Question:
Discuss about the Enhancing Productivity At Castlerock Fisheries.
Castlerock Limited is a seafood exporting company located in India. Formed back in 1960, it is arguably India’s largest exporter and producer of seafood. The company deals with a variety of seafood such as fish, crabs, shrimp, and lobsters among others that it exports to over 20 countries globally. With a production of around 200,000 metric tons of seafood product each year, the company hosts a large consumer base that it needs to satisfy its demands (Castlerock, 2017).
To meet this great demand, Castlerock has invested immensely on its labor force employing over 800 highly trained individuals. In addition to this, the company has priority ties with the community employing a ‘Zero Harm’ policy that ensures that the right of every stakeholder involved either directly or indirectly with the company is safeguarded.
Due to its nature, Castlerock is highly involved with the environment as its main resource is the sea from which they get their produce. Consequently, for its survival and sustainability, it is quite important for the company to maintain the environment as well as safeguard it.
Castlerock with its vast production and large consumer base is a global leader in the industry therefore the issue of high quality seafood is not negotiable for them. To maintain its high quality that it has received awards and recognition for, the company invests immensely on state of the art technology in its production processes.
Some of these technological advancements include seafood processing plants with state of the art technology, advanced freezing and processing equipment such as IQF, plate freezers, blast freezers, and tunnel freezers. The company has also invested on high quality water treatment plants in addition to maintaining the highest form of hygiene.
As a frontier in the seafood production, a huge burden of expectations weighs heavy on the company’s shoulders. In the quest of producing more and expanding further, the company must also maintain its standards of quality.
The objective of this research will therefore focus on how Castlerock as a seafood producing and exporting company can enhance its productivity with all these other factors of quality, environment and stakeholders being considered.
The project will focus on Castlerock as a seafood company and how it can enhance its productivity. It will take a managerial approach focusing on the strengths of Castlerock which may include its infrastructure, its consumer base, its experience and its market base globally. It will also look at its weaknesses and possible threats to its productivity and this may also include aspects of the environment, policies, social obligations, competitions and technological advancements.
The research will, therefore, give a thorough analysis of Castlerock and its future potential for an enhanced production.
Fish Production in India
Fish business is huge in India and this is mainly attributed to the ever increasing demand for fish in the country due to the large population. With a large marine resource disposal in the sea and rivers, India’s fish industry continues to grow creating a hub of fish industries such as the Castlerock Fisheries.
India is a large fish producer globally and as of 2015, the country exported over 10 million metric tons of fish that year alone generating over $ 5 billion in revenue (Business-Standard-India, 2015). This has greatly influenced the economic potential of the country creating significant amount of income for the population and the country as a whole as well as creating employment opportunities (FAO, 2006).
A large percentage of fish from India (approximately 81 per cent as of 2006) is produced and exported in fresh and chilled forms. This then demands extremely developed technology of preservation that will allow the fish to remain fresh and have the same taste for longer especially those being exported to far way countries like the United Sates or South Africa.
Castlerock has adapted various technologies through which they preserve their fish for export. In addition to the establishment of integrated seafood processing plants all over India, these plants also use advanced freezing and processing equipment in their production.
These freezing technologies include IQF (individually quick frozen) machines which freezes each piece of food, in this case, fish individually and separately making the fish easier to work with especially in packaging and sorting. The IQF also works in such a way that it does not damage the fibers in the food as what is common with the normal type of freezing (Danilo Alfaro, 2017).
Castlerock also utilizes other type of preservation technology such as plate freezers, tunnel freezers, and flake freezers (Castlerock, 2017). These technologies help in increasing the rate of production as it makes the processes easier.
The high demand for its products has resulted in Castlerock employing a large number of workers who are highly trained in the use of modern technology as well as maintenance of high standards of hygiene, which is vital for a food producing industry. Working with the community in areas like Mumbai, Maharashtra has also created a legacy and heritage that attracts tourists to the fishing regions.
India’s fishing industry has made its mark globally as one of the highest producers of quality fish. This characteristic, in addition to their production technology, has helped them create a niche for themselves. Castlerock exports its produce to over 20 countries which include: U.S.A, China, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, UAE, Russia, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, France, and many others (Castlerock, 2017).
India has a large room for expansion and development. With a large coastline of 7,517 kilometers and over 195,210 kilometers of rivers and canals (FAO, 2006), India has an immense potential for greater fish production and export. In addition to these, there are also ponds, lakes, and traditional fish landing centers all which contribute to the overall fish production capacity in India.
