ABSTRACT
This chapter applies a strategic management perspective on the port authority and introduces a paradigm shift in thinking about the particular organisation: from port authority to port development company. Port authorities or actually port development companies (PDC) are the organisations that are primarily responsible for the development, management and control of the seaport. The institutional reform of port development companies as can be seen in practice and described in literature can be approached by two angles. The PDCs are often or have been in a transition process towards more autonomy and a more commercial identity. Pressure for this transition comes from port users, who are looking for a business partner; governments that reduce government spending on ports, implying that port development companies should become more financially self-sustaining; and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that demand transparency and inclusion in decisions that affect stakeholders.
