Integrating information technology (IT) to enhance compliance of safety management system in Syrian shipping companies

This paper investigates the process of integrating information technology (IT) within the ship safety management system for enhancing compliance with the International Safety Management (ISM) Code. The importance of this integration is based on the need of ship management companies for properly managing safety information within real time scope and across boundaries of geographical space - namely, between the head office ashore and the ships at sea. This research contributes to the theory and practice of e-management and IT adoption research by providing empirical evidence from practice. Two case studies of Syrian ship management companies have been selected to analyze the process of IT integration, its environment and its impact on ship safety procedures. The study has adopted an interpretive approach, and a research conceptual framework that combines between the `institutional theory´ and the `structural technology adoption model´. The findings of the study show that external institutions such as governments, regulators and international organizations have played a pivotal role in institutionalizing organizational practices, such as compliance with safety codes. With the absence of sufficient coercive or regulative pressures, IT practices could not be fully operationalized or optimized although its usefulness has been recognized by both the individual user and the organization.