Determining talent management and retention strategies in shipping companies

The extremely competitive and goal-driven structure of container shipping has led firms to acknowledge the need for qualified and competent employees to accomplish business objectives. Accordingly, talent management (TM) is a critical factor to achieve these objectives and effectively execute corporate strategy. Therefore, this study primarily aims to contribute to the development of the TM field by examining TM-oriented subjects concerning the primary actors of Turkey's container shipping industry (container shipping lines and ocean freight forwarders). First, a systematic literature review was conducted to identify existing TM practices and obtain data for the identification and conceptualization of talent management functions. Second, a combined method of in-depth interviews and qualitative content analysis was used to investigate the most common talent management practices under TM functions in Turkey's container shipping industry and highlight the differences with the current literature. Also, to bring a more robust and valid view the identified functions and practices have been analysed empirically with F-AHP method and their prioritization for the container shipping industry has been obtained.