Organizational concepts for catering services on board: a hypothetical application

Abstract

Specific maritime professions of marine navigators and marine engineers are traditionally distinguished in science. Researchers often limit their research and they study only the health of seafarers, their professional career and culture on board. However, there is a lack of research of the catering department. The whole life of a seafarer depends on this department, while on board. The catering service is also especially important for passengers. The object of the research is the scientific concepts in organization of catering services on board sea ferries. The goal of the research is to discuss the most important organizational concepts in order to hypothetically apply them to the catering service on board a sea ferry. The main methods such as the heuristic method and an assessment of organizational theories regarding the activities of stewards on board, were used in the research. The linear structure of organizational management, the main feature of which are strict relations between superiority and inferiority, perfectly ensures the control of work performance. The formation of structural units demonstrates exactly, which activities the ship’s steward must perform, and coordination, without which employees would not know their role within the organization and would not be pursuing one goal. These factors make it possible to ensure a smooth provision of catering services on board.