Example Of Diploma In Ship Management Report

Question 1

High turnover is workplace issue that explains the rate at which workers are resigning from work and the process the company adopts in replacing the jobs with new recruits (Noe, 2012). From a business perspective, a high turnover rate indicates that workers are not comfortable working for the firm and there may be various reasons that are pushing them to move from the organization (Noe, 2012). As seen from the case study, several concerns were raised on the issue of high turnover rate of office staff. This section will focus on highlighting various reasons that may be pushing for a high-turnover rate and also suggest ways the company will adopt to increase workers retention rates.
As mentioned earlier, high turnover signal a workforce problem and the following factors could influence workers to resign from their work. First, increased work pressure may force an employee to consider moving to another firm. For instance, when a member of a sea vessel is assigned many duties with some not under his/her specialty, the worker will be overwhelmed by the work. Consistent assignment of challenging and many duties may force the worker consider working in a lesser challenging environment or firm (Noe, 2012).
Although workers executive tasks as assigned by their superiors, they expect their managers to consider them when making critical decisions that affect the workplace. However, if the management has a tendency of passing decisions without consulting or engaging the workers to provide their views, then workers will become demoralized and seek for resignation. Sometimes a firm may feel the need to restructure their business operations in a way that is consistent with market needs. However, the restructuring may bring uncertainties especially on job securities. Therefore, workers may consider moving to another firm that guarantees their job security.
Sometimes workers may feel the management is not providing a favorable and equitable working environment for all office staff. For instance, some workers may suspect that the company is favoring some workers by giving them privileges such as off, bonuses or promotions without following an organized manner. Having realized that the management is not providing a fair working environment for all workers, some workers lose morale working for the firm and hence consider moving to other firms.
The above possible turnover reasons calls for the management to review how it handles office staff. For instance, the management should review each office staff duties and ensure workers are assigned specific tasks which they have skills to effectively deliver. If possible, management should make arrangements of hiring more workers who will manage excess workload that could be affecting current workers (Noe, 2012).
Secondly, managers should ensure the office staff work in a favorable working environment. The management should provide equal opportunities to all workers so that workers can utilize their expertise to explore their full potentials (Noe, 2012). It is recommendable for the management to develop effective incentive programs such as financial bonuses or offs that will boost the morale of workers. Besides that, effective communication is essential in understanding any problems affecting workers productivity. Therefore, management should develop effective mechanisms that allow workers to share insights or views that affect workplace. Finally, management should develop contingency plans that ensure effective replacement of workers if some staff decides to leave the firm.

Question 2

Part A
Any potential client would wish to engage the services of a reputable organization that can deliver quality services (Abrams, 2003). Business entities that demonstrate they have the capacity to provide effective services stand a better chance of attracting many customers as well as establishing customer loyalty this section of the paper will conduct a SWOT analysis of Creative Shipping Solutions (CSC) Limited.

Strengths

Compliance- It is clear Creative Shipping Solutions Limited has complied with various ship operations standards such as the ISM and the ISPS certifications. Compliance with these stands is strength for the company, since most customers check for ships certifications program before they can engage in any business.
Vessel security- The status of the vessels indicates that they were all built in the recent years. Specifically, they were developed in 2008. 2009 and 2010. This shows that they are in good condition and fitted with modern technology.
Company capacity- The specifications of the ships also indicate they can handle heavy cargo hence providing the company with an edge in the market.

Weaknesses

Customer service- The company workers are concentrated in only Europe and Asia. The company should focus on increasing customer services offices in different parts of the world.

Opportunities

Expanded Operations- the Company is yet to explore other markets such as Africa, and America. The company should consider increasing its operations in these unexplored markets so that they can increase their market share and power.

Threats

Pricing- If the company does not adopt an effective pricing structure it will not attract many customers and this means reduced revenues. Rival shipping firms can also develop pricing structure that attracts more customers. Therefore, the company should develop an effective pricing structure that matches industry rates without affecting its sales growth.
In the above SWOT analysis, I choose compliance as strength because it helps give the company an edge in the market since potential consumers want to work with firms that comply with regulations or safety standards. I also choose customer service because the company seems to focus on few areas. Customers from different areas cannot access customer care services unless they contact these areas. The company should thus enhance customer services by spreading offices in different areas. I also highlighted expanded operations to inform the company to consider increasing its services so that more customers from different markets can access the company’s services. Finally, pricing is an aspect in business and hence the company should focus on developing pricing structure that attracts many potential customers.

Part B

Based on the SWOT analysis above, it is important for the management of Creative Shipping Solutions to consider the following adjustments. First, the company should focus on enhancing customer services by providing various mechanisms that will ensure customers reach the company. As earlier stated, the company should increase customer service offices in different areas. The company can also take advantage of social media and other modern communication platform to develop a sound customer experience that provides necessary services to potential consumers.
Besides that, the company should also consider widening its operations in other areas to provide new customers with an opportunity to use the ship services (Abrams, 2003). This means that the company should conduct a market research and identify viable areas to launch its services.
Another important area Creative Shipping Solutions should consider is pricing. The company should aim at enhancing market share by developing a pricing structure that is fair and reachable to many potential consumers. The company can provide various payment initiatives that will allow a majority of clients’ access the services.

Question 3

Effective planning determines the outcome of any project (Abrams, 2003). Therefore, as the project manager and charged with the responsibility of maintaining the company’s systems, the first activity would develop a blueprint of how the project will be executed. The blueprint will highlight the activities that will be covered, time limit, financial allocations, necessary resources and the personnel would help in the execution of the project. Moreover, the blueprint will explain both short-term and long-term project goals (Kerzner, 2001).
After developing the blue print, the next task would include communicating the project details to the team members. The team members are all people who will help in the maintenance work such as engineers, I.T experts, electricians, finance officers and other support staff. Once the team understand approve the project details, the next step would involve delegation of duties. Here, each project member will receive their specific duties in the project.
Once the members have started executing their specific roles, the project manager will routinely assess the project and making necessary changes. For instance, if the project is moving slowly the project manager will consider increasing more personnel or resources to ensure the project is completed within the projected time (Kerzner, 2001). During this stage, the manager will engage many consultative meetings with project members to discuss the direction of the project. The engagements will give the members an opportunity to provide their recommendations that will boost the project’s plans.
The routine monitoring of the project will continue to ensure the project follows the details of the initial blueprint (Kerzner, 2001). As the maintenance nears completion, the project manager will make a complete review to ascertain if the project has achieved its desired objectives. For instance, the project manager will evaluate if the ship has attained the anticipated maintenance level and hence allow the ship to function as required. The project manager will also assess if the defective parts have been replaced with effective parts. Maintenance also involves upgrading the ship parts with latest parts and change of lubricants with new lubricants.
In executing this maintenance project, the project manager will require various resources. For instance, the manager will require human resource that includes engineers, technicians and other support staff. The human resource will provide services that will help the project achieve its goals (Kerzner, 2001). The project will also require financial resources to ensure the project pays workers and buys necessary maintenance products. Other essential resources include; lubricants, mechanical parts, electrical energy, and other materials that will be required by the technicians conducting the maintenance.
Project flow

References

Abrams, R. M. (2003). The successful business plan: Secrets & strategies. Palto Alto, CA: Planning Shop.
Kerzner, H. (2001). Project management: A systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. New York: John Wiley.
Noe, R. (2012). Human resource management: Gaining a competitive advantage. New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin.