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Strategic coupling as capacity : how seaports connect to global flows of containerized transport
Author(s) -
JACOBS WOUTER,
LAGENDIJK ARNOUD
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
global networks
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.685
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1471-0374
pISSN - 1470-2266
DOI - 10.1111/glob.12035
Subject(s) - matching (statistics) , context (archaeology) , port (circuit theory) , business , strategic planning , action (physics) , process management , process (computing) , computer science , engineering , marketing , physics , mathematics , geography , operating system , archaeology , quantum mechanics , statistics , electrical engineering
Strategic coupling refers to the process of matching local assets with global network demands. Although the concept has benefited from an increase in relational thinking, several critical issues remain unresolved. In this article, we identify and discuss three such issues – the characteristics of the entities involved in strategic coupling, the way in which the ‘local’ is conceptualized in the context of ‘global’ positioning, and the understanding of strategic action. To address these issues, we use Cox's notion of ‘spaces of dependence and engagement’ in combination with Ball's concept of the ‘structure of provision’. The case of the port of Rotterdam demonstrates the value of our perspective in elucidating the process of ‘strategic coupling’ within global networks of containerized traffic.