Thesis--Groningen.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1982.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1985.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1984.

Global liner shipping companies experienced a huge fluctuation of freight rate and lost billions consecutively in recent years and the industry became very volatile and unsustainable. At this critical time, this dissertation aims to evaluate what extent the marketing strategies can optimize the overall sustainable competitive advantage of top ten liner shipping companies and contribute to the recovery and the sustainable development of liner shipping industry in the next five years. This dissertation met this objective through a study of literatures and the application of research. The research was conducted through an interview survey with seventeen executives of eight liner shipping companies and a questionnaire survey with twelve senior executives of logistics companies. This study produced the following key findings. First, six core competencies and two generic competitive advantages of top ten carriers are selected and evaluated. Financial strength is concluded from the interview discussion as the most important core competency to the overall sustainability and competitiveness of carriers, meanwhile, most of carriers concentrate on rate competitiveness rather than service differentiation competitiveness currently. Secondly, three key challenges in the current liner shipping industry are identified and analyzed: weak demand growth and sharp hikes in bunker fuel price which are the major challenges in the macro environment and out of the direct control of carriers’ management, therefore, leading carriers should concentrate on addressing the major challenge in the micro environment –structural oversupply and homogenous service. Thirdly, carriers are impatient to improve their unhealthy financial position by increasing freight rate and reducing costs due to billions financing needs. However, inferior reliability of liner service due to cost-cutting and the consecutive jump of freight rate cause a deeper contradictory relation between carriers and shippers. Lastly, leading carriers have to make their best efforts to be survived currently, but need to find the right ways to attain sustainable competitive advantages in the future. In short term, the main target of leading carriers’ marketing strategies is to ensure sustainable freight rate and rational capacity growth. Because leading carriers are involved in a “prisoner dilemma” situation in major tradelanes, they should be close with each other with the support of financial investors and government regulatory bodies to build a stable and reliable global sea trade infrastructure. Long-term agree-ment with shippers fixed ocean freight rate at sustainable level can contribute the sta-bility of the market and help carriers be capable to offer reliable service. In the long term, the main target of marketing strategies is to find the best balance between better service and lower costs. One important way is to differentiate carriers’ service by offering more value to shippers and to ease the fierce competition on freight rate. It needs carriers to collaborate with logistics partners to improve the cost-efficiency and reliability of global supply chain. Another way is to cooperate with R&D organizations to enhance operational efficiency and offer eco-friendly liner service by advanced and innovative technologies. / published_or_final_version / Transport Policy and Planning / Master / Master of Arts in Transport Policy and Planning

This thesis investigates coordination of international research and development within the multinational company, a function previously assumed to be centralised. Specifically, it considers the effects of pressures for integration and responsiveness, as well as the nature of research and development activities, on the coordination of international research and development in 135 multinational companies located in the UK. The study reveals that international research and development can indeed be differentiated by the integration-responsiveness (I-R) framework. Four distinct clusters are identified, which correspond to the types of multinational company (MNC) identified by the I-R literature. In addition, these clusters are found to differentiate across a number of alternative variables. The clusters differ according to the extent to which the industry is technologically complex, and the degree to which each cluster understands how customers will use their new products. Additionally, the clusters can be differentiated by the extent to which the headquarters laboratory focuses on development activities as opposed to research. In terms of coordination, the clusters are differentiated by their usage of goal setting to coordinate a range of activities, as well as by their use of liaison personnel to coordinate. Analysis of the data reveals that pressures for integration in international research and development (R&D) are generally high, but that this is not the case for all MNCs. This suggests, contrary to the majority of studies in the field of international R&D, that not all MNCs need extensive coordination of their international R&D activities, and that surprisingly, strong pressures for local responsiveness remain for some MNCsBeyond establishing the appropriateness of the Integration-Responsiveness framework to the study of international R&D, a key finding of this study is that at present international R&D is characterised by a lack of fit with the strategic requirements of pressures for integration and responsiveness. Specifically, this research indicates that those MNCs in the transnational quadrant of the grid need to find ways of improving their knowledge of local markets, and increase their understanding of how their new products will be used in individual markets

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