static and dynamic strategic portfolio analysis: The positioning of Iberian seaports

Abstract

The various changes that have occurred in the seaport industry have had a continuous and substantial impact on seaport activities and management in recent decades. The highly competitive and rapidly changing environment faced by business has greatly increased the need for strategic planning. Thus, it is relevant and appropriate to apply strategic positioning tools to seaports given how competitive strategies play a key role in the growth and development of this industry. This research aims to analyse the strategic positioning of the leading Iberian Peninsula seaports using the BCG matrix from a static and dynamics perspective for the period between 1997 and 2008. The findings reveal a better positioning of Spanish seaports in relation to total traffic. Furthermore, considering container traffic, the results point to the seaports of Algeciras, Valencia and Barcelona as having attained a remarkable position of leadership. However, according to the time series analysed, the ranking of seaports has not changed significantly.