SUPPLY CHAIN COLLABORATION, COLLABORATIVE ADVANTAGE AND PERFORMANCE by

429 Pages·2014·5.26 MB·English

NORTHEAST ASIAN CONTAINERISED MARITIME LOGISTICS:
SUPPLY CHAIN COLLABORATION, COLLABORATIVE
ADVANTAGE AND PERFORMANCE

by
YOUNG-JOON SEO

A thesis submitted to the Plymouth University of
in partial fulfilment for the degree of

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

International Shipping and Logistics Group
Plymouth Graduate School of Management

September 2014

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Copyright Statement

This copy of the thesis has been supplied on condition that anyone who
consults it is understood to recognise that its copyright rests with its author and
that no quotation from the thesis and no information derived from it may be
published without the author’s prior consent.

Signed…………………………………….
Young-Joon Seo

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ABSTRACT
This thesis aims to develop and validate the dimensions of supply chain
collaboration and collaborative advantage in the containerised maritime industry
and explores the impact of supply chain collaboration on collaborative
advantage and port performance. Additionally, this thesis tests a mediation
effect of collaborative advantage on the relationship between supply chain
collaboration and port performance.
This thesis employs a quantitative method. A theoretical model is built based on
thorough literature reviews of supply chain management and maritime studies,
in-depth discussions with experts, item review and Q-sorting techniques to
signify ambiguity or misunderstanding with the scales and to suggest
modifications. The proposed model is empirically tested with survey data using
178 responses from terminal operators, shipping lines, inland transport
companies, freight forwarders, ship management companies and third-party
logistics providers involved in maritime logistics in the major containers ports of
Busan, Gwangyang and Incheon for a comprehensive and balanced view by
using structural equation modelling.
With regard to the findings of the empirical research, three main constructs
were successfully validated as multi-dimensional constructs. The structural
paths support hypotheses that supply chain collaboration has a positive
influence on collaborative advantage, and collaborative advantage has a strong
contribution to port performance. However, the direct impact of supply chain
collaboration on port performance is insignificant. A hierarchical approach of the
mediation test and bootstrapping test found that the association between supply
chain collaboration and port performance is fully mediated by collaborative
advantage. In other words, the greater degree of supply chain collaboration
between the port and port user enables them to gain a higher degree of
collaborative advantage, and, in turn, this collaborative advantage can
contribute to augmenting port performance.
This thesis synthesises transaction cost theory, resource based theory and a
relational view to explain how supply chain collaboration influences
collaborative advantage and port performance. Its theoretical contribution
expands the concept of supply chain collaboration and collaborative advantage
into containerised maritime contexts, capturing the perspective of the ports and
port users. Further, despite numerous maritime studies which extol the
importance of collaboration between the ports and port users, no systematic
approach has previously developed and validated those constructs and
relationships.
The various maritime logistics organisations would benefit from applying the
results of this study to their supply chain collaboration practices when seeking
greater collaborative advantage. The results heed practitioners in containerised
maritime logistics organisations to focus on balancing the facets of supply chain
collaboration to transport flows of containers seamlessly and efficiently from
door-to-door, as supply chain management philosophy drives the maritime
logistics industry to become more integrated into shippers’ supply chains.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
COPYRIGHT STATEMENT ................................................................................ II
ABSTRACT………… ......................................................................................... III
LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................... IX
LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................. XI
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................ XIV
AUTHOR’S DECLARATION ......................................................................... XVIII
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .................................................................................. XX
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................... 1
1.1 Research background ............................................................................ 1
1.2 Research objective ................................................................................ 5
1.3 Research methodology .......................................................................... 6
1.4 Structure of the thesis ............................................................................ 8
1.5 Summary ............................................................................................. 10
CHAPTER 2. CHANGING ENVIRONMENT OF MARITIME INDUSTRIES
AND GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAINS .................................................................... 12
2.1 Growth in world trade ........................................................................... 12
2.1.1 Globalisation ................................................................................. 12
2.1.2 Recent developments in containerisation ...................................... 13
2.2 Demands for container port facilities .................................................... 15
2.2.1 Increasing global demand for container ports ............................... 16
2.2.2 Demand for container ports in South Korea .................................. 17
2.3 Changes in the maritime industry ........................................................ 17
2.3.1 Changes in liner shipping structure ............................................... 18
2.3.2 Changes in the port industry ......................................................... 20
2.3.3 Port coopetition ............................................................................. 24
2.3.3.1 Port cooperation ..................................................................... 25
2.3.3.2 Port competition ...................................................................... 32
2.4 The role of maritime transport and logistics in global supply chains .... 39
2.5 Summary ............................................................................................. 43
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CHAPTER 3. SUPPLY CHAIN COLLABORATION, COLLABORATIVE
ADVANTAGE AND PORT PERFORMANCE IN CONTAINERISED MARITIME
LOGISTICS………. ........................................................................................... 44
3.1 Theoretical paradigms ......................................................................... 44
3.1.1 Transaction cost theory ................................................................. 45
3.1.2 Resource based theory ................................................................. 46
3.1.3 Relational view .............................................................................. 49
3.2 Supply chain collaboration ................................................................... 50
3.2.1 Supply chain management and supply chain collaboration ........... 51
3.2.2 The characteristics of supply chain collaboration .......................... 59
3.2.3 Benefits and barriers of supply chain collaboration ....................... 63
3.2.4 Components of supply chain collaboration .................................... 67
3.2.5 The rising adoption of supply chain management in a maritime
logistics context .......................................................................................... 74
3.2.6 Collaboration amongst maritime logistics organisations within a
port…………. .............................................................................................. 80
3.2.7 Supply chain collaboration in containerised maritime logistics ...... 88
3.3 Collaborative advantage ...................................................................... 91
3.3.1 Definition of collaborative advantage............................................. 92
3.3.2 The antecedents of collaborative advantage ................................. 98
3.3.3 Difficulties in achieving collaborative advantage ......................... 101
3.3.4 The components of collaborative advantage ............................... 103
3.3.5 Collaborative advantage in containerised maritime logistics ....... 104
3.4 Port performance ............................................................................... 107
3.4.1 The characteristics of port performance ...................................... 107
3.4.2 The components of port performance ......................................... 110
3.5 Summary ........................................................................................... 116
