关键词: 航运供应链, 服务竞争, 纵向整合, 竞合效应, 货主效益

Abstract: Under port service competition, two parallel three-tier shipping supply chains, each of which is composed of a port, a carrier and a freight forwarder, are constructed to study the carrier's vertical integration decision and identify the feasible conditions and equilibrium characteristics of different integration strategies combining with the shipper's benefit. We find that the rival chain's integration strategy only has an impact on whether the carrier adopt integration or not, but makes no difference on its specific integration selection. Carrier's forward integration depends on the degree of port service competition , while the forward backward integration depends on the port service cost coefficient. Under the different integration strategies of the rival chain, there exists an optimal condition where carrier choosing backward integration can maximize its profit meanwhile achieve the shipper's benefit expectations.

Key words: shipping supply chain, service competition, vertical integration, co-opetition effect, shipper's benefit