Operational efficiency for container terminal operators with undesirable outputs: slacks-based measures

ABSTRACTOperational efficiency is crucial in the container terminal industry to reduce costs, increase throughput, enhance customer satisfaction, optimize the supply chain, improve safety, minimize environmental impact, and ensure adaptability and resilience in a dynamic and competitive market. The article aims to estimate operational efficiency for CTOs by the Slacks-Based Measures (SBM) model when considering CO2 emissions and work accidents as undesirable outputs. In doing so, this paper adopted the cluster analysis to select homogeneous CTOs acting as Decision-making Units (DMUs). CTOs in the Cai Mep-Thi Vai port (the CMTV case) were then empirically studied to verify the validity of the suggested model. The results could have real-world applications for CTOs looking for managerial actions to boost operational efficiency and maintain high-quality growth. Additionally, the research model may provide an analytical reference for relevant port management applications. In particular, this study offers CTOs a scientific framework for evaluating the operational efficiency of CTOs located in a port.KEYWORDS: Operational efficiencySlacks-Based Measurescontainer terminalswork accidentsair emissionscontainer terminal operators AcknowledgementsThe authors would like to thank colleagues for very thoughtful reviews and critical comments, which have led to significant improvements to the early versions of the manuscript.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).