Week 4

¶ … positive and negative) contributing to port operations from a management/Ownership perspective.

From a management perspective, there are quite a few both positive and negative factors that contribute to port operations. Most recently, we have seen that economic conditions around the globe can contribute many negative factors of port management. With less ships moving and goods being produced, port managers are often put in the precarious position of having to re-structure or reorganize the labor and logistics concerns of the port, since less traffic usually means less revenue. Also, managers often times have to get creative in trying to come up with a solution where more work and productivity can emerge with fewer resources.

The labor concerns relative to port management often represent some interesting factors that contribute to port operation. Depending on the country's government and labor restrictions, managers and owners often have to work within the confines of particular labor laws (Rodrigue, Comtois, and Slack, 2009). This can make or break a port, as some countries are able to provide cheap labor and others are not. Ports that are located in regions that are less stable, geopolitically, than others, will also have some factors that contribute to the complexity of the managers or owners jobs.