Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- About the Editors
- Contributors
- Introduction
- “International Freight Markets in the 1830s and 1840s: The Experience of a Major Finnish Shipowner”
- “The First (and Very Secret) International Steamship Cartel, 1850-1856”
- “Competition or Co-operation in the Global Shipping Industry: The Origins and Impact of the Conference System for British Shipowners before 1914”
- “National Alliances and Global Webs: The Internationalization of Japanese Shipping”
- “Dutch Sea Transport in Transition: The German Hinterland as Catalyst, 1850-1914”
- “The Expansion of American Interests in Transatlantic Commerce and Trade, 1865-1893”
- “The Expansion of Japan's Shipping Interests before the Sino-Japanese War”
- “Cooperation and Reorganization on the North-South Routes from Japan in the Interwar Period”
- “The Global Communications Industry and Its Impact on International Shipping before 1914”
- “The Nineteenth-Century Roots of Globalization: Some Technological Considerations”
- “The Global Fish Market: Internationalization and Globalization, 1880-1997”
- “Convergence or National Styles? The Japanese Challenge to the British-Norwegian Hegemony in the Twentieth-Century Whaling Industry”
- “International Trends and Greek Shipping: The Business Strategy of Demetrios Moraitis, 1893-1908”
- “Organizational and Managerial Patterns of Greek- Owned Shipping Enterprises and the Internationalization Process from the Internar Period to 1990”
- “Internationalization and the Collapse of British Shipbuilding, 1945-1973”
- “Globalization and International Competitiveness: The Experience of the Japanese Shipping Industry since the 1960s”
- “Containerization and the Globalization of Liner Shipping“
“Organizational and Managerial Patterns of Greek- Owned Shipping Enterprises and the Internationalization Process from the Internar Period to 1990”
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- About the Editors
- Contributors
- Introduction
- “International Freight Markets in the 1830s and 1840s: The Experience of a Major Finnish Shipowner”
- “The First (and Very Secret) International Steamship Cartel, 1850-1856”
- “Competition or Co-operation in the Global Shipping Industry: The Origins and Impact of the Conference System for British Shipowners before 1914”
- “National Alliances and Global Webs: The Internationalization of Japanese Shipping”
- “Dutch Sea Transport in Transition: The German Hinterland as Catalyst, 1850-1914”
- “The Expansion of American Interests in Transatlantic Commerce and Trade, 1865-1893”
- “The Expansion of Japan's Shipping Interests before the Sino-Japanese War”
- “Cooperation and Reorganization on the North-South Routes from Japan in the Interwar Period”
- “The Global Communications Industry and Its Impact on International Shipping before 1914”
- “The Nineteenth-Century Roots of Globalization: Some Technological Considerations”
- “The Global Fish Market: Internationalization and Globalization, 1880-1997”
- “Convergence or National Styles? The Japanese Challenge to the British-Norwegian Hegemony in the Twentieth-Century Whaling Industry”
- “International Trends and Greek Shipping: The Business Strategy of Demetrios Moraitis, 1893-1908”
- “Organizational and Managerial Patterns of Greek- Owned Shipping Enterprises and the Internationalization Process from the Internar Period to 1990”
- “Internationalization and the Collapse of British Shipbuilding, 1945-1973”
- “Globalization and International Competitiveness: The Experience of the Japanese Shipping Industry since the 1960s”
- “Containerization and the Globalization of Liner Shipping“
Summary
During the twentieth century, Greek-owned shipping firms have grown into large scale companies and participated successfully in the global shipping market as internationalized enterprises. This process did not affect their organizational and managerial structures which remained substantially the same from the interwar years to 1990.
This unorthodox pattern may be attributed to three main factors: first, it owes much to the lifespan of Greek shipping firms, which in the majority of cases did not exceed one generation; second, Greek shipowners consider shipping to be a profession and not simply an activity that brings in an income; and, third, the family-oriented nature of Greek shipping firms is a key influence on the pattern of development. Their competitive advantage, however, was mainly gained during the post-1945 period, largely due to the positive interaction between their organizational structures and the environment in which they operated.
Organizational and Managerial Models
As enterprises pass through the different stages of development, various characteristics, primarily in the manner of their management, are transformed. In the initial stages the managerial tasks are simple and easily undertaken by the owner of the firm, especially if he has previous experience. At this juncture the owner is the firm's sole managerial agent. As the firm develops and grows in size, so the managerial tasks become more complex and an organizational hierarchy evolves. It then becomes necessary to employ personnel charged with supervising other workers. When the size and activities of the firm increase to a significant extent, the owner's ability to supervise is limited and essential managerial duties are entrusted to personnel at different levels in the hierarchy. The owner relinquishes responsibility for operational management of the business and the distinction between ownership and management becomes obvious. The owner maintains the role of the firm's leader, but the top managerial personnel assume responsibility for the company's operation.
In essence, firms undergo a transition from the entrepreneurial-familial or financing stage, in which they are managed either by their owner or his family or by their financiers, to the managerial stage (managerial enterprise) in which salaried managers are responsible for their stability and long-term development. This procedure is used to define the evolution of contemporary business during the second industrial revolution.
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- Information
- Global MarketsThe Internationalization of The Sea Transport Industries Since 1850, pp. 303 - 318Publisher: Liverpool University PressPrint publication year: 1998