Maria Progoulaki

The present paper examines the way Greek shipping companies and Greek seafarers perceive culture, and how this affects their approach to crew management and the ships’ operation. The analysis focuses on the manning strategies employed by the companies, on the operational problems which might occur on board, and on any possible disturbance of the relation between the ship, the office at shore and third parties. Finally, a number of management practices which, when implemented, help to overcome these problems are also examined. The research methodology includes a review of the existing literature and interviews conducted by means of questionnaires filled in by crew managers and seafarers. Results show that some of the predominant problems encountered aboard, as far as communication with multicultural crews is concerned, are rooted in cultural and linguistic incompatibility, as well as in inadequate and inappropriate training. Furthermore, crew managers and seafarers lack both a clear perception of culture, and share opinions on the implementation of manning strategies. The present paper concludes that culture management can enhance crew team cohesion, upgrade communication at all levels, and, finally, improve the quality of the working environment, the safety of the workplace and the overall performance of the team.

Analysis of global seafarers’ demand reveals that seafarers from low cost countries gradually increase their share by substituting their colleagues from traditional maritime countries. This process is provoked by the shipping companies’ manning strategies and decisions on crew selection that are based on the need for cost cutting. Many shipping companies that strive to reduce their cost and to realise the short run result turn to the employment of low cost seafarers. The factor that mainly defines this process is the payment of wages for each category of seafarers. Factors, such as the productivity of the seafarers, their tacit knowledge, their commitment and the role they have on the formation of the total cost of seafarers and the performance of the shipping companies in the long run, are gradually ignored. However, the efficiency of this approach seeing from a long run perspective is questioned, as it ignores the strategic role of the human factor and its contribution to the value that shipping companies create.
This paper aims at examining the competitiveness of seafarers not only in terms of the cost that the payment of wages creates to the companies, but also in terms of the qualifications of the seafarers and the value they create for the company that employs them. For this, the Resource Based View of the firm is applied, which realises the firm as a bundle of resources and capabilities that are combined to develop competencies; the last are the basis for the formation of competitive advantage. Thus, seafarers are examined as a strategic resource that creates value for the shipping companies and contributes to their competitiveness.
The analysis focuses on Greek-owned shipping. The paper discusses the results of a research project on the competitiveness of Greek seafarers assigned by the Panhellenic Seaman Federation to the University of the Aegean. Based on the results stemming from a survey conducted in a sample of Greek-owned shipping companies, the analysis focuses on the crewing management practices of the companies, the examination of factors that contribute to the value that companies draw from their seafarers, and the identification of the alternative approaches that are applied by the companies on the subject.

This paper focuses on the role of outsourcing in manning strategy. Outsourcing in shipping is analyzed, and the criterions that influence a ship manager’s /owner’s decision for outsourcing of operations are discussed. The role of the manning agencies, their position in the globalized shipping market, and the way they operate are also examined. A complicated methodology is used, including the correlation of results of two different surveys and a crosscheck one, among Greek owned shipping companies, conducted in the fields of shipping outsourcing and manning strategy.  Crew management as core competence in the short run, and competitive advantage in the long run, is further examined. Additionally, the role of human resources’ outsourcing in the general manning strategy and in the cultural context of the shipping companies is analysed, along with the advantages and disadvantages that can accrue for both the shipping companies and the foreign and national seafarers.

Training Needs Analysis (TNA) is recognised as an important function that can contribute to
an organisation’s and an individual’s assessment of the strengths and weaknesses, as well as
future needs. Considering the high level of cultural diversity in the maritime industry, it is
believed that the TNA could provide the knowledge for the design of training material that
will facilitate effective communication for seafarers, executives and employees in maritime
shore-based positions. The aim of this paper is to research the conditions that would allow
effective education and training of seafarers and shore-based personnel in management of
cultural diversity. For this, a field survey was conducted with the use of a questionnaire for
collection of primary data. The sample consisted from seafarers and maritime executives,
representatives of governmental organisations, port authorities and others from three
European countries.
The role of education and intercultural training as well as the role of hands-on experience in
multicultural working environment in the shipping industry were underlined by many
respondents. The analysis of the results proposed that cross-cultural competency can facilitate
career mobility and transfer from ship to shore positions and vice versa. Also, the analysis
produced useful findings on the knowledge and skill sets that are believed to be required for a
maritime professional to participate in cross-cultural training, as well as on the content that is
perceived as most important to be included in cross cultural training.

The Resource-Based View (RBV) of the firm has been established as one of the main approaches to strategy formulation for the development of sustainable competitive advantage. Moreover, Human Resource Management can be conceptualised as a source of competitiveness. This paper proposes that the RBV could contribute to the confrontation of the hindrances that shipping companies face in the management of their human resources, and to the formation of sustainable competitive advantage. The paper analyses the findings of a field study, regarding the different Human Resource and Crew Management approaches that are applied by the shipping companies. Finally, based on the RBV of the firm, it proposes an integrated framework for managing human resources in the shipping industry in a way that could lead to the formation of sustainable competitive advantage.