The Business History of 11 Greek-Owned Shipping Companies with an Introduction to Complexity Theory and Nonlinear Management

Abstract

We presented the way by which 11 Greek-owned shipping companies grew and we revealed also their strategies since their foundation in 1850 for certain of them. Moreover, we noticed that Greek shipowners were unable to forecast the freight markets and to manage properly company’s Cash Flow. In addition, we dealt mainly with five main subjects: a) a short historical analysis of Management, b) a brief analysis of the personality of Managers, c) an introduction to Complexity Theory, d) an analysis of the available Business Strategies and e) a critical presentation of the prevailing economic model. Moreover, the two main concerns of Management: “for the staff” and for the “job”, were presented, within a nonlinear framework. In addition, the way theology confused Management recorded together with the importance of Man’s and Managers’ “free will”. Moreover, the damage that a “major marine accident”—with pollution—may cause to a company, also mentioned.