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Shipping companies’ resilience: the influence of modularity and response diversity
conference contribution
posted on 2023-05-23, 14:12 authored by Prashant BhaskarPrashant Bhaskar, Stephen CahoonStephen Cahoon, Shu-Ling ChenShu-Ling ChenThe notion of organisational resilience provides a way to conceptualise desirable organisational performance when a shipping company is confronted by unexpected and unforeseen disruptions to its business. Due to uncertainty and surprise created by complex interactions among entities that constitute a shipping company and its environment, it may be difficult to foresee, and therefore prepare the company to withstand, all types of possible disruptions. Literature pertaining to complex adaptive systems (CAS) suggests that the extent of modularity and response diversity present in a system may influence the scale of impact of disruption on the system. However, there is paucity of empirical evidence to suggest how, and if, the concepts of modularity and response diversity can be applied to shipping companies. Based upon 30 interviews of senior managers of shipping companies operating in Australia, this study suggests that shipping companies with less modularity are more vulnerable to disruptions than those with greater modularity. Similarly, a high response diversity means that a shipping company has more choices in the way it responds to a disruption - potentially avoiding or limiting the impact. However, both modularity and response diversity are contextual; that is, a shipping company may exhibit different levels of modularity and response diversity under different circumstances.
History
Publication title
Proceedings of 4th Belt and Road Initiative Conference 2019Pagination
1-15Department/School
Australian Maritime CollegePublisher
ALRTPlace of publication
Bangkok, ThailandEvent title
4th Belt and Road Initiative Conference 2019Event Venue
Bangkok, ThailandDate of Event (Start Date)
2019-08-01Date of Event (End Date)
2019-08-03Rights statement
Copyright unknownRepository Status
- Restricted