Marketing, entrepreneurship, and innovation in port management: trends, barriers, and research agenda

The port sector encompasses businesses and institutions that manage the transport of cargo through maritime means. This sector is responsible for the transportation of vehicles, medical products, food, and other goods managed by various stakeholders. To appropriately manage ports, it becomes necessary to comprehend how management approaches are employed in the decision-making process to fulfil the demands of potential consumers. This study aims to assess how marketing, entrepreneurship and innovation are employed in the management of the port sector. This systematic literature review started with a bibliometric analysis using Bibliometrix tool in R to offer a broader view of scientific production in the theme. The data employed in the bibliometric analysis were extracted from Web of Science and Scopus. Next, a content analysis was performed in order to identify barriers, trends, and an agenda for future research. The results are believed to offer new insights on the role of marketing, entrepreneurship, and innovation in ports both to academics and practitioners. Among the outcomes achieved, we highlight the fundamental role of boosting port management in the three variables of interest, as well as the encouragement of port funding.