CHAPTER 4. CONCEPTUAL MODEL AND HYPOTHESES ..................... 117
4.1 Conceptual model and hypotheses .................................................... 117
4.2 Latent variables and observed variables............................................ 124
4.2.1 Observed and latent variables of supply chain collaboration ....... 125
4.2.2 Observed and latent variables of collaborative advantage .......... 138
4.2.3 Observed and latent variables of port performance..................... 143
4.3 Summary ........................................................................................... 151
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CHAPTER 5. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY ..................... 152
5.1 Research design process .................................................................. 152
5.2 Data collection method ...................................................................... 156
5.3 Questionnaire design ......................................................................... 159
5.4 Sampling design ................................................................................ 174
5.5 Validity and reliability of measurement............................................... 179
5.5.1 Validity ......................................................................................... 179
5.5.1.1 Content validity ..................................................................... 180
5.5.1.2 Convergent validity ............................................................... 181
5.5.1.3 Discriminant validity .............................................................. 181
5.5.1.4 Unidimensionality .................................................................. 182
5.5.2 Reliability ..................................................................................... 183
5.6 Data analysis technique ..................................................................... 185
5.6.1 What is structural equation modelling? ........................................ 185
5.6.2 Advantages of SEM ..................................................................... 186
5.6.3 SEM procedure steps .................................................................. 187
5.7 Summary ........................................................................................... 194
CHAPTER 6. DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS ................................................... 196
6.1 Response rate, non-response bias and common method variance ... 196
6.2 Survey respondents profile ................................................................ 199
6.2.1 Detailed characteristics of respondents ....................................... 201
6.2.1.1 Terminal operators ................................................................ 201
6.2.1.2 Port users ............................................................................. 202
6.3 Descriptive statistics .......................................................................... 207
6.3.1 Descriptive statistics for SCC ...................................................... 207
6.3.1.1 Overall statistics for SCC ...................................................... 208
6.3.1.2 Comparisons between ports for SCC ................................... 209
6.3.1.3 Comparisons between ports and port users for SCC ............ 210
6.3.2 Descriptive statistics for CA ......................................................... 212
6.3.2.1 Overall statistics for CA ........................................................ 213
6.3.2.2 Comparison between ports for CA ........................................ 213
6.3.2.3 Comparison between ports and port users for CA ................ 214
6.3.3 Descriptive statistics for PP ......................................................... 216
6.3.3.1 Overall statistics for PP ......................................................... 217
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6.3.3.2 Comparison between ports for PP ........................................ 217
6.3.3.3 Comparison between ports and port users for PP ................ 219
6.4 Summary ........................................................................................... 221
CHAPTER 7. EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS ....................................................... 223
7.1 Data preparation ................................................................................ 223
7.1.1 Multivariate normality .................................................................. 224
7.1.2 Outliers ........................................................................................ 225
7.1.3 Missing data ................................................................................ 226
7.2 Item and scale purification: exploratory factor analysis ...................... 227
7.2.1 Identifying the factor structure ..................................................... 228
7.3 Measurement model .......................................................................... 232
7.3.1 Criteria for assessing measurement model ................................. 233
7.3.1.1 Overall model fit and unidimensionality ................................ 233
7.3.1.2 Scale reliability ...................................................................... 234
7.3.1.3 Convergent validity ............................................................... 235
7.3.1.4 Discriminant validity .............................................................. 235
7.3.2 Measurement model for supply chain collaboration .................... 236
7.3.2.1 First-order measurement model for SCC .............................. 236
7.3.2.2 Second-order measurement model for SCC ......................... 242
7.3.2.3 Five models in the confirmatory factor analysis for SCC ...... 245
7.3.3 Measurement model for collaborative advantage ........................ 247
7.3.3.1 First-order measurement model for CA ................................ 247
7.3.3.2 Second-order measurement model for CA ........................... 250
7.3.3.3 Five models in the confirmatory factor analysis for CA ......... 252
7.3.4 Measurement model for port performance .................................. 254
7.3.4.1 First-order measurement model for PP ................................. 254
7.3.4.2 Second-order measurement model for PP ........................... 259
7.3.4.3 Five models in the confirmatory factor analysis for PP ......... 261
7.4 Structural model ................................................................................. 264
7.4.1 Structural equation modelling ...................................................... 264
7.4.2 Further structural models with first-order SCC and PP ................ 267
7.4.3 Further structural models with first-order of CA ........................... 269
7.4.4 Structural model with second-order factors focusing on
mediation…………………….. ................................................................... 272
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7.5 Summary ........................................................................................... 288
CHAPTER 8. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION ...................................... 290
8.1 Research findings .............................................................................. 290
8.1.1 Research question 1: major activities and dimensions of SCC ... 292
8.1.2 Research question 2: dimensions of CA and PP in the
containerised maritime context ................................................................. 294
8.1.3 Hypotheses testing ...................................................................... 297
8.1.3.1 Impact of SCC on CA: research question 3 .......................... 297
8.1.3.2 Impact of CA on PP: research question 4 ............................. 299
8.1.3.3 Impact of SCC on PP: research question 5 .......................... 300
8.2 Implications ........................................................................................ 301
8.2.1 Contribution to theories ............................................................... 302
8.2.2 Theoretical implications ............................................................... 303
8.2.3 Managerial implications ............................................................... 313
8.3 Limitations and recommendation for the future research ................... 318
8.4 Summary ........................................................................................... 319
APPENDIX A. QUESTIONNAIRE ................................................................... 360
APPENDIX B. NON-RESPONSE BIAS TEST ................................................ 381
APPENDIX C. THE DETAILED PROFILES OF RESPONDENTS .................. 388
APPENDIX D-1. LEVENE’S TESTS FOR EQUALITY OF VARIANCES FOR
SCC IN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PORTS AND PORT USERS ................. 393
APPENDIX D-2. LEVENE’S TESTS FOR EQUALITY OF VARIANCES FOR CA
IN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PORTS AND PORT USERS ......................... 396
APPENDIX D-3. LEVENE’S TESTS FOR EQUALITY OF VARIANCES FOR PP
IN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PORTS AND PORT USERS ......................... 398
APPENDIX E. ASSESSMENT OF NORMALITY ............................................ 401
APPENDIX F. MAHALANOBIS D2 DISTANCE TEST .................................... 403

