supply chain research by linking two dimensions of SCRQ in relationship marketing with SCP in supply chain management. It is also one of the first empirical attempts to explore the role of FC in the linkage between SCRQ and SCP in the maritime logistics industry.