Product details

This case is part of the Trade and Industry Department SME case series funded by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Trade and Industry Department SME Development Fund. This case gives an account of how a ship management company was able to set itself apart from competitors and from its clients'' own in-house technical and crew management capabilities, by embracing a culture of continuous improvement and by implementing total quality management systems. The shipping industry was not alone in having regulation imposed upon it, but its distinctly international nature made ship managers, as cost-cutting practitioners, particularly open to criticism. A ship management company''s very existence hinged upon its ability to convince ship owners that it would preserve their valuable assets and maximise revenue earning potential, demonstrating that its collective skills were superior and more cost effective. As a result, an effective quality assurance system that continuously improved the organisation''s human and business systems could enhance efficiency and also have a significant marketing impact.