A STUDY ON THE INTRODUCTION OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR IMPROVING THE INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIVE POWER OF THE SHIPPING COMPANIES IN KOREA

This paper suggests a prototype for a quality management system (QMS) of seafaring labour, which itself would be a sub- system of the total quality management system in a shipping company, on the basis of the ISM and the ISMA Codes, ISO 9002, ISO 9004, and other quality management guidelines. The paper argues that the QMS is essential for the survival of the Korean shipping industry and that it will contribute not only to assuring the quality of crew, but also, consequently, to increasing the international competitive edge of the shipping companies in Korea.