680 Int. J. Shipping and Transport Logistics, Vol. 6, No.

6, 2014

Leading factors in job satisfaction of Chinese

seafarers

Kevin X. Li
Department of International Logistics,
College of Business & Economics,
Chung-Ang University,
221 Heuk Seok-Dong, Dong jak-Gu, Seoul, Korea
E-mail: kxli@cau.ac.kr

Jingbo Yin*
Department of International Shipping,
State Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering,
School of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Civil Engineering,
Shanghai Jiao Tong University,
800 Dongchuan RD. Minhang District, Shanghai, China
E-mail: jingboyin@sjtu.edu.cn
*Corresponding author

Meifeng Luo
Department of Logistics and Maritime Studies,
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University,
Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong
E-mail: meifeng.luo@polyu.edu.hk

Jin Wang
Liverpool Logistics, Offshore and Marine LOOM Research Institute,
School of Engineering, Technology and Maritime Operations,
Liverpool John Moores University,
Hatton Garden, Liverpool L3 2AJ, UK
E-mail: j.wang@ljmu.ac.uk

Abstract: One needs special skills and training to become a seafarer. Seafarers
are unique and the most important human resources for the shipping industry.
As a major seafarer supply nation, China has to improve quality and increase
retention rate to achieve sustainable development for its shipping industry. This
paper is to investigate the main factors that contribute to job satisfaction of
Chinese seafarer, which factor has a significant bearing on the retention rate in
the seafaring profession. The data used in this study was collected through
questionnaires, and a structural equation modelling (SEM) method is used to
test and estimate causal relations by using a combination of statistical data and
qualitative causal assumptions. The results show that the promotion is the most
significant factor in job satisfaction, followed by salary and benefits, working

Copyright © 2014 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

 Leading factors in job satisfaction of Chinese seafarers 681

environment and feeling of status. This paper further examines relevant

measures that can be taken at both national and management levels to increase
the retention rate of seafarers. The study provides a scientific basis for
policy-making in national maritime education and training, and ship and crew
management.

Keywords: seafarer; job satisfaction; structural equation model; promotion.

Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Li, K.X., Yin, J., Luo, M.
and Wang, J. (2014) ‘Leading factors in job satisfaction of Chinese seafarers’,
Int. J. Shipping and Transport Logistics, Vol. 6, No. 6, pp.680–693.

Biographical notes: Kevin X. Li is a Professor of Maritime Economics and

Logistics at Chung-Ang University in the South Korea. His areas of interest are
shipping logistics, port management, maritime economics and international
trade law and policy. His publications have appeared in Transportation
Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Maritime Policy and
Management, Transportmetrica and European Journal of Law and Economics.

Jingbo Yin is a Lecturer with research interest in maritime economics and

policy, maritime risk analysis and management in the Department of
International Shipping at The Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He obtained his
PhD from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. His publications have
appeared in Transportmetrica and Maritime Policy and Management.

Meifeng Luo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Logistics and

Maritime Studies at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He is the Director
of IMC-Frank Tsao Maritime Library and R&D Center. His research interests
include maritime economics and policy, liner shipping market analysis,
port competition, container port demand analysis and forecast, maritime
environment and policy, economics and econometrics, agent-based simulation
modelling. His publications have appeared in Journal of Transport Economics
& Policy, Transportmetrica, Transport Reviews, Transportation Research Part
B and Maritime Policy and Management.

Jin Wang a Professor of Marine Technology in the School of Engineering,

Technology and Maritime Operations at the Liverpool John Moores University.
He is the Director of Liverpool LOgistics, Offshore and Marine (LOOM)
Research Institute. His research interests are in formal safety marine safety
assessment, offshore safety analysis, port safety assessment, port studies, safety
based design/operation decision making. His publications have appeared in
such journals as Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment,
Ocean Engineering, Journal of Marine Engineering and Technology, Safety
Science and Reliability Engineering & System Safety.

