Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to suggest some conditions under which shipping companies transfer their knowledge to foreign seafares efficiently. I regard training for foreign seafares as knowledge transfer. This paper discusses the theme in terms of a case study of major Japanese shipping company and theoretical framework of knowledge transfer. I made interview researches to the seafare strategy division of the shipping company, ship management subsidiaries, and affiliated maritime college located in Japan, Singapore and the Philippines. Also, I made a participant observation on the container vessel which the company operated from Shekou (China) to Hong Kong, in order to comprehend particularly implicit knowledge transfer at the work shop. Based on this study, this paper focuses on the knowledge transfer of international shipping company. First, I define the concept of knowledge and knowledge transfer in the seafare strategy of international maritime industry. Second, based on the interview researches and participant observation, I discuss the case study of Japanese major shipping company, and consider concrete method and issues of knowledge transfer. Third, I suggest the conditions under which explicit and implicit knowledge transfer take place efficiently in terms of systematic training programs, continuous employment of seafares, appropriate audit, appropriate manning and crewing, formalization of knowledge transfer method on the work shop, and personnel evaluation system. These conditions enable shipping companies to increase absorptive capability of not only individual seafares but also shipping company as a whole, and to achieve standardization of knowledge at the corporate level.
