The Interaction Effect of Information Systems of Shipping and Logistics Firms and Managers’ Support for Blockchain Technology on Cooperation with Shippers for Sustainable Value Creation
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
- Improving overall writing skill is required. The entire paper seems ambiguous and lack the clarity. Please have a native speaker to review the tone of the manuscript. I have lost in transition while reading the manuscript.
- Intro: the entire section is too lengthy (please be succinct)
- Intro: I disagree with the following statement made by author
"Despite the above results, prior research has the following limitations. First, there are not many research papers on information systems of shipping and logistics firms. Prior research is regarded information systems as resources that have a direct effect on firm performance. However, shipping and logistics firms use information systems from the various viewpoints but the results of empirical analyses are insufficient". --> There are enough references about information systems in shipping/logistics research. What do you mean by "various points" ? and what empirical results were insufficient? It does not include the importance of blockchain concept which is the central theme of this study.
- Theoretical background: Resourced based view is superficially incorporated. My current read of this paper seems to suggest that there is a lack of an overarching theoretical framework or basis for you to frame the study. It might not impact the findings of your study and the current tone of this study seems to provide rather limited theoretical contribution. I urge you seriously consider expanding the theoretical concept of Resource based view in literature section and weave your hypothesis around it. I believe the papers published in Blockchain port information (using RBV perspective) may provide some bearing toward the way to craft your hypotheses around a central theoretical theme.
- Lit review section 2.2: author should get to the point related to blockchain without using unnecessary phrases. (delete 1st/2nd paragraphs). Need more references to support the arguments.
- Methods: I believe this is a random sampling. How many surveys were sent out?
- Methods: It seems that the scale measurements were developed. Survey items require the following additional analysis: (a) pretest of newly developed survey (b) discriminant validity test, (c) convergent validity test, (d) principal component analysis using varimax rotation, (e) common method bias test, (f) confirmatory factor analysis.
- Table 43 ? where is it?
- Please include theoretical contribution related to the findings
Author Response
The answers to the comments of the first reviewer
Thank you for useful comments to improve the manuscript.
Reviewer 1
(1) Intro: The entire section is too length (please be succinct)
Answer: Introduction includes the needs of this study, the whole flow of prior research, the limitations of prior research and the objective of this study. For this reason, the introduction part is rather long. Please understand the situation.
(2) I disagree with the following statement made by author.
“First, there are not many research papers on information systems of shipping and logistics firms. Prior research is regarded information systems as resources that have a direct effect on firm performance. However, shipping and logistics firms use information systems from the various viewpoints but the results of empirical analyses are insufficient. Therefore, research on information systems of shipping and logistics firms can make better understanding on the activities of them.”
Answer: This paragraph is deleted (p. 2).
It does not include the importance of blockchain concept which is the central theme of this study.
Answer: The below paragraph is inserted in the manuscript.
“First, blockchain technology is one of the core technologies in the fourth industrial revolution and it can add value to shipping and logistics firms. However, there is a lack of research concerned with the introduction and applications of blockchain technology in the shipping and logistics firms. Value creation of firms can be achieved by improving relations with partners as well as internal innovation. In this regard, it is important to conduct research on the relationships between blockchain technology of shipping and logistics firms and collaboration with shippers.”
Concerned page: p. 2.
(3) Theoretical background: … There is a lack of an overarching theoretical framework or basis for you to frame the study. … I urge you seriously consider expanding the theoretical concept of resource based view in literature section and weave your hypothesis around it. …
Answer: Theoretical framework is inserted in the study as follows.
“Shipping and logistics firms which have superior information systems can provide information which shippers want, followed by enhanced cooperation between them. Shippers depend on logistics services of shipping and logistics firms for acquiring necessary resources and distributing final goods. As a result, information systems play a key role in the relationship between shipping and logistics firms and shippers. As the level of cooperation through information systems increases, shippers become more dependence on shipping and logistics firms. This is explained by core competence management. Through cooperation based on information systems, shippers focus on production and shipping and logistics firms focus on logistics. Therefore, they can enjoy synergy effects because of connecting the core competence.”
