Exploring the Success Factors Influencing Adoption of Internet of Things in Port Logistics: An Intertype and Interdomain Analysis

Although the adoption of Internet-of-Things (IoT) in various business contexts has been prevailing, and the benefits of such adoption are well-established, IoT adoption in port logistics is still not very prominent. This article aims to explore the success factors for IoT adoption in port logistics and how these factors play different roles depending on the port-type and domain of the managers. We classify the factors based on the technological-organizational-environmental framework and calculate their relative weights using fuzzy analytic network process. We develop a hierarchical framework using total interpretative structuring modeling for identifying the relationships among the factors, and perform Matrice Impacts Croisés Multiplication Appliqués à un Classement analysis to derive the driving power and dependence power of the factors. This deeper understanding of the factors is important for the ports and the IoT service providers to ensure successful IoT adoption. For example, while technological readiness is identified as the most significant factor, sustainability and globalization drive IoT adoption through optimal utilization of infrastructure and investment. Furthermore, we show that the factor scores and their inter-relationships vary depending on the type of port and the domain of the managers, suggesting that one strategy would not fit all in the context of IoT adoption. These findings will also assist policymakers promoting maritime transport and port management to develop strategies to achieve the requirements of Industry 4.0.