Management of Seafarers in Liner Shipping Industry

The use of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices in the form of ‘bundles’ and in integration with the business strategy of the organisation have been emphasised throughout the HRM literature. These are called the horizontal integration and vertical integration respectively. This article aim at examining the use of these practices in liner shipping industry in which human element plays a vital role to provide a good quality service. The research uncovers that although some HRM techniques are used in liner shipping industry but they are not implemented in form of bundles of practices. This single use of practices does not affect the business performance of the firm. It was also discovered that the implemented practices are not in accordance with the business strategy of the companies inside the industry. While the business strategy of the liner industry was found to be quality enhancement, the majority of the practices used were in form of hard model which is in contrast with this form of business strategy.