Questionnaire development

A survey is known as a systematic means of data collection in order to be able to describe, compare and explain a practice, knowledge, behaviour or attitude of the participants (Fink 1995 in Cholasuke, Bhardwa & Antony 2004). The survey is also used to explore participants’ attributes to enable further statistical analysis in relation to the demographic characteristics of the participants. The questionnaire collects the necessary information from the participants in a tailored manner and allows the inference of results to the wider population (Rattray & Jones 2007).

In terms of “what is asked”, the literature review on service-oriented supply chain management and maintenance management in Chapters Two and Three indicates there are three dimensions of the supply chain management approach in relation to the implementation process in the context of ship maintenance. These dimensions comprise the internal readiness, the external relationships and the service processes. The literature review also indicates the value of ship maintenance performance and maintenance-related activities to the shipping companies that operate the ships. These elements comprise the concept to be asked in the survey. In addition, some demographic questions such as the fleet size (item H1), and the

participants’ experiences in the shipping industry (items H2 and H5) were asked to enable further statistical analysis about the companies and the participants.

With regard to the exploratory nature of the current research, the three dimensions explore the elements of the Global Supply Chain Forum framework in the context of ship maintenance. The internal readiness dimension covers the management elements in relation to ship maintenance within shipping companies to implement supply chain management as a strategic approach. The investigation was carried out by assessing the existence of dedicated personnel for managing the ship maintenance (items A1–A3) and the purchasing for maintenance requirements (items A5–A7). The questions about internal readiness also asked about top-level management commitment and support (items C14–C16), and the use of information and communication technology within the companies (item F8).

Items A9–A14 was provided in a six-row by five-column array in order to enable the assessment of the companies’ internal integration behaviour. The six rows consist of the entities within shipping companies such as Board of Directors, chief executive officer, operations manager, maintenance managers, procurement manager and finance manager; and the five columns include maintenance management activities at corporate level such as planning, organising spare parts inventory, performance evaluation, defining maintenance specification and budgeting. Analysis based on this data should reveal the internal relationships between these entities in the context of ship maintenance management.

The external relationships dimension covers the management of the supply chain network of ship maintenance. Items B1–B5, D10, and C9–C13 explore the extent of shipping companies’ relationships with the suppliers and the suppliers’ suppliers. These items are necessary in establishing the construct of the ship maintenance supply chains. In assessing the information flow across the supply chains, the questionnaire was provided with items assessing modes of communication between entities and the quality of the shared information (see items E1–E7). This research also assesses the extent of strategic relationships between the shipping companies and their supplier. For example, items D8–D14 ask whether the relationship is based on mutual benefits, long-term orientation and/or quality development.

The service process dimension covers the internal management of the shipping companies in managing maintenance capacity, demand, supplier relationship and service delivery. The availability of spare parts for undertaking maintenance tasks is assessed through items F4–F7. This data should provide information about shipping companies’ policies on inventory management. Assessing this information in relation to the internal readiness of shipping companies may reveal the impacts of maintenance management on the company’s capacity in undertaking maintenance tasks. In a similar way, assessment of each service component should reveal the impact of internal readiness to the shipping companies’ capability in managing these processes.

The questionnaire was also designed to collect information about the performance of ship maintenance in the shipping companies. For example, the participants

were asked to indicate the actual maintenance expenses as a percentage of the companies’ planned maintenance budget (see item G7, G9). Further questions were prepared to collect the participants’ perceptions of ship maintenance contribution to the performance of the shipping companies (such as items G12, G13, G14). These items should provide insights into the shipping companies’ paradigms regarding the undertaking of ship maintenance management. The major dimensions, the questions themes and the related items’ numbers in the questionnaire are summarised in Table 5.2.

Table 5.2: Major dimensions and questions themes

Questions themes Items’ number

Internal readiness conditions

Dedicated personnel for maintenance A1, A2, A3 Dedicated personnel for purchasing

maintenance requirements

A5, A6, A7, A8 Top management commitment and support C14, C15, C16, C20

Integration behaviour A4, A9, A10, A11, A13, A14 Information and communication technology F8

External relationships conditions

Supply chain network configuration B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, D10 Relationships with suppliers C9, C10, C11, C12, C13

Strategic relationship development C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, D8, D9, D10, D11, D12, D13, D14, C7, C8

Information sharing E1, E2, E3, E4, E5, E6, E7 Service processes

Capacity management F4, F5, F6, F7

Demand management C17, C18, C19, C21

Supplier relationship management B7, D9, D10, D11, D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6, D7

Service delivery management B8, B9 Maintenance performance

Maintenance tasks ratios F2, F3

Compliance to maintenance plans G7, G8, G9, G10, G11

Maintenance contributions G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, G6, G12, G13,

G14, G15, G16

Demographic F1, H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, H6, H7