Creating a new maritimization model with a holisticand cognitive approach

Oceans and seas have provided many benefits to humanity throughout history. These benefits were maximized after the 15th century with the impact of geographical discoveries and the Industrial Revolution and have played an important role in the acquisition of power by states in many ways. In recognition of these benefits, the study of concepts such as sea power and maritime power has been the focus of scholars and political leaders. These studies were approached from a social science perspective until the second half of the 20th century, and a common understanding of definitions and concepts did not emerge. Maritime models treated with the model approach are born with a hierarchical perspective. In addition, it has been observed that the concepts that make up the models have not been renewed according to the evolving nature of the maritime sector. Furthermore, no study has been carried out to rank the importance of the concepts that make up maritime power, and the concept of maritimization has not been defined in the literature on maritime power. In this context, a new input-output model has been designed in this thesis to include all sub-fields of maritime power in accordance with the contemporary requirements of the sea, and the concept of maritimization has been defined. A questionnaire has been applied to 20 maritime experts to develop the model holistically and cognitively. Based on the results of the questionnaires, the model is designed cognitively and the level of influence and importance of the sub-elements that constitute maritime power is revealed. In the second part of the thesis, the accuracy of the main elements of the new model created by the factor analysis method is tested and the level of importance of all the elements is evaluated by a second method. The results of both studies are compared, and it is observed from a quantitative point of view that although the levels of importance of the elements that create maritime power vary according to expert knowledge and understanding, all the elements influence each other. This model allows experts and academics to consider all elements of maritime power within one model. Furthermore, the three-layered, holistic and cognitive approach provides a way for maritime organizations and managers to manage maritime power holistically from a strategic management perspective.