Analysis Of The Hungry Ocean Essay, Research Paper

The Hungry Ocean

The fishing industries, the requirement for the organization is not complicated as you

may think.

Planning:

Planning defining an organization’s goals, establishing an overall strategy for achieving

these goals, and developing a comprehensive hierarchy of plans to integrate and coordinate

activities. In the fishing industries, the goal is the actual catching of the fish. The fishing itself

does not requires’ many levels of management, d the decision is made by the captain. The

captain must manage three things: the boat, the crew, and the fish (p. xi). In addition, the captain

job was to keep the crew focused, making sure the vessel remains mechanically sound, and

returning safely to port (p. xi). The preparation for a month long fishing trip involves the owner,

the captain, and the crew all to pay attention to every detail that could affect the out come of a

trip.

Organizing:

Organizing determining what tasks are to be done, who is to do them, how the tasks are

to be grouped, who reports to whom, and when decisions are to be made.

Line authority and regulated in a simple structure, a “flat” organization.

The strengths of the simple structure make the communications efficient, accountability is clear,

and it has flexibility to respond to the changing environment. “everything depends on one

person.” The control shift to the workers.

Thil)gs to do before setting out the gear: 1. Assemble and test beeper buoys, 2. Sharpen all

hooks, 3. Adjust and test crimper, 4. Make 2,400 leaders, 5. Assemble and paint all bullet floats,

6. Organize all boats in bundles often, and hang on port weather wall, 7. Add 3 miles of

The Hungry Ocean

“The Hungry Ocean” address four major points which is taught in our Industrial

Organization and Supervision class such as Planning, Organizing, Leading, and

Controlling. In “The Hungry Ocean” the captain of the Hannah Boden is Ms Linda

Greenlaw. The j ob of the captain is to utilize the crew and the ship to their optimal level

of operation. The captain of the ship can be viewed as a supervisor in a regular day-to-

day job. The four major functions that are taught in this course that are bases of all

organizations are Planning, Organizing, Leading, and Controlling. These principles can

be applied to a fishing boat or a big corporation.

Planning:

One of the four functions, which are addressed in the supervisor class, is

Planning. In the fishing industry planning is essential to the success of each trip to sea.

Planning is important because if one detail is missed it can end the trip with disaster. The

main part of planning is buying the grocery, buying bait, equipment, and making sure the

ship is functioning properly. The captain has to make sure that the grocery that she buys

is enough to feed her and the crew for the number of days that they will be out at sea. If

the captain under estimates the amount of food then they may have to cut the trip short,

which can mean that they lose money on the trip. “Gear, fuel, bait, and miscellaneous

items generally add up to a total of around $40,000 per trip. The cost is considered the

operating expense and is subtracted form the gross profit before the money is divvied up

into shares” (14). Covering the operating cost of the trip so that the crew can make their

paycheck is the driving force behind their work and devotion to the captain. Linda has to

also buy the bait to catch the swordfish. Linda has once rejected 12,000 pounds of squid

and sent it back to cold storage because of the poor quality (9). She rejected the 12,000

pound of squid because she had learned through many years of fishing that the better the

bait the better the catch (9). Equipment that would have to be restocked after each trip

were items such as filters, duct tape, light bulbs, and batteries. The captain and the owner

of the ship also have to make such that the ship is running in tiptop shape. Minor

maintenance on the ship is usually done by the owner and captain of the ship which

consisted of changing the oil and making sure the freon in the saltwater ice make was

recharged. Recharging the freon was one of the most important tasks of preparing for the

next trip. If the freon was low that it could mean that they may no have enough ice to

keep the fish that they catch fresh.

Organizing:

Another function, which was discussed in the book that is related to the material

discussed in class, is organizing. In our text organizing is defined as arranging and

grouping jobs, allocating resources, and assigning work so that activities can be

accomplished as planned. In this situation the structure of the organization is simple it a

known as a “flat” organization. There is no real need for an organizational hierarchy

when there is only one person in charge and everyone reports to the captain. An

organizational hierarchy is best suited for a large organization. Communication in this

structure is more efficient the captain tells the crew what to do and it is done, but if the

crew does not understand then the crew will ask the captain. Linda demonstrates good

organizational skills in dividing the crew members in watch schedule. ” Ringo 10:00-

11 :30, Charlie 11 :30-1 :00, Kenny 1 :00-2:30, Carl 2:30-4:00, Peter 4:00-5:30″ (66). Linda

also rotates the watch position that makes the last person on the list the first person the

following night. Rotating the watch makes the men happy because they don not get stuck

with the same watch every night. Each member is also instructed to do the following in

each watch “check the engine room every 30 minutes, keep the boat on course with the

plotter, wake the captain if anything comes within a two miles on radar, or if the watcher

have any questions or problems” (66).