1 Introduction

For seafarers, the ship is their floating working and resting place. What detracts the most
from enjoying a seafaring career is being away from the family and loved ones (Forsyth
and Bankston, 1983). A seafarer works, dines and mixes with the same group of people
every day for weeks or months or even years. Also, vessel sizes and environmental
concerns have forced cargo handling facilities into deeper water berths that are outside
682 K.X. Li et al.

most normal conurbations, making shore stay more difficult and even briefer for the
seafarer. On the other hand, many improvements have been made to the facilities and
conditions under which seafarers work. Accommodation has been improved, leisure
facilities have been increased and additional benefits have also been provided
(Wall, 1980).
Despite these improvements, the number of officers in the industry continues to drop,
and fewer young people are being attracted to the seafaring profession. Instead, they
prefer to move to land-based jobs. Hill (1972) shows that fewer men are remaining
onboard for a long period; most treat it as a short-term job, rather than a life-long career.
He also suggested that if they could stay onboard for one or two years longer and became
‘medium term stayers’, the manpower shortage could be solved and training costs
significantly reduced. In Judge and Bono (2001), a meta-analysis shows that there is a
significant relationship between individual job satisfaction and individual performance.
Therefore, job satisfaction of the seafarer can be an important factor for maritime safety
policy, as well as the profitability of private business. The study also concluded that
higher job satisfaction could lead to better commitment and loyalty to the employer.
Although there is disagreement over the size and employment location of Chinese
seafarers (Wu and Winchester, 2005), China is still regarded as a large seafarer supply
country (Li and Wonham, 1999; Leggate, 2004; Sampson and Wu, 2005; Wu and
Winchester, 2005; Glen, 2008). According to the latest data from the Ministry of
Transport, China now has 1,610,000 seafarers, including 650,000 ‘A’ Class Certification
holders who are qualified for ocean going ships. Among ‘A’ Class Certification holders,
320,000 seafarers are serving on international routes, with 80,000 of them being on board
foreign vessels (Figure 1). In addition, around 40,000 graduates from 100 maritime
colleges and institutes in China are joining the pool of seafarers each year.

Figure 1 Number and structure of Chinese seafarers (see online version for colours)

Glen (2008) shows that the future supply of seafaring officers will increasingly be drawn
from those countries at a lower level of development, as the existing pool of highly
qualified officers from traditional maritime countries continues to diminish. The studies
of Li and Wonham (1999), Wu and Winchester (2005) and Glen (2008) clearly indicate
 Leading factors in job satisfaction of Chinese seafarers 683

that China has the potential to become a major seafaring supplying country. However,
this may potentially be hindered by its lower retention rate. The retention of
officer-seafarers within the international shipping industry is a difficult problem facing
shipping and ship management companies (Silva et al., 2011). The shortages and low
retention rates of seafarers in the industry have resulted in the heavy burden in
recruitment and heightened the associated costs. As job satisfaction can extend seafarers’
working period on the sea, studying ways to enhance crew’s job satisfaction is an urgent
organisational management issue. This paper investigates the main factors contributing to
a higher job satisfaction, which in turn causes a higher retention rate among Chinese
seafarers. It further examines relevant measures that can be taken at both national and
management levels of individual shipping company to increase the retention rate.

2 Literature review and hypothesis development

Hoppock (1935) defined job satisfaction as any combination of psychological,

physiological and environmental circumstances that cause a person truthfully to say I am
satisfied with my job. Since then, job satisfaction has become a major topic for research
studies. And many of the studies have found that a positive relationship existed between
job satisfaction and performance (Brayfield and Marsh, 1957; Herzberg et al., 1957;
Judge et al., 2001; Locke, 1970; Iaffaldano and Muchinsky, 1985; Petty et al., 1984).
Satisfaction on the job reflects an employee’s key attitude toward the job (Spector, 1997),
indicating what makes a job enjoyable and what accounts for a satisfactory working
environment (Smither, 1994). Thus, job satisfaction is often considered to be an indicator
of employee emotional well-being or psychological health, a leading behavioural
indicator affecting organisational functioning (Kobti and Talib, 2009). After a review of
the job satisfaction literature before the year 2000, Harter et al. (2002) noted that more
than 10,000 articles had been published on the topic of job satisfaction.
Most job satisfaction studies are focused on the manufacturing sector or the service
sector. However, little research has been published on the job satisfaction of seafarers.
Wall (1980) surveyed Merchant Navy deck, engineer and radio officers at nautical
educational establishments in 1978. His results show that the majority of officers had a
moderately high level of perceived job satisfaction, whereas the actual satisfaction was
comparatively low. Forsyth (1990) explored the occupational and extra-occupational
sources of job satisfaction in merchant seafarers. The data was collected using a survey
instrument from a sample of 302 seamen consisting of both officers and crew. Through
multiple regression analysis, several factors were found to have a significant impact on
the degree of job satisfaction, in particular shipboard status and marital status. Fairbrother
and Warn (2003) found that teamwork and a supportive working environment on board
ships may influence job satisfaction among naval officers.
China has the potential to become a major seafaring manpower supply country (Li
and Wonham, 1999; Glen, 2008), due to its large population. Some empirical studies on
Chinese seafarers (e.g., Wu et al., 2006) found a new preference for working onboard
foreign ships, a multi-cultural environment, international standards for performance and
pay. Wu (2004) compared the preference of seafarers in state-owned and non-state-
owned enterprises for their participation in the global labour market, through surveying
the crews onboard the ships calling Port of Hong Kong in 2002/2003. This study
explored the different ways for Chinese seafarers approach the global labour market, as
684 K.X. Li et al.

