J Fei

Analysis of students’ perceptions of seafaring career in China based on artificial neural network and genetic programming

Research indicates that the worldwide shortage of qualified seafarers has been due to the rapidly increasing world merchant fleet on the one hand and the difficulty of attracting and retaining people in the industry on the other. The paper argues that in the context of the Chinese shipping industry, the high “wastage” is one of the major contributors to the shortage. The aims of the research are to examine the motives of students studying nautical courses; identify the key factors affecting nautical students to choose seafaring career, and to predict students’ career choice behavior. The research finds that (a) those who had a clear sense of their future career when enrolled in the nautical studies tend to choose a seafaring career and remain active for a longer period of time; (b) high wage is the most important factor affecting students’ decisions to choose seafaring as a career; (c) prolonged separation from family, job opportunities ashore, and concern about children’s growth and education are among the top three factors for students not to choose a seafaring career or to quit it early; and (d) nautical students’ career choice behaviors can be predicted through the use of artificial neural network (ANN) and genetic programming (GP) with five rules being generated. This novel methodological approach, a combination of ANN and GP, has been proven to be effective in analyzing complex variables and in generating rules.

An empirical study of the role of information technology in effective knowledge transfer in the shipping industry

High human mobility in the shipping industry is one of the main reasons causing severe shortage of skilled and qualified personnel in the shipping industry. This paper looks into the issue from a new perspective where high mobility in the shipping industry is seen as a vehicle of knowledge flows that can be used for knowledge transfer. This paper suggests that advanced information and communication technologies, supported by a dedicated knowledge sharing culture, and strong leadership are essential factors in facilitating knowledge transfer in the context of shipping. The proposed effective knowledge transfer (EKT) model was confirmed by an empirical study in which 275 questionnaires were sent and 166 valid answers were received. The results reveal that (a) there is a positive relationship between perceived effectiveness of information technology (IT) related factors and the current and preferred means of communication between on- and off-shore managements; and (b) there is a high degree of consensus about the role of IT in EKT among participants of different business sectors, fleet sizes and onboard experience. An important implication of this study is that shipping organisations can apply appropriate IT to facilitate EKT to reduce knowledge wastage caused by outflows of personnel.

The impediments to the competitiveness of the rail industry in Australia

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify current impediments to the competitiveness of the rail industry in the Australian non-bulk freight market. Design/methodology/approach – A systematic literature review was adapted to identify the impediments and challenge themes from 1,081 studies available on the Australian rail industry. To select the studies relevant to the research question, a tollgate criterion was then deployed. Impediments were identified by a structured data synthesis process and a heuristic algorithm was developed to explore the possible relationships between the impediments and challenges. Findings – Four major themes are apparent, each of which presents the rail industry with challenges in the non-bulk freight market. “Infrastructural inefficiencies and the need for further integration” was ranked as the main rail industry challenge, while “environmental concerns and the associated costs of externalities” was the least. In addition, across the four themes data synthesis identif...

Accuracy of Potential Flow Methods to Solve Real-time Ship-Tug Interaction Effects within Ship Handling Simulators

The hydrodynamic interaction effects between two vessels that are significantly different in size operating in close proximity can adversely affect the safety and handling of these vessels. Many ship handling simulator designers implement Potential Flow (PF) solvers to calculate real-time interaction effects. However, these PF solvers struggle to accurately predict the complicated flow regimes that can occur, for example as the flow passes a wet transom hull or one with a drift angle. When it comes to predicting the interaction effects on a tug during a ship assist, it is essential to consider the rapid changes of the tug’s drift angle, as the hull acts against the inflow creating a complicated flow regime. This paper investigates the ability of the commercial PF solver, Futureship®, to predict the accurate interaction effects acting on tugs operating at a drift angle during ship handling operations through a case study. This includes a comparison against Computation Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations and captive model tests to examine the suitability of the PF method for such duties. Although the PF solver can be tuned to solve streamline bodies, it needs further improvement to deal with hulls at drift angles.

Branding as innovation within agribusiness value chains

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how traditional agribusiness firms can differentiate their product through innovation and branding at the value chain level, through the application of entrepreneurial marketing (EM). Traditionally, fresh vegetable products have been marketed as unbranded commodities. Design/methodology/approach – To address the research aim, this paper used a case study, which included semi-structured interviews with managers and personnel and unstructured observation of supply chain processes. Findings – The findings are based on a Tasmanian fresh broccoli value chain and suggest that EM could be effectively integrated at a multi-firm level. Clear communication, knowledge sharing, and trusting relationships are necessary to create a shared vision and a sustainable value chain. Research limitations/implications – An increasing number of firms in the agribusiness sector are looking for strategies that can enhance value for themselves and members of their chain. EM as a str...

Managing Human Resources in the Shipping Industry

This book explores key aspects of human resource management in the shipping industry including the dynamics of the shipping workforce and the global labour market. With case studies in each chapter, the book also discusses the practices and issues associated with recruitment, training and development, and retention of personnel and knowledge in the shipping industry. In addition, the book addresses the human resource management challenges faced by the industry including achieving work-life balance, maintaining employee health and wellbeing, managing risk and crisis, and applying knowledge management principles.

The Establishment of a Framework of Communicative Competence of Seafarers

With the development of technology and automation of merchant vessels, ship losses have decreased significantly from 1% in 1912 to 0.149% in 2009 (Allianz, 2012). However, the number of accidents categorised as attributable to human elements has not decreased, in which communication failures represent one third of these elements (Trenkner, 2007). A review to date clearly shows that communication failures are one of the dominant contributing causes of accidents at sea (Ziarati, Ziarati, & Calbas, 2009). Under the International Regulations on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW 2010), each Administration (flag state) shall require every company to ensure that at all times effective oral communication is maintained on board ships (IMO, 2011). Almost 90% of all vessels under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) are presently crewed with multilingual personnel who, for various reasons, are often unable to communicate effectively with each other (Trenkner, 2009). Cultural differences can also impede effective communication and knowledge sharing (Fei, Chen, & Chen, 2009). Three major barriers have been identified in communication at sea including the difficulties of being proficient in Maritime English, inadequate awareness and understanding of diverse culture, and a lack of sociolinguistic ability in communication (Schriever, 2011). Language and culture are inextricably linked. The aim of cultural training is to develop strategies for predicting, understanding and resolving miscommunications. Training and teaching in language and communication skills are essential tools to support effective teamwork and promote a culture of safety (Alert, 2007). Pritchard (2011) emphasised that miscommunication may have negative effects on the morale of the crew and their working environment. It is clear that seafarers’ communicative competence is becoming increasingly important for safe shipping. Although the concept of communicative competence is a well-established concept, it is relatively new in the context of maritime education and training. No systematic research has been done to identify the concept of communicative competence in the shipping context. The structure and purposes of this chapter are to: (1) systematically review the development of the concept of communicative competence over the past decades, (2) identify components of communicative competence in the shipping setting, and (3) develop a framework of communicative competence for maritime education and training based on (1) and (2).

The use of Echo360 generated materials and perceived student performance

Recent research on the impact of educational technology such as lecture capture has paid much attention to the possible effects of using technology in improving student performance. Using a combination of an online questionnaire and focus group interviews involving three different disciplinary areas, this study showed that a majority of respondents agreed that Echo360 generated materials had positive impact on their learning outcomes and improvement of their performance. The results revealed differences among the two age groups in relation to the perceived extent of the effect of using Echo360 generated materials on their learning performance.