After construction and development over the past twenty years, Shenzhen Port has
transformed from a small fishing pier to a world class port. In 2010, the port handled
22.5 million TEUs (Twenty Equivalent Units) of containers, ranking second in China
and fourth in the world in terms of throughput.
Established in March 2001, the electronic data interchange (EDI) platfonn (known as
initial stage of Port Community System) in Western Container Port of Shenzhen began
to serve the port community with the aim of improving cargo clearance environment.
With the EDI Platform base, this study focuses on building and evaluating an open,
public and integrated information platform - port community system (PCS) in Western
Container Port of Shenzhen.
A case study strategy was employed because of a need to explore concepts in depth, and
because of unclear evidence in the boundaries between phenomenon and context, taking
into account the context and history of the application of PCS and the existing
knowledge about the phenomenon. It is understood through research that case study
research can be conducted to tackle a complex issue such as PCS deployment and can
extend researcher's experience to what is already known through previous research on
this issue. Case study can also detail contextual analysis of events and effectively
demonstrate the interplay between the researcher and the respondents in port
community.
Port of Shenzhen was selected as a principal case and five well-known seaports as
reference cases for the study. Port of Shenzhen has become a successful model in the
PCS field in mainland China, where first-hand materials and sufficient data can be
collected. Importantly, having more than fifteen years' working experience in port
community and holding senior positions, this researcher has been able to gain deep
insights into the challenges facing port communities and possible solutions for them.
Five reference cases, namely, Port of Hong Kong, Port of Taiwan, Port of Rotterdam, Port of Tianjin and Port of Qingdao, were chosen to support the study. These ports are
well-known seaports in the world with high throughputs that have been successful in
building PCS. They have different port environments compared with those in Shenzhen,
each having its own PCS model. The case study approach provides abundant
information and important lessons that can be taken as good references for this research
and the PCS application in Shenzhen.
This study referred to building a third party electronic data interchange platform (PCS)
in Western Harbor of the Shenzhen Port. To evaluate this case, the following methods
were conducted. First, this research selected five well-known seaports as reference
cases in order to understand international practices and to learn from successful seaport
PCS applications. A comparative analysis of the five reference cases was preformed to
reflect the characteristics of the individual case on the major functions and services. The
similarities and dissimilarities across cases were identified to develop an interpretive
understanding of the phenomenon and its focal aspects. Then, two surveys and one
structured interview were perfonned in 2009 and 2011 using structured questionnaires
for data collection for the purpose of objectively and comprehensively capturing the
opinions of members of the port community. In addition, the comparison lists in
practice revealed differences before and after Western Platform set up in terms of time,
efficiency, cost, and business link, etc. Last, evaluation findings were summarized and
used as guideline and key factors in re-designing PCS.
This research was completed a few years after PCS initiation and, therefore, is not only
a review and evaluation of the past but also a vision and exploration for the future. Both
objective assessments of PCS re-design and further requirements proposed by existing
users cast light on future development of the system and point out a road map.
The results of the research showed that in course of constructing an EDI Platfonn (PCS),
a step-by-step method had normally been utilized to demonstrate the use of PCS to
solve one or more instances of the problem. The sub-systems developed had also been
put into operation sequentially. In practice, when a new system was designed or its perfonnance was gauged, a formal or informal survey was conducted to collect the
opinions of community members, including questionnaire, interview, telephone and
email communications as well as meeting for the purpose of acquiring effective
knowledge of how to use PCS to solve the problem.
This study found that the PCS, including its initial stage of EDI Platfonn has been
commonly accepted and has played a key role in port industry since it was put into
operation. However, due to the technology level and port condition at that time, there
were constraints and room for improvement in the course of PCS application. A
significant change has taken place since then. Nowadays, new technologies such as
internet, broadband, and visual images are widely used in the container shipping
industry and, consequently, new demands and challenges facing the port emerge along
with substantial growth of container throughput. The old EDI Platfonn therefore needs
to upgrade its structure, perfect its function, and extend its business scope to sharpen the
edge of competitiveness in the industry.
In summary, this study represents one of the first systematic attempts to develop a
comprehensive understanding of the terrain of PCS in Westem Harbor. Specifically, the
research provides perspectives on (a) how port communities evaluate and build PCS in
Mainland China, (b) what is the roadmap for PCS to further develop to sharpen port
competitiveness and (c) how case study methodology link with PCS application. This
research is one of the very few studies that explores PCS in China, and represents one
of the few early cases of case study being taken as a research methodology in the field
of PCS application in the world. Drawing on case study results and observations of the
real port situation, this research shows how port community members can go beyond
isolated islands of information and operational cost savings, and strategically leverage
PCS for their benefits. Specifically, with focus on work experience and analysis of
practice, the research advances a normative model of network structure to provide
guidance on how to leverage future development.
| Date of Award | 2 Oct 2013 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Awarding Institution | - City University of Hong Kong
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| Supervisor | Douglas VOGEL (Supervisor) |
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