well as the factors influencing their choice and participation. More than ten years has
elapsed after this study, and the economic conditions both in China and abroad have been
subjected to radical changes. It is necessary to investigate the determinants for Chinese
seafarers’ job satisfaction and motivation, so as to take appropriate measures in order to
increase their retention rate for the benefit of the shipping sector.
The factor analysis provide the approach of testing the theoretical framework for
studying job satisfaction, which focuses on job-specific factors that could finally
contribute to overall job satisfaction (Smither, 1994), and is also useful for capturing a
holistic view on job satisfaction (Spector, 1997). Many researchers have explored and
related these factors to different working environments and nature of work. Factors that
have been frequently studied include salary, promotion opportunities, fringe benefits,
supervision, co-workers, job conditions, nature of the work, communication and security
(Spector, 1997). Davey et al. (2001) found that low job satisfaction was a result of
inconsistent promotional opportunity and lack of organisational support, including the
recognition from supervisors and peers.
Locke (1976) argued that these causes could be grouped into two categories:
Event/condition and agent. Event/condition causes include work (task activity, amount,
smoothness, achievement, variety etc.); rewards (promotion, pay, responsibility and
verbal recognition); and context (social and physical working conditions). Agent causes
include self (self-esteem) and others (supervisors, co-workers, subordinates, company
and management). The concept of job satisfaction should therefore be analysed by not
only considering events/conditions separately but also by discerning the interaction
between them.
There is no doubt that monetary rewards play a very influential role in determining
job satisfaction. As indicated by Arnold and Feldman (1986), pay can have a powerful
effect on determining job satisfaction. Man has multiple needs, and money provides the
means to satisfy these needs (Arnold and Feldman, 1986). But Kohn (1993) argued that
monetary incentives can actually reduce the motivation of employees and the workplace
by decreasing job satisfaction and motivation.
Hypothesis 1 Salary and benefits (SB) positively influence Chinese seafarers’ job
satisfaction.
Management in all businesses and organisations is to coordinate the efforts of the people
to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and
effectively. Researchers and practitioners in both the public and private sectors agree that
participative management improves employees’ job satisfaction (Kim, 2002).
Hypothesis 2 Satisfaction with management (SM) positively influences Chinese
seafarers’ job satisfaction.
A worker would prefer to have working conditions that provide greater physical comfort
and convenience, and the absence of such conditions, amongst other things, can have
negative impacts on a worker’s mental and physical well-being (Greenberg and Baron,
2003). What detracts the most from enjoying a seafaring career is being away from the
family and working onboard a ship. Separation from partner and family has been found to
be one of the most significant causes of stress for seafarers, with separation from the
family be one of the most important ‘stress’ factors in the decision to reduce the planned
sea service time (Thomas et al., 2003).
 Leading factors in job satisfaction of Chinese seafarers 685

