Abstract
Despite high competition among big EU ports, such as Rotterdam, Hamburg, or Valencia, acting as Core Ports in the Trans-European Transport Core and Comprehensive Network (TEN-T), this paper addresses the marginalized decision-making capability for environmental and digital transition immanent in the Small and Medium-Sized Ports (SMSPs) ecosystems in the EU. Irrespective of topical research, little is said about SMSPs ecosystem sustainability robustness and how SMSPs can pursue the transformative way. Here, management and strategic port decision levels are rather patchy and disconnected from the operational port performance. SMSPs are bound to limited resources and low cognitive, organizational, or institutional proximity, compared to their bigger counterparts. This situation provides a lot of room for critical demarche, since in the TEN-T Network, there are 225 Comprehensive and only 104 Core Ports, the majority qualifying, thus, as SMSPs. This research aims at reducing this research-to-practice lacuna by improving limited managerial capacity of SMSPs on environmental responsibility and digital efficiency. Using an ecosystem concept and aggregated empirical data in three EU macro-regions—the Baltic Sea Region, the Adriatic-Ionian Sea Region, and the Mediterranean Sea Region, three specific decision-making tools are suggested for managerial applications to facilitate and reinforce transition in SMSPs for environmental responsibility, social equity, and economic efficiency.
Highlights
Ports play a crucial role in logistics and supply chain management as well as economy on a regional, national, and international level
This research aims at reducing this research-to-practice lacuna by improving limited managerial capacity of Small and Medium-Sized Ports (SMSPs) on environmental responsibility and digital efficiency
Using an ecosystem concept and aggregated empirical data in three EU macro-regions—the Baltic Sea Region, the Adriatic-Ionian Sea Region, and the Mediterranean Sea Region, three specific decision-making tools are suggested for managerial applications to facilitate and reinforce transition in SMSPs for environmental responsibility, social equity, and economic efficiency
Summary
Ports play a crucial role in logistics and supply chain management as well as economy on a regional, national, and international level. Ports, and especially Small and Medium-Sized Ports (SMSPs), are jeopardized due to increasing pressure on them, as they (capacity-based) are not able to face growing pressure in terms of showcasing both environmental credentials, security and policy conformity as well as policy compliance [1]. New initiatives, such as the European Green. Adriatic and Ionian Region, especially, are deeply affected by a long-term decline in the competitiveness of the regions’ main industries For these ports, most efforts are geared toward the preservation of existing conditions and economies rather than toward environmental sustainability [10]. Afterwards, research results are elaborated within other similar research results in the discussion part, before conclusions and specific managerial tools are discussed in the last chapter
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
