Determinants of digital transformation in container shipping lines: a theory driven approach

With growing trade volumes and more stringent regulations, digital transformation (DT) is crucial for container lines to keep abreast with the new trends in the container shipping industry. The objective of this research is to theoretically identify the crucial success elements for DT in container lines by evaluating four main theories: (1) innovation diffusion theory, (2) resource-based view theory, (3) stakeholder theory, and (4) competence motivation theory. Accordingly, the CSFs identified were ‘stakeholder expectations’, ‘organisational competency’, ‘technology acceptance’, and ‘individual motivation’. A survey was then crafted and handed out to major container lines. The fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) was then conducted to analyse the collected data. The results show that organisational competency is the most important CSF, followed by technology acceptance, stakeholders’ expectations, and individual motivation. The top three sub-CSFs are financial stability, regulatory bodies’ expectations, and digital readiness. This research paper contributes to theory and management practices by providing a holistic theoretical framework to identify and rank the CSFs of DT in container lines. Overall, this research paper enriches current literature on the DT of container lines and offers new insights into container lines in the CSFs in the implementation of DT.