Abstract
This dissertation explores how digitalisation reshapes value structure and value creation mechanisms within RoPax ecosystems. Although digitalisation is becoming increasingly relevant to port operations and management, its underlying strategic business logic hs received limited attention in this empirical context. This gap is particularly relevant for RoPax ports, which handle vessels carrying both vehicles and passengers onboard. These ports are especially significant in specific geographic areas, such as the Baltic Sea region, where RoPax ferries enable intermodal traffic and enhance transport efficiency.
Adopting an interpretative social science approach and guided by abductive reasoning, this study employs explorative case studies as a research strategy. Drawing on five research papers based on two research projects focused on RoPax port digitalisation, the dissertation examines how digitalisation processes unfold through diverse theoretical lenses, made visible via abductive reasoning and systematic combining. Insights are drawn from multiple theoretical backgrounds, namely, the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing tradition (IMP), Service-Dominant Logic (SDL), and business ecosystem thinking. The theoretical pluralism enables a diverse view on the evolving dynamics of port digitalisation.
A key contribution of the thesis is the emphasis on the multi-level perspective of digitalisation, through which actors navigate institutional setups and collectively coordinate value creation and co-creation processes. The research also introduces analytical tools, such as classification of digital solutions and cross-level hindrance analysis, which support the examination of how digitalisation can be addressed in practice.
By integrating multiple theoretical perspectives and focusing on the empirical configuration of RoPax ports, this thesis offers an enriched understanding of digitalisation as a contextual phenomenon embedded in a socio-technical environment.
Adopting an interpretative social science approach and guided by abductive reasoning, this study employs explorative case studies as a research strategy. Drawing on five research papers based on two research projects focused on RoPax port digitalisation, the dissertation examines how digitalisation processes unfold through diverse theoretical lenses, made visible via abductive reasoning and systematic combining. Insights are drawn from multiple theoretical backgrounds, namely, the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing tradition (IMP), Service-Dominant Logic (SDL), and business ecosystem thinking. The theoretical pluralism enables a diverse view on the evolving dynamics of port digitalisation.
A key contribution of the thesis is the emphasis on the multi-level perspective of digitalisation, through which actors navigate institutional setups and collectively coordinate value creation and co-creation processes. The research also introduces analytical tools, such as classification of digital solutions and cross-level hindrance analysis, which support the examination of how digitalisation can be addressed in practice.
By integrating multiple theoretical perspectives and focusing on the empirical configuration of RoPax ports, this thesis offers an enriched understanding of digitalisation as a contextual phenomenon embedded in a socio-technical environment.
| Original language | English |
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| Print ISBNs | 978-952-12-4612-8 |
| Electronic ISBNs | 978-952-12-4613-5 |
| Publication status | Published - 2025 |
| MoE publication type | G5 Doctoral dissertation (article) |