published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

The container shipping industry is essentially a service industry, based on the derived need of shippers wanting to transport their goods to buyers around the world. The industry relies on the volume of world trade and consequently is highly cyclical with its profitability being dependent, in large part, on the health of the global economy. It is also a highly capital intensive industry that requires large amount of investment in large scale fixed assets, such as ocean vessels, ports facilities, terminal equipments, global office networks and communication infrastructure. The industry has been undergoing a period of restructuring and consolidation in the 1990s, reflected in both merger and acquisition and in the formation of global alliances. This paper will explore the literature on growth alternatives and competitive advantages of the industry. The specific case on NOL/APL growth path and its key success factors of strategy-performance relationship will also be identified. This paper will conclude by making some suggestions on longer-term strategy for the company in order to generate sustainable profitability and financial success for the NOL/APL group.

This thesis focuses on the significance of distributive space for understanding capitalist forms of spatio-temporality. It argues that the distributive phase of commodity mobilities has remained a relatively under-represented aspect of social theory, especially in the context of cultural and social geography. The extant work that has focused on distribution tends to be confined to the areas of economic and transport geography. The thesis aims to address the importance of this space for understanding the formations of late capitalist modernity, particularly its role as a specific, but networked space between production and consumption. Significantly the work addresses the 'construction' of this space by focus sing on the substantive case study of containerisation. In doing so it engages with global commodity mobilities in the form of intermodal shipping containers, and their attendant logistical infrastructure. The research critically considers the spatial and temporal apparatuses that have been developed to organise and order the mobilities of the containers; including the design and development of the object itself, alongside a range of logistics and supply chain management strategies. In theoretical terms an important influence on the research has been Michel Serres' work on the interlacing of order and disorder. Given this, a simultaneous focus of the research deals with the immanent presence of disorder in these systemic environments; thus reflecting an intellectual engagement with theoretical work in the areas of turbulence, complexity theory, assemblage theory and Serres' work on the parasite. Substantively this aspect of the research has been determined by considering the place of the accident within networks and systems, alongside the 'tactical-logistics' of smuggling practices. 3

Maritime security is especially critical for countries like Singapore, an island nation situated on the world's busiest shipping routes, whose economic prosperity is highly dependent on international trade from her busy port, petrochemical complexes and other high value units located along her coastline. This thesis borrows the ideas and techniques suggested for identifying air threats in the Air Defense Laboratory (ADL) and employ them to identify asymmetric maritime threats in port and waterways. Each surface track is monitored by a compound multi-agent system that comprise of the several intent models, each containing a nested multi-agent system. The attributes that define intent models of friendly, neutral, unknown and potentially hostile surface contacts are obtained from movement and communication protocols defined by the Vessel Traffic Information System (VTIS), maritime navigation rules and cues for surface warfare threat assessment. The underlying cognitive mechanism of the models is conceptual blending. The study includes a simulation of a mock VTS for the port of Singapore and surrounding waterways to test the ability of the models to compress data and information regarding multiple simulated surface contacts' into integration networks and then determine the surface contacts intent through the expansion of the integration networks.

Denna studie tittar på den tonnageskatt som infördes i Sverige 2017. Studien presenterar grundläggande information om tonnageskatt i Sverige och en jämförelse med dess grannländer Finland och Danmark för att ge läsaren förståelse för varför Sverige valt att anta detta nya system. Frågeställningen för studien handlar om hur det nya systemet påverkar rederier i praktiken genom en fallstudie av tre olika fartyg där dess ekonomiska reslutat under det gamla och det nya systemet presenteras i en resultatbudget i förenklad form. Vidare ställs frågan om fartygets storlek eller vilken fartygstyp det är, påverkar det ekonomiska resultatet positivt eller negativt. Studien visar att det är stor skillnad, mellan fartyg av olika storlek, om det är positivt eller negativt att ansluta sig till det nya systemet. Studien visar även att det är väldigt stora skillnader på kostnaden för det nya systemet beroende på vilken fartygstyp det rör sig om. / This paper takes a look at the tonnage tax implemented in Sweden in 2017. The paper presents basic information about the tonnage tax in Sweden and a comparison to its neighbouring countries Finland and Denmark to give the reader understanding why Sweden has decided to implement the new tonnage tax system. The paper asks the question of how the new system affects a shipping company in practice through a case study of three different vessels where the economic result is presented through a result calculation in simplified form. Furthermore the paper asks the question whether the vessels size or what type of vessel it is, affect the economic result, positively or negatively. The paper shows that there is a major difference, between ships of different sizes, whether it is positive or negative to adopt the new system. The paper also shows that there are large differences in costs for the new system depending on what type of vessel it concerns.

