External and Internal Analysis of Mid-sized Shipping Company
Zhang, Qiulin (2026)
2026
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202603144350
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202603144350
Tiivistelmä
The global shipping industry is facing sustained disruption driven by regulatory tightening, geopolitical instability, technological change, and persistent market volatility. Mid-sized shipping companies are particularly affected, as they operate without the scale advantages of large carriers while confronting pressures related to commoditization, decarbonization, and digital transformation. Against this background, this thesis examines the strategic position of a mid-sized shipping firm and its capacity to strengthen long-term resilience under conditions of structural uncertainty.
The study is based on a qualitative case analysis of a bulk and breakbulk shipping company operating across multiple international trade routes. The research examined how external conditions shape the firm’s strategic context, how internal resources, capabilities, and organizational culture influence strategic responses, and how internal strengths may be realigned to address emerging opportunities and threats. The analytical framework integrates PESTEL and Porter’s Five Forces with the Resource-Based View, organizational learning theory, and the dynamic capabilities perspective. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and the analysis of internal documents, industry reports, academic literature, and trade press sources, and were analysed using thematic analysis and a consolidated SWOT framework.
The findings indicate that the company operates in an environment characterized by intense competition, strong buyer power, rising regulatory demands, and heightened geopolitical and environmental risk. Internally, while valuable operational assets and experience-based expertise are present, strategic responses are constrained by limited differentiation, uneven digital capability development, fragmented knowledge management, and a risk-averse organizational culture. The discussion highlights that long-term resilience is closely linked to organizational learning, cultural openness, and the development of dynamic capabilities that enable adaptation to ongoing external change.
The study is based on a qualitative case analysis of a bulk and breakbulk shipping company operating across multiple international trade routes. The research examined how external conditions shape the firm’s strategic context, how internal resources, capabilities, and organizational culture influence strategic responses, and how internal strengths may be realigned to address emerging opportunities and threats. The analytical framework integrates PESTEL and Porter’s Five Forces with the Resource-Based View, organizational learning theory, and the dynamic capabilities perspective. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and the analysis of internal documents, industry reports, academic literature, and trade press sources, and were analysed using thematic analysis and a consolidated SWOT framework.
The findings indicate that the company operates in an environment characterized by intense competition, strong buyer power, rising regulatory demands, and heightened geopolitical and environmental risk. Internally, while valuable operational assets and experience-based expertise are present, strategic responses are constrained by limited differentiation, uneven digital capability development, fragmented knowledge management, and a risk-averse organizational culture. The discussion highlights that long-term resilience is closely linked to organizational learning, cultural openness, and the development of dynamic capabilities that enable adaptation to ongoing external change.