Hypothesis 3 Work environment (WE) positively influences Chinese seafarers’ job

satisfaction.
Promotion is said to be happened when an employee makes a shift in the upward
direction in organisational hierarchy and moves to a place of greater responsibility
(Dessler, 2008). It has a greater impact on job satisfaction than recognition and
achievement, because promotion to the next level can result in many positive changes
such as pay, autonomy and supervision (Arnold and Feldman, 1986). The impact of wage
raise, a result of promotion, is found to have more significant impact on job satisfaction
than fixed income (Clark and Oswald, 1996). Shields and Ward (2001) found that the
employees who are dissatisfied with the opportunity available for promotion show a
greater intention to leave the organisation.
Hypothesis 4 Promotion (PR) positively influences Chinese seafarers’ job satisfaction.
There is a consistent relationship between the professional status and the job satisfaction.
High levels of job satisfaction are observed in those professions which are deemed of
good standing in the society (Tella et al., 2007). As people’s status increases, their goals
in life and their satisfaction levels also change. Therefore, the social status can be
considered as an significant indicator of job satisfaction of seafarers.
Hypothesis 5 Feeling of status (FS) positively influences Chinese seafarers’ job
satisfaction.

3 Research design

To test the above hypotheses, 24 observed variables were selected. Satisfaction with SB,
SM, working environment (WE), promotion (PR) and FS were selected as the latent
variables of total satisfaction. Table 1 lists the corresponding observation variables.
Table 1 Variables and the meaning

Total satisfaction Latent variables Observed variables Meaning

S SB X1 Salary
X2 Family benefits
X3 Distribution mode
X4 Assessment mode
X5 Working intensity and salary
SM X6 Management system
X7 Finance management
X8 Management of development
X9 Level of management
X10 Quality control
PR X11 Vision
X12 Company developments
X13 Training
X14 Continuity of ships
X15 Promotion prospects
686 K.X. Li et al.

Table 1 Variables and the meaning (continued)

Total satisfaction Latent variables Observed variables Meaning

S FS X16 Team spirit
X17 Income disparity
X18 Reputation
X19 Organisational culture
WE X20 Leisure amenities
X21 Catering
X22 Being away from the family
X23 Working time
X24 Working conditions

Table 2 Sample seafarers’ major characteristics

Sample Number Percentage

Age 20–24 86 9.81%
25–29 272 31.01%
30–34 94 10.72%
35–39 143 16.31%
40–44 76 8.67%
45–49 85 9.69%
50–54 73 8.32%
55–59 44 5.02%
60+ 4 0.46%
Length of service (in years) 1–4 250 28.51%
5–9 180 20.52%
10–14 90 10.26%
15–19 109 12.43%
20–24 68 7.75%
25–29 50 5.70%
30–34 77 8.78%
35–39 36 4.10%
40+ 17 1.94%
Education Bachelor 218 24.86%
Junior College 299 34.09%
Technical School 127 14.48%
Senior High School 149 16.99%
Junior High School 84 9.58%

A statistical technique called structural equation modelling (SEM) is used to process the
data collected from targeted Chinese seafarers through a questionnaire survey. The
structure of analysis of the data collected through questionnaires is determined through a
detailed literature review with particular reference to a factor approach in the scope of job
 Leading factors in job satisfaction of Chinese seafarers 687

satisfaction and motivation of Chinese seafarers. Both observed variables and latent
variables in a hierarchical structure of investigating job satisfaction and motivation issues
for Chinese seafarers are selected for statistical analysis using the collected data and
employing a SEM method.
The questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 1,000 employees in merchant ships.
A total of 877 usable questionnaires were returned. The five point Likert-type scale and
self-assessment method was used in the questionnaires. With the support of the China
Shipping International Ship Management Company and Shanghai Maritime Academy,
both paper-based and electronic questionnaires were delivered to the subjects. It is worth
mentioning that most questionnaires for Chinese seafarers were delivered directly to
sea-going vessels, and more than 30 ‘full set’ replies were obtained, that is, where a reply
was received from every crew member on board an individual ship. Table 2 shows the
sample of seafarers’ major characteristics. On the age profile, 31% of seafarers are
between 25 and 29 years old, and fewer than 10% of them are below 25 years old.
Among them, nearly half the seafarers have less than ten years’ working experience
onboard a ship, and only 36% of them have worked in the maritime industry for between
10 and 30 years. In terms of educational background, nearly 25% of these seafarers have
a bachelor degree. 34% of them graduated from junior colleges, and nearly 15%
graduated from technical schools, but 26.6% of seafarers have only graduated from senior
or junior schools.

