The strategic positions and geographical advantages of the Turkish container ports in the world transportation network create an excessive demand which seek urgent development strategies for managing ongoing problems in operational and administrative level. This paper proposes a hybrid approach on ensuring the competitiveness requirements for major Turkish container ports by utilizing fuzzy axiomatic design (FAD) and fuzzy technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) methodologies to manage strategic decision-making with incomplete information. The outcomes of the quantitative models are utilized as data input for SWOT analysis that provide additional contributions for identifying the development strategies on container ports. The proposed strategies on Turkish container ports can be originally recommended as guidelines both for port administrations and new enterprises in Turkish maritime industry.
Acceleration in containerization trends in maritime transportation industry has been monitored by maritime expertise and strategy analysts in recent years. Especially, the changes in cargo flows in major routes and lines within container transportation network (Hsu & Hsieh, 2007) such as trans-Pacific and Asia–Europe reach to extreme rates approximately to 12.1% and 11.2%, respectively, during 2005 (UNCTAD, 2006). Moreover, the estimations on maritime transport with container mode (Knowles, 2006) underline the potential tendencies of maritime enterprises and growing rate of container seaborne traffic (Guy, 2003 and Ocean Shipping Consultants, 2003), the size and service speeds (Flynn, 2001, McLellan, 1997, O’Mahony and Porter, 2004 and Wijnolst, 2000). Therefore, the rapid growths influence the demand for new building vessels, ports, terminals, and other service related infrastructures (Baird, 2006 and O’Mahony, 1998). In this sense, several needs have been appeared about performing and executing continual improvement strategies on container ports which are recognized as the critical integral part of the maritime transportation network (Müller-Jentsch, 2002). The external pressures of shareholders in maritime community such as ship owners, cargo owners, and governmental organizations enforce the port and terminal authorities to execute effective development strategies for managing the competitiveness and continual improvement together in the transportation market.
The ports, channels, and inland waters of Turkey can be recognized as critical nodes in world container transportation network due to its strategic and geographical position. The globalization and liberalization processes in the region and new enterprises on several sector increase the demand and expectations especially from port and terminal authorities (Celik & Er, 2007a). Hence, this paper proposes competitive strategies with strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analyses on major Turkish container ports by utilizing the outcomes of fuzzy axiomatic design (FAD) and technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) in fuzzy environment correspondingly as multiple-criteria evaluation methodologies. Both of the models are suitable for the problem characteristics due to the several common properties and assumptions such as evaluating under multiple criteria, identifying the acceptable levels and expectations in terms of defining functional requirements (FRs) and ideal solutions, respectively. On the other hand, application of two different methodologies on focusing problem is expected to increase the consistency to a desired level. The initial outcomes of FAD and TOPSIS methodologies are planned to be utilized as input data for the SWOT analysis to support strategy-making process as well. The information flow in the phases of research methodology is illustrated in Fig. 1.
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Fig. 1.
Fundamental phases of research methodology.
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Briefly, the remaining sections of the paper are organized as follows: Section 2 overviews the existing researches on port competitiveness and developments to identify the key assessment factors for this study. Section 3 explores the conditions of major container ports in Turkish maritime industry and structures the internal/external assessment scheme. The methodologies of FAD and fuzzy TOPSIS are performed in Sections 4 and 5, respectively. The outcomes of both models are utilized as input data for the quantified SWOT analysis in Section 6. The conclusion is drawn on expressing the utility and original contributions of this study for maritime society.
This paper represents the maritime industry based application of FAD and fuzzy TOPSIS methodologies in order to manage port competitiveness in the market. In this study, evaluation of alternatives is made in linguistic form owing to the fact that it is impossible to convey the value of alternative under the related criterion via crisp numbers. The underlying power of fuzzy set theory is that it uses linguistic variables, rather than quantitative variables to represent incomplete information. Since the fuzzy set theory provides a means for representing uncertainties, we choose fuzzy modeling methods which are FAD and fuzzy TOPSIS as decision making tools. The FAD and TOPSIS methodologies manage the requirements of incomplete information during the multi-criteria analysis while the quantified SWOT analysis contributes the strategy formulation over Turkish container ports. Considering of the outcomes of both methodologies is expected to increase the consistency of proposed strategies.
The outcomes of both methodologies and proposed strategies in consequence can originally be utilized as decision aid by the related governmental authorities and private sector representatives. Furthermore, the findings of detailed analyses also encourage the new enterprises in port and terminal management. Further motivations on port competitiveness can be directed to perform a benchmarking study on the container ports in EU countries and Turkish container ports to extend the scope of research.
