Improving Port Efficiency and Global Competitiveness

This project under the Global Logistics and Maritime Studies Group (GLAM), that aims to develop modelling tools and management frameworks to enable ports to enhance operational efficiency, workforce productivity and environmental sustainability through optimal use of their resources to provide costeffective, safe and high quality services, thereby strengthening their global competitive positions.

Research Problem
The project aims to establish a multi-topic HDR research program to explore a number of important challenges for the ports industry in Australia and internationally. Specifically, it addresses the following three research problems:
• Ports are increasingly seen as a vital player and can make or break global supply chains through their efficiency and competitiveness. At the same time, ports are also internally and externally driven to examine and implement operational and management practices for sustainable development. This project therefore aims to explore and develop management frameworks which shall enhance supply
chain-centric port sustainable competitiveness both in Australia and overseas.
• The recently emerging applications of the 4th industrial revolution, in terms of Internet of Thing (IoT), Big Data, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, may have profound an impact on ports in that they can be game changers for port operations and management. Specifically, ports have been at the forefront of the adoption of advanced technologies and operating systems. This has had a big impact on the nature of the organisation of the port and its performance, including the structure of its workforce and overall organisational competitiveness. In this project we seek to examine such impacts on various aspects of port operations and management e.g. operational efficiency, safety and security, industrial relations, service quality, and overall competitiveness.
• In recent years, port privatisation seems a major objective of government. Against this background, this project will examine the key motivations, the potential challenges and implications for Australia’s international trade logistics and the cost implications for the port’s end-users.

Proposed Outcome
This project will generate innovative logistics solutions to optimise use of finite resources to provide costeffective, safe and high quality services. The outputs will be in the form of a toolkit, or management framework to help ascertain a port’s market potential, optimise information and physical flows within a terminal, business simulation of port operations and cargo movement, and safety improvement and
operational training frameworks for port personnel.

Proposed Postgraduate Research Programme
School: School of Business IT and Logistics
Program name: PhD (Supply Chain and Logistics)
Course code: DR202
Enabling Capability Platform (ECP) Alignment: Global Business Innovation