Research on cooperative strategies in shipping supply chain based on tripartite evolutionary game

• Main Author: Lin, Langyu
• Other Authors: Li Dong
• Format: Thesis-Master by Coursework
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2025
• Subjects: Business and Management; Engineering; Evolutionary game theory; Cooperative relationships optimization
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/182910
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

With the continuous advancement of global economic integration and trade globalization, the shipping industry has become increasingly important in the global supply chain, serving as a core hub supporting global trade flows. As the world economy develops and market conditions continue to change, the demand for cargo transportation from consumers is growing. This growth not only demands a larger scale of transportation but also imposes stricter standards on timeliness. Traditional independent handling models have struggled to meet these rapidly changing market demands. At the same time, international uncertainties and frequent market fluctuations present unprecedented challenges to all aspects of the supply chain. To enhance supply chain resilience, breaking through existing development bottlenecks and promoting long-term sustainable development requires collaborative cooperation across supply chain tiers. This study focuses on the government, shipping companies, and cargo owners, using evolutionary game theory to conduct an in-depth analysis of the behavioral decision-making strategies of these three parties under uncertain market conditions. First, the paper constructs a tri-party evolutionary game model involving the government, shipping companies, and cargo owners, clarifying the interaction relationships among these entities. By constructing replicator dynamic equations and using tools such as Jacobian matrices, a detailed analysis of the stability of the game system is conducted, exploring the evolutionary paths of each party under different policy and strategy choices. This reveals the multiple factors that influence the system’s ability to reach an ideal stable state. Additionally, numerical simulations were performed using Matlab to validate the theoretical results and further analyze the evolutionary trends of the system under different initial strategic intentions. The research results indicate that government regulation, shipping companies' pricing strategies, and cargo owners' willingness to cooperate are key factors affecting the stability and efficiency of cooperation within the supply chain. Through appropriate policy incentives and regulations, the government can effectively promote long-term cooperation between shipping companies and cargo owners, thereby enhancing the overall resilience and risk resistance of the supply chain. This research provides theoretical support for optimizing cooperative relationships within the shipping supply chain and offers a foundation for future policy-making and practical operations, contributing to the high-quality development of the shipping industry.