Shipping is a people's business (dry bulk industry)

• Main Author: Tan, Joanna Shu Yun
• Other Authors: Kenneth Tan
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: DRNTU::Business::Operations management
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/68170
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

There are some studies done in the past, evaluating how the element of people plays an important role in shipping. However, they were mainly on the focus of seafaring related. There are still limited study conducted to compare and evaluate the importance of shore-based human and technology (both software and hardware) specifically in dry bulk shipping industry. Hence, this study aims to bridge the gap in that three aspects and will also establish some of the People factors that are important for companies to manage. Other than comparison between People, Software and Hardware, the aspects of People factors that would be explored in this study are the leadership, culture and needs models. In addition, gender related issue such as why the lack of women in the shipping industry will also be studied. Surveys and interviews were conducted with people working in dry bulk companies or those with prior experience in the industry. In this report, it will then show why the people element has been the strongest factor in controlling success of these dry bulk companies, and it will continue to be so even twenty years down the road. However so, there is still the importance of the technology that must be used concurrently with the human touch.