The role of organisational characteristics of ship owning firms in the use of third party ship management

Third party ship management examined within the realms of the issue of the separation of ownership and management adheres to a theoretical model that proposes the significance of a number of factors in the strategic decision of a ship owning firm to employ independent management for their assets. The present paper focuses particularly on the role certain organisational features of ship owning firms, i.e. the companyʹs size, type, and age, play in the choice of the latter to recruit professional managers. The results of a relevant study carried out in Greece and the UK together with appropriate commentary are presented in detail.