Concerned page: p. 3.
(4) Literature review section 2.2: author should get to the point related to blockchain without using unnecessary phrases (delete 1st/2nd paragraphs). Need more references to support the arguments.
Answer: The first paragraph is concerned with decision-making of managers and this is connected with blockchain technology. That is why the paragraph should be remained. However, the second paragraph is deleted to follow the reviewer’s comment and it is changed as follows.
“Research on blockchain technology is not active in port logistics processes. Prior research verified that blockchain technology is applied to supply chain management [25,26] and port logistics processes [27,28,29]. Jabbar and Bjørn [28] identified the applications of an electronic bill of lading through using blockchain technology in the shipping and logistics sectors. They insisted that participants such as shippers, liners, forwarders and port logistics firms in port logistics processes can use the technological infrastructure based on blockchain when they make the contracts and this is connected with the hyper ledger fabric developed by Maersk Line and IBM. Koji [29] asserted that shippers and liners can use blockchain technology to acquire the document of title of a bill of lading and the problem of overlapped use of a bill of lading can be solved by transferring rights through tokens. In addition, prior research found that blockchain technology is the key factor of collaboration among partners in supply chains [26]. Bag et al. [25] insisted that there are two barriers in the adoption of blockchain technology such as “lack of management vision” and “cultural differences among supply chain partners”. Particularly, cooperation is the key factor in supply chains, and managers have an important role in using blockchain technology.”
“Managers are the keys of decision making in the whole aspect and the subject of management that runs each department in tactical and operational aspects. The recognition of staff to the goal of firms is strengthened by stressing of managers, and managers perform management and operation of departments through learning and contacting with staff. In particular, shipping and logistics firms need to essentially treat cooperation with shippers as well as inter-departmental cooperation. They should perform logistics management of shippers on the basis of inter-organizational information systems like blockchain technology, followed by attaining firm performance. In this regard, blockchain technology become an important tool which increases a level of cooperation with shippers. In particular, managers’ support for blockchain technology is regarded as a key factor concerned with enhancing cooperation with partners in supply chains because it stimulates the intention of staff.”
Concerned page: p. 4.
(5) Methods: I believe this is a random sampling. How many surveys were sent out?
Answer: The content is inserted in the manuscript.
“The responding firms were chosen in the lists, and the questionnaire were sent out 1,000 firms.”
Concerned page: p. 8.
(6) Methods: Additional analysis
(a) pretest of newly developed survey: this should be tested before the survey. That is why it is impossible. In addition, this is connected with reliability and validity of the items. This can be solved by the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses.
Concerned pages: pp. 9-10.
(b) discriminant validity test, (c) convergent validity test, and (f) confirmatory factor analysis
Answer: The contents are inserted in the manuscript.
“In addition, construct validity is divided into convergent validity and discriminant validity. The former can be analyzed by a confirmatory factor analysis [51] and the latter can be identified by comparing the average variance extracted (AVE) with the square of a correlation coefficient [52]. If AVE is higher than the square of a correlation coefficient, the discriminant validity is good.”
Concerned page: p. 8.
(d) principal component analysis using varimax rotation: It is connected with Table 2. The result of reliability and validity because principal component analysis using varimax rotation is used in the exploratory factor analysis.
Concerned pages: pp. 9-10.
(e) common method bias test
Answer: It is tested by the Harmon’s single factor method in SPSS.
“Common method bias is tested by the Harmon’s single factor method in SPSS.”
Concerned page: p. 8.
“In addition, the common method bias is tested by the Harmon’s single factor method in SPSS. The result is that the percentage of variance shows 47.273 which is below 50 %.”
Concerned page: p. 10.
☞ Additional analysis
Answer: Table 2 is changed as follows.