4 Data analysis and result

A diagram for applying an SEM method to investigate the job satisfaction of Chinese
seafarers was built (Figure 2). Here, observed variables are represented by rectangles,
whereas latent variables are represented by circles. Arrows represent the effect. The
model involves errors in variables and correlations between two or more error terms.
After repeated fitting and comparing, a seafarer job satisfaction estimation model was
⎛ x 2 639.9 ⎞
obtained ⎜ = = 2.94 < 3 ⎟ . The evaluation indicators include goodness of fit
⎝ df 218 ⎠
index (GFI) and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) (Wong et al., 2012).
According to Hu and Bentler (1999), if the GFI value is larger than 0.9 and root mean
square residual (RMR) less than 0.08, the SEM should be a good one. In our model, the
GFI value for the default model is 0.945, and the RMR is 0.069. Therefore, our model
satisfies the criteria (Table 3).
Table 3 GFI of default model

Model RMR GFI AGFI PGFI

Default model 0.069 0.945 0.919 0.634
Saturated model1* 0 1
Independence model** 0.41 0.341 0.286 0.315
Notes: *It is the trivial but fully explanatory model in which there are as many parameter
estimates as degrees of freedom.
**The independence model is one that assumes all relationships among measured
variables are zero.
688 K.X. Li et al.

If the RMSEA value is lower than 0.5 then the SEM result is acceptable (Shevlin et al.,
2000). From Table 4, it can be seen that in the SEM showing the job satisfaction of
Chinese seafarers, the RMSEA is only 0.047 which is much less than the level of 0.5.
Table 4 RMSEA of SEM showing the job satisfaction of Chinese seafarers

Model RMSEA LO 90 HI 90
Default model 0.047 0.043 0.051
Independence model 0.187 0.183 0.19

The results show that the model fit indicators meet the acceptance criteria, and therefore
the model fits the data well and the model structure is reasonable.
Table 5 Probability of dependence

Unstandardised Standardised
S.E. C.R. P
estimates estimates
S <--- SB 0.516 0.077 6.668 *** 0.327
S <--- PR 2.696 1.107 2.435 0.015 0.332
S <--- FS 0.158 0.075 2.012 0.034 0.039
S <--- WE 0.415 0.133 3.123 0.002 0.173
S <--- SM 0.032 0.016 1.966 0.049 0.021
X01 <--- SB 1.145 0.073 15.586 *** 0.852
X02 <--- SB 1.000 0.802
X03 <--- SB 0.747 0.049 15.132 *** 0.639
X04 <--- SB 0.853 0.043 19.929 *** 0.684
X05 <--- SB 0.914 0.053 17.252 *** 0.772
X06 <--- SM 1.000 0.660
X07 <--- SM 0.880 0.060 14.710 *** 0.658
X08 <--- SM 1.181 0.074 15.889 *** 0.811
X09 <--- SM 1.170 0.076 15.492 *** 0.776
X10 <--- SM 0.843 0.069 12.210 *** 0.558
X11 <--- PR 1.000 0.114
X12 <--- PR 6.095 2.154 2.829 0.005 0.718
X13 <--- PR 1.188 0.324 3.673 *** 0.133
X14 <--- PR 3.777 1.239 3.047 0.002 0.411
X15 <--- PR 4.842 1.627 2.976 0.003 0.549
X16 <--- FS 2.733 0.558 4.896 *** 0.759
X17 <--- FS 3.092 0.633 4.887 *** 0.853
X18 <--- FS 1.000 0.197
X19 <--- FS 1.826 0.350 5.212 *** 0.463
X20 <--- WE 1.284 0.115 11.204 *** 0.600
X21 <--- WE 0.975 0.096 10.131 *** 0.427
X22 <--- WE 1.000 0.465
X23 <--- WE 1.663 0.142 11.703 *** 0.770
X24 <--- WE 1.189 0.127 9.342 *** 0.496
 Leading factors in job satisfaction of Chinese seafarers 689

The regression weights (unstandardised estimates) and associated statistics appear in

