Reference no: EM132380352

Question

Fresh Choice is a family-owned corporation engaged in multifaceted fishing business activities. Among these related businesses are commercial fishing, cargo freight forwarding, cold storage and tuna processing.

For commercial fishing, Fresh Choice catches fishes and other seafood for profit. With 35 small vessels and 15 ships used for this purpose, the company fishes in the sea and far into the ocean. Fresh Choice hires a total of 580 employees: fishermen, staff, supervisors and managers. Some of the personnel conduct researches and develop improved techniques how to catch only their targeted marine animals to avoid catching unwanted and endangered species, and to likewise study the marine conditions of the waters to ensure that marine ecosystems are not destroyed.

The company harvests wide variety of marine animals from tuna, salmon, cod, carp, mackerel, to crabs, shrimps, squids, lobsters and other fish and seafood species. Fishing methods range from hand-casting nets, few pot traps to a huge fleet of trawlers, dredges, hooks, lift nets and others.

In existence for the last 45 years, Fresh Choice has been enjoying good business. Its profits have consistently increased for the last 28 years. Aside from fishing, their incomes come from other related businesses. For example, the company rents out cold storage services to other companies that need space to hold their marine harvests. This business activity has been lucrative for Fresh Choice. In addition, the company is into cargo freight forwarding. Fresh Choice provides services by organizing shipments for individuals or other companies to get their harvested fishes and seafood to their point of destination. Lastly, Fresh Choice is a tuna processing company. It cleans tuna, then packs and freezes them or cans them for sale in supermarkets.

Some of the problems encountered by Fresh Choice Fishing Company include the constant threat and dangers to the fisherman's lives. The variability of weather due to climate changes poses hazards to the business. Fatalities and injuries are high in the fishing business during severe weather conditions.

Extreme fatigue, vessel instability, flooding, ship malfunctioning, captain inefficiency and other related vessel of ship disasters present occupational hazards to fishermen. Secondly, although the fishing business provides an abundance of jobs, security of compensation is largely dependent on whether one joins a vessel or a ship. Pays also vary from season to season. Thirdly, increasing energy fees unpredictably add to the operational expenses of Fresh Choice's cold storage and tuna processing businesses. This is also true for the fluctuating gasoline prices that the company needs to consider in their cargo freight forwarding business.

As the Vice-President of Operations of Fresh Choice Fishing Company, what strategies will you undertake to minimize the occupational hazards confronting fishermen and improve their compensation security? Use the case method to come up with an action plan.