Leading:

A third function that is discussed in the book that is related to the class is leading.

In our text leading is defined as motivation of employees, direction of activities of others,

selection of the most effective communication channel, and resolution of conflicts among

members. A good captain has to be able to communicate effectively with the member of

her crew without communicating effectively with the crew there is a large chance for

error to occur. In order to communicate effectively the right median of communication

has to be chosen. In the case of being the captain of a fishing boat the most effectively

median of communication is oral communication. It is the most effective because the

captain can get immediate feedback from the crew once instructions are given if the crew

does not understand the instructions. Another aspect ofbeing a good captain is also

having the ability to motivate the crew. The size of their paycheck not only depends on a

good fishing spot but also how motivated the crew is to catch all the fishes that they can

catch. The captain has to also be able to resolve conflicts between crewmembers. In the

book there was a situation that occurred between the crew Carl was making races remarks

toward another member of the crew who was Peter. Linda tried to avoid the confrontation

by keeping the crewmember busy. The crewmember can only stay busy for so long and

there are only certain things that can be avoided. A good captain has to know when is the

right time to step in and resolve a conflict. Linda final decides to step in and resolve the

conflict when Ringo tells her that they are about to have a fistfight. The first step that

Linda takes in resolving the situation was to first go to Peter and tell him not to put a

hand on Carl in anyway or else she will dock his pay. The next step was that she went to

Carl and told him that she will dock his pay also ifhe fought with Peter. After Carl stated

that he did not care if she docked his pay she has to find a solution to end the name-

calling. Since all else failed she asked him what can she do to get him to stop and he told

her that all she has to do is just ask him to stop and he will. With that in mind she asked

Carl to stop calling Peter name. This is a good example of leading skills she looked for

every possible way to resolve the situation among her crewmembers.

Controlling:

The last function that is discussed in the book that is related to the class is

controlling. In our text controlling is defined as monitoring an organization’ s

performance and comparing performance with previously set goals. If significant

deviations exist, getting the organization back on track. The controlling process is an

important aspect in any organization. In an organization if there is no control then there is

chaos and the organization cannot operate to achieve the goals that have been set. Linda

was the pacesetter for her crew. As she has found out through years of fishing that “no

self-respecting fisherman will allow himself to be outworked by a woman” (7). This was

the motivating force that kept her crew going for years. She was that pacesetter for the

crew until she hired a member named Ringo and now the crew takes pride in trying to

keep up with Ringo.

mainline to spool, 8. Put bands on lightsticks, 9. Make slammer baits, 10. Make ball-drops (p.

41-2).

The watches scheduled: Ringo 10:00-11:30, Charlie 11:30-1:00, Kenny 1:00-2:30, Carl 2:30-

4:00, Peter 4:00-5:30, and the tasks included: to check the engine room every 30 minutes, keep

the boat on course with plotter, and wake the captain if anything comes within two miles on

radar, or if the watcher have any questions or problems (p.66)

p.59

Leading:

Leading motivation of employees, direction of activities of others, selection of the most

effective communication channel, and resolution of conflicts among members.

Kenny sea maintenance, responsible for packing the fish in the saltwater ice, Ringo chef,

The crew problems (p. 75)

Controlling:

Monitoring an organization’s performance and comparing performance with previously

set goals, if significant deviations exist, getting the organization back on track.

The organizational principles that are taught in this course not only apply to small

business but also to big corporations. Some may not think that it would apply to a fishing

boat but in reality a fishing boat needs great deed of skills to manage. It just shows that

everything that is learned in the classroom can be applied to everyday live no matter how

mundane that job or situation can seem. Planning, Organizing, Leading, and Controlling

are four of the primary functions that are vital to the operating of all organizations.