Identifying business opportunities for shipping-entrepreneurs. A sequence of strategic and operational considerations

Master's Thesis from the year 2015 in the subject Business economics - Supply, Production, Logistics, grade: 2,0, Hamburg School of Business Administration gGmbH (Maritime and Logistics - HSBA Hamburg School of Business Administration), course: MBA Shipping, language: English, abstract: This thesis develops a methodology that gives guidance through the process of identifying a business opportunity in shipping by spotting an emerging niche in the market and setting up a corresponding business model to establish a promising company. The focus lies on shipping entrepreneurs, who are entirely dependent on investment capital and therefore have to be well prepared to attract investors. The thesis is composed of five chapters. Chapter One is introductory, defines the basic terminology and sets assumptions for the further analysis. Chapter Two explores the signals, indicating emerging niches in the market, covering the first part of identifying a business opportunity. Chapter Three and Four cover the second part of the identification process, discussing considerations regarding the strategic framework as well as the operational management of the startup. Conclusions are drawn in chapter Five. The key findings are that the financial and corporate structure of the business model is mutually dependent. Therefore a holistic approach of the venture must be taken into account to successfully identify and approach a business opportunity. Furthermore it is found that the entrepreneurs have to integrate a prudent risk management to attract investors and to prepare the company for present and future challenges. This should be complemented by a proactive and transparent style of management. However, there is no unique all-in-one solution for the establishment of a new company as every business case is different and must be conducted individually. Nevertheless the tools and considerations presented in this thesis offer practical guidance and lower risks and uncertainties in the decision-making processes of the shipping-entrepreneurs.