Study of the communication as a determinant of collaboration in the port logistics chain: Case of the port of Casablanca

Abstract

Collaboration is defined by the fact that several actors within a Supply Chain coordinate their physical and information flows in order to optimize the processes of the whole chain. This coordination of flows implies an exchange of information that defines the nature of the inter-actor relationships within a supply chain. The determinants that distinguish collaboration in the port supply chain require the inclusion of collaboration that takes into consideration communication between organizations in the same port. This paper attempts to highlight the role of communication in the success of collaborative relationships within the port supply chain by examining the dimensions of trust between port stakeholders: information sharing and information systems. The field study, which has been conducted with twenty stakeholders in the port of Casablanca, shows the impact that the communication has on collaboration between members of the Casablanca port community. The latter allows us to present an empirical inventory of the dimensions of trust in order to highlight the points of commonality and divergence between the literature and the information collected from the Moroccan port context.