Improving the Sustainable Competitiveness of Service Quality within Air Cargo Terminals

Yi-Chung Hu, Ping-Chuan Lee, Yuh-Shy Chuang and Yu-Jing Chiu
Additional contact information
Yi-Chung Hu: College of Management & College of Tourism, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Ping-Chuan Lee: Department of Business Administration, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan City 32023, Taiwan
Yuh-Shy Chuang: Department of International Business, Chien Hsin University, Taoyuan City 32097, Taiwan
Yu-Jing Chiu: Department of Business Administration, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan City 32023, Taiwan

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 7, 1-15

Abstract: In Taiwan, the air cargo terminal business is a government franchise. Due to changing order and delivery modes, the volume of cargo exports has gradually decreased in recent years, generating increasing competitiveness within the air cargo terminal industry. Previous studies of air cargo terminals have largely focused on manpower supply planning and business performance. When a company pursues sustainable development and growth, it can improve the quality of the service provided, promote better customer satisfaction and enhance its competitiveness and customer loyalty in order to enjoy sustained development and higher profits. Having carried out a literature review, exploration and interviews with experts, this study develops a preliminary structure that is based on theory and practice and develops a framework for air cargo terminal service quality using the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method combined with the analytic network process (ANP). Eight key criteria are examined, namely, ‘New facilities or high-tech equipment,’ ‘Professional spirit,’ ‘Security and safety,’ ‘Sense of trust,’ ‘Ability to handle unusual cargo,’ ‘Professional,’ ‘Standard operation processes,’ and ‘Customer equity.’ The causality among each of these principles is also evaluated using the D-ANP questionnaire that was completed by 25 business forwarders. With respect to the quality of service demanded by forwarders, different strategies were drafted separately and provide a frame of reference for air cargo terminal operators.

Keywords: air cargo terminal; service quality; ANP; multiple criteria decision making; DEMATEL (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/7/2319/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/7/2319/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:7:p:2319-:d:156248

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().