Fundamental to any business is the concept of performance. This can be compared by using
the competition as a benchmark for achievement or by comparing performance with
previously defined goals and objectives. Stakeholders constantly demand to know whether
their investmerit in a company is obtaining an adequate return and whilst there are
established accounting techniques to calculate return on investment or capital employed,
calculating efficiency can be rather a grey area in some industries. Ports are no exception
and it is only by comparison that performance can be evaluated. Ports are, however, a
complex business with many different sources of inputs and outputs which make direct
comparison among apparently homogeneous ports seem difficult. The subject is further
complicated by the various types of port ownership and organisational structures that exist
throughout the world.
This thesis seeks to determine whether there is a particular type of ownership and
organisational structure that leads to a more efficient port. This aim is achieved by
examining the efficiency of differently owned container ports, comparing privately owned
ports against those remaining in the public sector, and those that have elements of both
public and private ownership patterns. In addition, the organisational structure of those
ports examined is analysed and classified with the results placed into a singular conceptual
model for a clear comparison. The conceptual model can be then applied to any type of
business enabling the performance of ownership and organisational structures to be
compared with ease. The results of this thesis show that there is a strong relationship
between the relative efficiency of ports examined and organisational structure and a weaker
relationship between port ownership patterns. These results should assist governments, port
administrators and port owners in determining the different ways they can structure their
ports.
Date of Award | 2002 |
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Original language | English |
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Awarding Institution | |
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Supervisor | Richard Dr. Gray (Other Supervisor) |
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Measuring Efficiency of Container Ports: An analysis by organisational and ownership structure
VALENTINE, V. F. (Author). 2002
Student thesis: PhD