Title: From efficiency to sustainability: the role of digital transformation in shipping firms' economic and environmental performance

Authors: Trung-Hieu Nguyen

Addresses: Commune Party Committee of Viet Khe, Hai Phong City, 180000, Vietnam; Faculty of Management – Finance, Vietnam Maritime University, Hai Phong City, 180000, Vietnam

Abstract: During the COVID-19 epidemic, the shipping sector quickly adapted and evolved to preserve its critical role in connecting the world's economy and worldwide trade. Taking advantage of the development of the 4.0 industrial revolution, the shipping sector has developed and implemented digital transformation to the process of supplying shipping services, which helps businesses enhance service quality and performance. The goal of this study is to apply the social influence model (SIM) to investigate the impact of external influences on digital transformation adoption and performance. Furthermore, the study seeks to recognise the mechanism of digital transformation's influence on economic and environmental outcomes. The study employs quantitative research methodologies and a sample of 436 shipping company managers. Using SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 22.0, we discovered that consumer expectations and competitive pressure positively influence digital transformation adoption. Our findings also demonstrate that digital innovation functions as a mediator in the link between digital transformation and performance in shipping enterprises. The study had substantial consequences for shipping policymakers and management.

Keywords: digital transformation; antecedents; SIM; social influence model; digital innovation; economic performance; environmental performance.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBPSCM.2026.152829

International Journal of Business Performance and Supply Chain Modelling, 2026 Vol.16 No.1, pp.95 - 126

Received: 07 Oct 2024
Accepted: 27 Aug 2025
Published online: 13 Apr 2026 *

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