A study on impact of organisational culture on company performances in Singapore shipping industry

• Main Author: Liow, Chun Kai
• Other Authors: Chew Ah Seng, David
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Maritime studies
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/68078
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This research aims to analyse the impact of organisational culture on knowledge management and operational focus and how this, in turn leads to performance. We will be conducting our studies on shipping firms in Singapore, including both local companies and multinational corporations that have set up offices here. Results from the surveys and interviews with shipping professionals show that multinational corporation in general have a flat organisation structure whereas local firms have a broader range of structures, with government linked corporations having a more hierarchical structure. The size of local companies also varies widely, from small medium enterprises to large government linked corporations. Further analysis of the results shows that multinational corporations have a slight edge in both knowledge management and operational focus. There is strong investment in information technology system to store knowledge and slightly better employee retention for multinational corporations. Hence, lesser resources are spent on training new hires. Smaller local companies would not have the resources to invest in such systems. Meanwhile, both multinational corporations and local companies showed willingness to invest in training for employees, but talent retention is a problem due to the tight labour market in Singapore. Employees are also showing signs of unwillingness to share knowledge in order to protect their own market value, which is unhealthy for companies. Communication remains a problem that hinders the work processes due to the global nature of shipping industry. However, companies are investing in more sophisticated information technology systems to improve the work processes, providing interdepartmental links that will help to improve efficiency. This will ultimately lead to improved performances for companies.