Pedraza Rodríguez, José Antonio García Briones, Martha Yadira Mora Márquez, César María 2026-02-23T08:08:46Z 2026-02-23T08:08:46Z 2023 2077-1886 http://hdl.handle.net/10396/35351 Purpose – This article aims to explore the concept of chain value of the public port system in Ecuador from the perspective of importing/exporting companies, analyzing how perceived value in the use of port services affects customer satisfaction and the intermediate links of the influence of trust and commitment on customer loyalty. Design/methodology/approach – Relying on a survey of 634 Ecuadorian companies with experience in international trade as port users and a theoretical framework well-established in the literature on consumer behavior, the empirical study found evidence of a positive and significant relationship with the knowledge of chain effects. Findings – The findings confirm the chain effect and reveal ways to maintain an ongoing satisfactory, trust and committed relationship with users, thereby ultimately gaining and maintaining their loyalty. The conclusions suggest how this postulate can help to close the gap referred to the effective management of port services, and point out that port managers should be concerned with a continuous in-depth understanding of the perceived value and its chain effects. Originality/value – The authors add evidence of the use of the postulate of the chain of effects on these dimensions, whose applicability is very well established, tested and consensual for the doctrine in industrial marketing. In contrast, it is scarcely present in the port relationship with its users. application/pdf eng Emerald Publishing https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Pedraza-Rodríguez JA, García-Briones MY, Mora-Márquez C (2024), "Exploring the importance of the perceived value of port users: evidence from the public port system in Ecuador". Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Science, Vol. 29 No. 57 pp. 146–165, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/JEFAS-09-2022-0214 Value-satisfaction-loyalty chain Port-marketing Relationship-marketing Port-customer relationship L9 M3 O24 O54 Exploring the importance of the perceived value of port users: evidence from the public port system in Ecuador info:eu-repo/semantics/article https://doi.org/10.1108/JEFAS-09-2022-0214 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess