TMA 1 is formed from the contents of:-
Module 2 – Employ and Manage Marine Personnel for Vessel Activities
Module 3 – Handling Customers and Planning for the Future and
Module 4 – Ensure Vessels Are Procured, Maintained, Supplied and Equipped for Service

The total word count for this TMA is 1500 words plus or minus 10% (1350 to 1650 words). This does not include referencing or Annexes/Appendices.

The paper is split into 3 questions and each question must be answered in 500 words plus or minus 10%. This is to ensure that all questions are answered equally. This may appear to be a large word count but it is not and the marks awarded to each question need to be chosen carefully.

The following questions are now raised for you to review and understand to be able to create competent answers. The material to answer the questions can be found in your course materials; but if you choose to include materials that are from other sources these must be referenced correctly. All students should be aware that the solutions found in TMA 1 can be used to support answers in other
TMAs. Creative Shipping Solutions (CSC) Limited will be used for the remaining TMAs and form the core of the case study. So please ensure that you have kept your presented answers along with any feedback received from the Marker.

The shipping company Creative Shipping Solutions (CSC) Limited has one office based London, UK. The official language of the company is English. The company runs a fleet of ships with the following criteria:-

5 x Double hulled ULCCs built in 2010. DWT: 320,000 Flag: Cyprus Class: ABS
5 x Capesize Bulk Carriers built in 2009. DWT: 187,000 Flag: Liberia Class: DNV
5 x Containerships (cellular) built in 2008. DWT: 120,000 Flag: Malta Class: LRS

ISM Certification:
DOC: LRS
SMCs: DNV

ISPS Certification
ISSC: DNV
The company manning policy is set in the following manner:-
Office: Internationally sourced
Ship Senior Officers: UK, Norway, Bulgaria
Ship Junior Officers: Bulgaria, Philippines, India
Ship Crew: Philippines, Indonesia, India
Question 1 (500 words) (50 marks)

At the Company’s last Management Review, concerns were raised over what appeared to be a high turnover of office staff. The decision has been made to investigate and report back to the members of the Management Review Team what the actual situation is and how the retention rates of office staff can be raised and how records can be initiated and maintained. The person chosen to conduct this work is you.

To complete this question you need to think about how you would research past performance and how you can monitor this to prove if the decisions made are working.

Remember this question is for office staff only.
Question 2 (500 words) (Total 50 marks)

Part A. (250 words) (25 marks)
Create a SWOT analysis of what you think are the main points to be considered for each section when looking at the Creative Shipping Solutions Limited with the information supplied before the questions.
There should be a minimum of 5 titles and a maximum of 10 titles for each section of the SWOT analysis.

Once the SWOT analysis is complete, take one title from each section of the SWOT diagram produced and write why you have chosen this particular title and what it means to the company.

Part B. (250 words) (25 marks)
From the solutions presented from the SWOT analysis, there is a need to create the right image to attract new ship owners who would want to place their ships in the care of Creative Shipping Solutions Limited.

You have been chosen to carry out this task and report back to senior management.

By using the SWOT analysis as the base document for the current position the company finds itself in, establish what changes you would advise the company to make to increase the potential to attract new clients.

Question 3 (500 words) (50 marks)
The senior management of the Company have chosen you to be the project manager for a review of the Company’s maintenance systems.

Write a brief report on how you would set up the project and what resources you would need to complete the task.

In addition, you have been requested to show how long the project will last and to identify key steps in this process and when they would be achieved. Zero Day is when the project starts. Completion Day is when the report is ready to be presented to the senior management. You can use real or imaginary dates for reference to this answer.