CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY IN MARITIME PORTS

Abstract

The main objective of this doctoral dissertation is to provide a holistic and in-depth understanding of corporate sustainability in maritime ports. The study consists of two parts: the first part entails two original research articles focusing on the conceptual and theoretical foundations of corporate sustainability, and the second part entails three original research articles focusing on the application of corporate sustainability in maritime ports. The five research articles address a set of sub-objectives: 1) to develop a deep understanding of the notions of corporate sustainability and corporate social responsibility, as well as the distinctiveness, complementarities, and integration of the two fields (a critical review study); 2) to develop a deep understanding of the conceptual evolutionary path and theoretical underpinnings of corporate sustainability and corporate social responsibility (a narrative review study); 3) to develop a deep understanding of drivers influencing maritime ports’ sustainability activities, as well as actions taken by ports to attain sustainability objectives as a response to these drivers (a systematic review study); 4) to develop a deep understanding of the state of sustainability in maritime ports, focusing on the perception of port executives towards sustainability, ports’ sustainability strategies and practices, and main factors influencing future adoption and implementation of sustainability in ports (a survey-based empirical study); and 5) to develop a deep understanding of the role of multistakeholder cooperation to strengthen sustainability of maritime ports and maritime transport and logistics (a case study-based empirical study). This dissertation contributes to the corporate sustainability literature in maritime transport and logistics, and maritime ports in particular, by providing insights about why and how corporate sustainability should be embedded in a corporate business model to help improving and sustaining the viability of corporations. It also provides suggestions for supporting and strengthening sustainability at the corporate level, as well as the industry level through multi-stakeholder cooperation.