Through the development and design of a Mobile Exhibition System (MES) in this thesis, I will demonstrate the benefits and possibilities of a flexible and mobile system within an exhibition environment. A flexible system will be able to adapt to a wide range of content, while at the same time, maintaining a synergy between its form and function. By the reuse and reappropriation of shipping containers as the exhibition envelope, the goal of mobility can be achieved, reaching out to those who might not otherwise experience learning through an exhibition environment.

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / As a maritime nation, Pakistan has not been able to effectively exploit the sea and its resources. Decades of neglect have hampered the development of the maritime sector, which in turn has hurt both economic growth and the national security of the country. While seaborne trade is the backbone of Pakistan's economy, the domestic shipping and shipbuilding industries are in disarray. The exploitation of offshore natural resources is restricted to coastal fisheries. Despite its animosity with neighboring India, Pakistan has until recently relied on two colocated ports at Karachi, which would be a vulnerable target in any war. The continental mindset of the policymakers has affected the development of the Pakistan Navy as an effective element of the military strategy. This thesis argues that development of the maritime sector is important for both economic growth and the national security of Pakistan. In economic terms, the maritime sector can diversify the economic base and stimulate Pakistan's economic growth. The development of the Pakistan Navy both as a credible conventional and strategic force is important for protection of growing economic maritime interests against predation and coercion and also necessary to safeguard the strategic interests of the country. / Lieutenant Commander, Pakistan Navy

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Michael W. Woolverton / A business plan serves two main functions: One is to provide a set of guidelines and expectations for running the business and the other would be to request funding from either a traditional or non-traditional lending source. Most business plans consist of the executive summary, business description, market analyses, management team, operations, and financial projections. Stephenson Enterprises is in the process of obtaining funding for a start-up business that will manufacture a biodegradable low cost substitute loose-fill packaging material. Due to the relatively high cost of this start-up, external funding is necessary. The first choice is to approach a large bank with the business plan, secondary choices if necessary would include smaller banks. The third choice would be alternative funding such as nonprofit organizations that provide start-up funding, however many of these are limited in the amount they lend. In order to garner funding for this entrepreneurship, it was decided that a business plan was needed. A business plan has two primary functions. One function is to set forth some guidelines as to how a firm is operated as well as what is projected. The second, and perhaps most often the reason a business plan is developed is to secure funding from a financial institution. Within the business plan a myriad of financial data was gathered to include: financial analysis, financial projections, cash flow, balance sheet, break-even analysis, sales proforma, income statements and sensitivity analyses. In addition to the financial data, a market analysis was conducted to provide insight into the local market. This business plan will not only provide an estimate of financials but will also serve as a guide book for operating the business.

D.Com. (Transport Economics) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

O Plano Nacional de Logística e Transportes (PNLT) sinalizou a intenção de uma mudança substancial na matriz de transporte de cargas brasileira, com a diminuição do modal rodoviário e uma transição do modal aquaviário de 13 para 29% até 2025, o que só será possível com a ampliação da cabotagem. Desta forma, o presente trabalho dimensiona terminais \"rápidos\" de contêineres dedicados à cabotagem, que a partir de sua implantação possam ser ampliados gradativamente. Por meio de simulação de eventos discretos, o melhor layout modular, dimensionado por berço, foi definido de acordo com a demanda de contêineres movimentados e equipamentos utilizados, de forma a identificar gargalos e obter a melhor opção de modularização. Tal abordagem de terminais \"rápidos\" dedicados permitiria a desburocratização do sistema atual e a redução dos custos e tempos de armazenamento, tornando a cabotagem mais competitiva. / The National Logistics and Transport Plan (PNLT) has the intention of a substantial change in the Brazilian cargo transportation matrix, with the reduction of the road modal and a transition from 13 to 29% in the waterway modal by 2025, which will only be possible with the increase of short sea shipping. Thus, the present work will size a modular \"fast\" containers terminal dedicated to short sea shipping, that when implemented could be gradually extended. Using discrete events simulation, the best modular layout, dimensioned by berths, was defined according to containers demand and chosen equipments, in order to identify bottlenecks and the best modularization option. Such an approach of dedicated \"fast\" terminals would allow the reduction of bureaucratization of the current system and transport and storage costs and times, making short sea shipping more competitive.