The effects of inter- and intraorganizational factors on the adoption of electronic booking systems in the maritime supply chain

Digitalization is currently reshaping business models and providing more opportunities for cross-border supply chains. Maritime transportation occupies a crucial position in the global supply chain and information systems are playing an increasingly important role in the industry. In contrast with information systems used in other industries, interorganizational information systems in the maritime industry may involve a greater number of organizational users, including manufacturers, customers, shipping lines and customs and port authorities from different countries. Therefore, the adoption of container e-booking systems in the maritime supply chain is complex and with limited scrutiny in academia. This study explored the use of e-booking systems in the maritime supply chain and, in particular, the factors influencing the adoption of such systems at the organizational level. The study aimed to close the gap between the general understanding of the adoption of information systems and the adoption of e-booking systems in a specific context, namely the maritime supply chain. We conducted an exploratory multi-case study of eight firms across multiple tiers of the maritime supply chain. We employed a qualitative approach to investigate this issue at the maritime supply chain level, rather than the firm level. The study focused on inter- and intraorganizational factors. The results suggest that adoption is influenced by several factors, including pressure from trade partners, pressure from leading organizations, as well as organizational compatibility, and so forth. Furthermore, the identified factors have different levels of impact across organizational tiers in the shipping chain. This study offers insights that are relevant to both researchers and practitioners in the maritime transportation industry and may help to accelerate the digitalization of the industry.