EVALUATING AND RANKING FACTORS AFFECTING OPERATIONS OF DRY PORT THROUGH DECISION MAKING MODEL: A CASE OF MODJO DRY PORT

Abstract

Currently, there are a number of factors that affect dry port operations and these factors need to be identified systematically in order to evaluate significant factors that are highly constrained to their operations. In this regard, this study is aimed to identify the factors that affect the operations of MDP and ranking according to the level of significant impact from top to bottom by developing Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) model. A qualitative and quantitative method of research approach was employed and both primary and secondary data were collected. For primary data collection, the researcher used both probability and non probability sampling techniques in which the samples were selected by stratified and purposive sampling respectively from the target population of MDP. Meanwhile, secondary data was collected from published documents or databases such as books, journals, reports, official websites, etc. This work also examines the critical factors contributing to the success of MDP operations. Finding suggests that five main factors and nineteen sub-factors that affect the operations of MDP were identified. From the main factors, information systems are the dominant factor affecting MDP operations followed by service features, dry port capacity, government policy, and hinterland conditions, which took the last place. Furthermore, from the overall factors investigated in this study, lack of coordination between stakeholders and inadequate customs clearance process are the influential factors ranked as the 1st and 2nd level affecting the operations of MDP respectively. The implications of this finding suggested that managers should pay more attention to top-ranked factors and the significance of the research is expected to be of managerial value to dry port operators when eliminating high operational constraint factors to improve the efficiency of MDP operations.