Image: Marlene Johansson
Image: Marlene Johansson
PhD project The project aims to discover how a lead supplier in the maritime transportation industry can orchestrate this global complex innovation ecosystem to promote business-cultural transformation.
Peter Gustafsson is a doctoral student within Umeå University Industrial Doctoral School.
The project is jointly funded by the Industrial Doctoral School and MacGregor Sweden AB with a 50/50 distribution.
One of the largest yet least seen industries in the world, the maritime industry is an essential part of the entire world's economic structure. Yet little is known about internal structure of this industry and how it develops over time. Shipping companies are responsible for transporting consumer goods and supplies, and the shipping lanes across the world maintain the growth and prosperity of other industries. Therefore it is important to understand what affects change in such industries.
Traditionally path dependent and change-resistant, the maritime industry is complex due to the interconnectivity between the multitudes of different agents. These agents, such as ship-owners, shipyards, suppliers, and governments, all continuously interact and influence each other. By applying an ecosystem perspective to this complex system, the goal of my research is to investigate how, and if, a lead maritime supplier is able to leverage the industry's interconnectivity to orchestrate change in their ecosystem. By focusing on the case of MacGregor Sweden AB, a leading supplier of cargo and load handling equipment, this project aims to develop such an understanding.
