Application of Digitalisation in Landlord Ports to Achieve Efficiency in Port Performance: Structural Embeddedness

Purpose More focus on Port performance has resulted ports authorities to evolve strongly towards a digitalised port. Nonetheless, there isn’t much research focused on how digitalisation contributes to improvements of the networks and its effect on port performance. How can we develop digital platform improve our network's structural embeddedness for efficient port performance? Design/ Methodology Hence, giving this paper the need to investigate the port actors that contribute to the port performance indicators and explore through a combined methodology of case study, design science and action research to build an artefact that contributes to improving the structural embeddedness. We argue that denser structural embeddedness of network speeds up resource sharing, information availability and accessibility to technology. This can be done by creating new information systems for sharing ‘information’ that would create “efficiency’ in port performance. Taking the framework of structural embeddedness, the paper studies the four variables of Network Centrality, Structural Autonomy, Structural Equivalence and Density of Network in context of port network. For this research, the author collected longitudinal data from 2016 – 2019, which is analysed through three different research method. Findings In outcome, this paper contributes an artefact, which is more customer-focused berth allocation platform that creates denser network centrality and assist the network to engage in more ‘efficient’ performance while allocating berths to vessel. In addition, the outcome contributes towards “information availability’ which play an integral part in the effort of improving efficiency in port performance. Value of the Paper Moreover, the paper contributes to how ports can digitalise to improve not only their performance in relation to berth allocation of vessel but also have an positive effect on their whole network.