Table 2. The results of reliability and validity tests.
|
Items |
EFA results |
CFA results |
|||||
|
Factor loading |
Validity reliability |
Bartlett & KMO |
Factor loading |
AVE |
Critical ratio |
Goodness of fit |
|
|
iss 1 iss 2 iss 3 iss 4 iss 5 iss 6 iss 7 |
0.815 0.878 0.810 0.757 0.683 0.609 0.739 |
C: 0.894 E: 4.319 V: 22.732 |
KMO=0.885 Bartlett test Chi=2374.824 df=171 p=0.000 |
0.850 0.966 0.786 0.611 0.580 0.584 0.540 |
0.592 |
7.269*** 7.512*** 6.939*** 7.171*** 7.483*** 6.509*** - |
Chi=126.827 df=100 P=0.036 Q=1.268 GFI=0.927 AGFI=0.860 CFI=0.988 RMSEA=0.041 |
|
msu 1 msu 2 msu 3 msu 4 msu 5 |
0.780 0.844 0.863 0.856 0.841 |
C: 0.912 E: 3.786 V: 19.927 |
0.740 0.783 0.889 0.824 0.778 |
0.695 |
9.834*** 10.390*** 12.202*** 14.802*** - |
||
|
coo 1 coo 2 coo 3 coo 4 coo 5 coo 6 coo 7 |
0.710 0.812 0.862 0.853 0.827 0.894 0.762 |
C: 0.935 E: 5.133 V: 27.018 |
0.681 0.764 0.867 0.876 0.832 0.885 0.736 |
0.700 |
8.467*** 9.975*** 11.338*** 11.462*** 10.767*** 13.684*** - |
||
1 iss: information systems of shipping and logistics firms, msu: managers’ support for new technology like blockchain, coo: cooperation with shippers; C: Cronbach’s alpha; E: eigenvalue; V: percentage of variance; KMO: Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin; Chi: Chi-square; df: degree of freedom; ***: < 0.01
Table 2 shows the result of reliability and validity analyses on information systems of shipping and logistics firms, managers’ support for new technology like blockchain and cooperation with shippers. There are three factors such as factor 1 is information systems of shipping and logistics firms, factor 2 is managers’ support for new technology like blockchain and factor 3 is cooperation with shippers. The results of an exploratory factor analysis are good. As a result of a confirmatory factor analysis, convergent validity is good because the model fit indices are higher than the criteria. Discriminant validity is good because AVE is higher than the square of a correlation coefficient. In addition, the common method bias is tested by the Harmon’s single factor method in SPSS. The result is that the percentage of variance shows 47.273 which is below 50 %. Therefore, there are no problems in the result of reliability and validity tests.
Concerned pages: pp. 9-10.
(7) Table 43(?)
Answer: It is changed as Table 4.
Concerned page: p. 10.
Reviewer 2 Report
Dear Author,
Thank your manuscript it is interesting, but I have some suggestion:
Could you rewrite the abstract. At this stage, it is not clear why you did this study.
The introduction is well written.
Please clarify "shipping and logistics firms". Please give an explanation, what do you mean.
Thank you.
Author Response
The answers to the comments of the second reviewer
Thank you for useful comments to improve the manuscript.
Reviewer 2
(1) Could you rewrite the abstract. At this stage, it is not clear why you did this study.
Answer: The need of this study is inserted in the abstract.
“Firms would apply new technology to value creation. In particular, blockchain technology increase transparence and stability of shipping and logistics firms and this is connected with a high level of collaboration with shippers.”
Concerned page: p. 1.
(2) Please clarify “shipping and logistics firms”. Please give an explanation, what do you mean.
Answer: The author inserted the meaning of shipping and logistics firms in the manuscript.
“The population is shipping and logistics firms which mean liners and international freight forwarders, and the sample frame is the membership lists of Korea Shipowners’ Association and Korea International Freight Forwarders Association.”
Concerned page: p. 8.
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
please check below prior to publication
- Line 141 --> check grammar
- Line 249-251 --> please rephrase the sentence
- Line 489 --> 4.3. not 3.3.
