Port Reorganisations and the Worlds of Production Theory

Abstract

Taking into account the new dimensions of port production that have become evident during the recent past, this paper tackles the issue of port reorganisation. In the light of the changes in the world economy and the new competitive environment, the paper focuses on the new structures of the port industry and the characteristics of the contemporary port product within a more general analytical framework of ‘Worlds of Production’. This conceptualisation suggests that neither the industrial model of mass production, nor any other model alone, can determine a single effective pattern of organisation of port production. Within the new reality, modern ports must provide a greater variety of services to port users than in the past. The diversity and complexity of the contemporary port product demand the application of multiple organisational transformations incorporating elements of different possible action frameworks. In this vein, the introduction of intra-port competition, the development of strategic or regional networks, and the reconsideration of the role of port authority turn to critical parameters of the essential restructuring.