List of Thesis Topic Proposals

Rising competition among major seaports as well as investment and space limitations require a more efficient coordination of activities in port operations. As these activities are often carried out by different (competing) actors, information sharing has become essential to facilitate efficient port operations. Although information systems to exchange data have become available in recent decades, those actors are often in competition with each other and thus reluctant of sharing information. To begin with studying information sharing in seaports, the following aspects need to be discussed. First, how and why is certain information shared in seaports? In this context, industry examples and port community systems could be reviewed. Second, a classification scheme of the types of information shared in seaports needs to be developed. And finally, different alternative system models of information sharing, such as the information transfer model, third-party model, information hub model (see, e.g., Lee and Whang, 2000), should be discussed in the context of seaports. In the main part, the thesis should critically discuss the current issues of information sharing and provide a solution approach.

This can be evaluated, for example, on basis of a comprehensive process analysis for a selected process (e.g., inter-terminal transportation – ITT), for instance, by using BPMN (Business Process Modeling Notation). After analyzing major issues, recommendations regarding the following questions should be given: What types of information can be shared to facilitate a better coordination in an ecosystem constrained by a culture of limited cooperation? What are the benefits and barriers/risks sharing this information? What organizational and behavioral changes should be addressed in order to increase information sharing?

Another way to evaluate decision making on information sharing is the application of game theory. In this regard, the thesis should review game theory models that incorporate information sharing under competition (see, e.g., Ha and Tong, 2006). Given those models, a game theory model should be developed for seaports in order to evaluate strategic advantages and disadvantages of information sharing. This includes an evaluation of the equilibrium information sharing decision under different scenarios regarding the amount of information to be shared and corresponding risks/competitive disadvantages.

Ha, A. Y., Tong, S.: Contracting and information sharing under supply chain competition. Management Science 54(4), 701-715 (2008).

Lee, H. L., Whang, S.: Information sharing in a supply chain. International Journal of Manufacturing Technology and Management 1(1), 79-93 (2000).

We are interested in several students writing their bachelor or diploma/master thesis on this subject. While the methodology can be the same based on given literature specifying the idea of measuring service quality, the specific focus is differentiated according to specific fields of application:

1. Public transport / public mass transit

If necessary, one might distinguish different user groups to make this more versatile, e.g., frequent vs. infrequent users, knowledgeable users vs. non-knowledgeable users, users with mobility restrictions.

1. Container terminal operators (if necessary, one might distinguish different stakeholders like, e.g., shipping companies, logistics service providers, authorities.
2. Port community systems.
3. Loyalty programs in alliances (e.g., airlines [Star Alliance, etc.], maritime shipping)

Parasuraman, A./Zeithaml, V./Berry, L.: SERVQUAL: A Multiple-Item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perception of Service Quality, in: Journal of Retailing, Vol. 64, Nr. 1, 1988, S. 12 -