Table 5. Unstandardised parameter estimates retain scaling information of the variables
involved and can be interpreted only with reference to the scales of those variables.
Unstandardised estimates indicate the number of units change in the dependent variable
per unit change in the independent variable when all remaining independent variables are
at their mean. For example, total job satisfaction increases 0.516 for each 1.0 rise in SB.
Standardised estimates are also reported for the ease of interpretation. They are
transformed from unstandardised estimates by removing scaling information and,
therefore, enable informal comparisons of parameters throughout a model (Hoyle, 1995).
The other part of this output contains the familiar estimate, standard error (SE), and
critical ratio (CR, the estimate divided by its SE). The probability value associated with
the null hypothesis that the test is zero is displayed under the P column. All the
coefficients in this model are significantly different from zero beyond the 0.1 level (three
stars, ‘***’, means the p-value is less than .001). The estimation results indicate that the
model provides reasonable fit to the data and the test results offer support for our
hypothesised relationships.
As revealed in Table 5, the estimated standard coefficients of the five latent variables
are satisfaction with promotion (0.332), SB (0.327), working environment (0.173), FS
(0.039) and SM (0.021). The results demonstrate that promotion is the most significant
factor affecting a seafarer’s total job satisfaction. If a seafarer’s satisfaction with
promotion goes up by 1%, total job satisfaction will increase 2.696%, supporting
Hypothesis 4. SB is the second prominent factor affecting total job satisfaction. If a
seafarer’s satisfaction with SB rises by 1%, then total job satisfaction will increase
0.516% accordingly. This means that income and fair treatment are decisive factors
affecting the interests of seafarers, supporting Hypothesis 1.
The working environment (WE) is third factor affecting a seafarer’s job satisfaction,
supporting Hypothesis 3. If a seafarer’s satisfaction with working environment rises by
1%, then total job satisfaction will increase 0.173% accordingly. SM and FS both have
significant effect on the total job satisfaction, so Hypothesis 2 and Hypothesis 5 were
supported.
To further understand the factors influencing a seafarer’s job satisfaction, further
analysis of the effect of observed variables is conducted on both the latent variables and
the total satisfaction. The five factors in PR (promotion), in descending order, are
company developments (X12), promotion prospects (X15), continuity of ships (X14),
training (X13), and vision (X11). The most significant factor affecting seafarers’
satisfaction with respect to the working environment is working time (X23), followed by
leisure amenities (X20) and working conditions (X24). Among the five factors in SB
(satisfaction with SB), salary (X1) and family benefits (X2) are the first two notable
factors, followed by working intensity and salary (X5), assessment mode (X4) and
distribution mode (X3).
Level of management (X8) and management of development (X9) are the first two
marked factors in SM, followed by management system (X6), finance management (X7)
and quality control (X10). Income disparity between Chinese and foreign seafarers (X17)
and team spirit (X16) are the first two evident factors in FS, followed by reputation (X19)
and organisational culture (X18). Based on the results of the structural equation model,
the path diagram can thus be drawn as shown in Figure 2.
Thus it can be concluded that promotion and salary are the two key determinants for
improving the job satisfaction of Chinese seafarers.
690 K.X. Li et al.

Figure 2 Structure of SEM showing the job satisfaction of Chinese seafarers

5 Conclusions

This study shows that promotion is the key factor in the job satisfaction of the Chinese
seafarers. Specifically, the prime factor affecting seafarers’ expectation with their
promotion is company developments, followed by their promotion prospects. Therefore,
a clear company development plan and promotion prospects can significantly increase the
job satisfaction of Chinese seafarers. Therefore, shipping companies should establish an
evaluation mechanism and provide a fair, competitive environment for seafarers’
promotion in order to increase their retention rate.
At the same time, SB comes as the next significant factors affecting a seafarer’s job
satisfaction. In this context, being employed with a reasonable salary is a major concern
of the seafarers. Therefore, it is understandable that seafarers have a strong desire to see
improved salaries and benefits. In light of this, shipping companies need to develop a
better remuneration system that will increase seafarers’ income, as this is fundamental to
maintain employees’ enthusiasm toward their career. Working environment, SM, and a
FS also have a significant effect on job satisfaction. Therefore, improving the working
conditions and safety culture is another important means of increasing job satisfaction.
Combining the needs of business development with consideration of the seafarers’
 Leading factors in job satisfaction of Chinese seafarers 691

characteristics, companies can do much to help seafarers set and achieve their career
development plan through appropriate training and evaluation.

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by IMC Maritime Centre at The Hong Kong Polytechnic
University. The authors would like to thank Mr. Geng Li for his assistance in preparation
of this research project.

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