Title: Novel 3D model for prioritising the attributes of port service quality: cases involving major container ports in Asia

Authors: Kai-Chieh Hu; Paul Tae-Woo Lee

Addresses: Department of Business Administration, Soochow University, No. 56, Kueiyang Street, Section 1, 100 Taipei, Taiwan ' School of Business IT and Logistics, RMIT University, 445 Swanston Street, Melbourne Vic 3000, Australia

Abstract: The evaluation of port service quality (PSQ) has become a critical issue in port management. However, previous studies neglect the difficulties in so doing by relying on the resources and capability available at the shipping companies. This study proposes and reports on the testing of a 3D model for prioritising PSQ attributes by introducing a novel dimension called 'goal difficulty' into the port service contributory improvement index. The index represents the composite satisfaction index derived from Kano's model and the standardised weight derived from IPA. The data for testing the proposed 3D model were collected from the managers of five major container ports in Asia. The test results were compared against those acquired using 2D methods (e.g., IPA), and managerial implications were drawn. The newly developed model is expected to help port managers allocate their limited resources efficiently in their prioritisation of PSQ improvement and in optimising port service user needs.

Keywords: port service quality; PSQ; importance-performance analysis; IPA; Kano's model; goal difficulty; GD; Asian container port.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSTL.2017.086937

International Journal of Shipping and Transport Logistics, 2017 Vol.9 No.6, pp.673 - 695

Received: 04 Jan 2016
Accepted: 21 Apr 2016

Published online: 03 Oct 2017 *

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