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1.1 The structure of this thesis ............................................................... 10
Figure 2.1 Generic activities of port cooperation ............................................... 28
Figure 2.2 Traditional versus current port competition ...................................... 35
Figure 2.3 Scope and potential for ports to develop beyond a maritime logistics
centre ................................................................................................................ 41
Figure 3.1 The key transition from open-market negotiations to collaboration .. 55
Figure 3.2 Types of relationships ...................................................................... 61
Figure 3.3 Three key source of collaborative advantage .................................. 99
Figure 3.4 Collaborative advantage through supply chain collaboration ......... 107
Figure 4.1 A conceptual model for this study .................................................. 118
Figure 5.1 The research ‘onion’ in this research ............................................. 156
Figure 5.2 Types of questionnaire ................................................................... 157
Figure 5.3 Procedure for developing a questionnaire ..................................... 162
Figure 5.4 Six-stage process for SEM ............................................................ 188
Figure 6.1 Comparison between three ports for SCC ..................................... 210
Figure 6.2 Comparison between ports (TOs) and port users for SCC ............ 212
Figure 6.3 Comparison between three ports for CA ........................................ 214
Figure 6.4 Comparison between ports (TOs) and port users for CA ............... 216
Figure 6.5 Comparison between three ports for PP ........................................ 219
Figure 6.6 Comparison between ports (TOs) and port users for PP ............... 221
Figure 7.1 First-order factors of SCC .............................................................. 238
Figure 7.2 Second-order factors of SCC ......................................................... 243
Figure 7.3 Five models for SCC ...................................................................... 246
Figure 7.4 First-order factors of CA ................................................................. 248
Figure 7.5 Second-order factors of CA ........................................................... 251
Figure 7.6 Five models for CA ........................................................................ 253
Figure 7.7 First-order factors of PP ................................................................. 256
Figure 7.8 Second-order factors of PP ............................................................ 260
Figure 7.9 Five models for PP......................................................................... 263
Figure 7.10 Structural model with second-order factors .................................. 266
Figure 7.11 Structural model with first-order factors of SCC and PP .............. 268
Figure 7.12 Structural model with first-order factors of CC ............................. 271
Figure 7.13 Direct model 1 .............................................................................. 274
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Figure 7.14 Direct model 2 .............................................................................. 276
Figure 7.15 Direct model 3 .............................................................................. 278
Figure 7.16 Model 4 ........................................................................................ 281
Figure 7.17 Model 5 ........................................................................................ 283
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