In regards to sustainability, India’s waters provide a natural source for growth of aqua life hence the industry has a guarantee for future progress.
The advancement of research and technology is also an opportunity for India as a fishing country. Development of better and safer methods of fish farming either in ponds or sea will boost the output of fish per year. The development of research and learning centers that focus on fish production like Indian Council of Agricultural Research and the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institutes, which is supported by the government is a way forward in ensuring that the levels of fish production and the standards that come with it are maintained if not improved.
These research centers also help in solving some of the issues that the industry faces such as overfishing, illegal fishing, and damage to the ocean floor as well as the ability of scientists to foretell an impending problem.
Despite the enormous gains of fishing in India, there still remain several issues that pose a threat. These issues vary in their level of threat as others are easier to deal with than the other.
These threats include inadequate fishing regulations and policies, lack of transparency and traceability especially in big companies such as Castlerock, lack of implementation of set policies, ignorance to advices and warnings from scientists and researchers, and few no-go fishing areas (WWF-Global, 2015)
Other threats also include political stability, which has a direct impact on any economic activity of a country including fishing, competition from other fish producing and exporting countries, the continuous advancement of technology that requires one to be up to date with, and finally global warming and the changing environment/ climate.
Primary Research Question
How can Castlerock as a leading fish producer and exporter enhance its productivity?
Secondary Research Question
What are the possible challenges and barriers that Castlerock could face as it enhances its productivity?
What are some of the factors that Castlerock should consider as it enhances its productivity?
Research design refers to the strategy that a researcher employs to analyze components within a research in a logical way and thereby in the process, address the research problem (De Vaus, 2001). The research problem will help or guide the researcher in choosing the research design. It ensures that information gathered during data collection addresses the research question fully without fail.
This research will adopt a case-study research design where the researcher will pick a case study (in this case, Castlerock Fisheries Ltd.) and conduct an in-depth study of it and in the process address the research questions formulated.
Research methodology on the other hand, refers to a series of steps used to collect and analyze data for the purpose of increasing our knowledge of that particular topic (Creswell, 2014). In this context, to understand the risks and opportunities that may surround Castlerock in enhancing its productivity. It generally involves analyzing an issue in hopes to come up with solutions for a problem.
Research limitations refer to the aspects of the research design or methodology that might have influenced the way the researcher interpreted his/ her findings (Prince & Murnan, 2004). These limitations can vary from one research to another depending on the context, the scope, the available time, among other research requirements.
The research limitations for this study may include the sample size may be too big or too narrow hence getting credible data maybe a challenge. Another limitation may arise from lack of thorough research on the topic or research problem, also lack of available data or reliable data may be a limitation to a research study.
Other limitations may be those of the researcher such as language barrier, cultural differences, religious differences, political differences among others. The research may be conducted in India, where cultural, political, religious and social practices are very different from the rest of the world. They have their own unique way of doing this and for a researcher to get the most out of it; they will have to find a way to blend in with the local people in India.
Access to the source of data may also prove a challenge. The case study is located in India thus the researcher may find it difficult to get access to the research location as well as the participants of the research.
Time Schedule
This refers to the period of time it will take researcher to conduct his research. It consists of the period from which the researcher will start collecting data to the time they will conclude the collection of the data form the field.
The time schedule will be influenced by various factors such as the research location, the scope of the research, the legal and ethical requirements for the conduction of the research, and the purpose of the research.
With all factors considered, this research will have a time schedule of 6- 8 weeks, which will allow the researcher plan for the data collection, go to the field as well as gather all the legal and ethical requirements for the research.
Conclusion
Fish farming in India is a big part of their economic system and livelihood. Fish revenue contributes to 1 per cent of the country’s GDP as well as creates employment opportunities to millions in the country. As the top sixth producer of marine fish globally, the pressure on the industry to cope with the economic and technological changes is overwhelming.
India has embraced technology in its fishing industry and although there is still the small scale fishing on ponds and traditional fish landing centers, the demand for more fish still grows. To cope with the ever increasing fish demand, India uses state of the art technology for production, preservation and exportation and together with the large labor force and favorable policies and climate, India’s fish industry continues to thrive.
Just like any other industry, there is always the need to enhance productivity either by increasing the output, implementing different production methods, expanding production factories, branching out to various sites, or introducing a variety of products in the market. India has great capacity for enhancement of its fish industry.
Enhancing productivity has the ability to open up new opportunities for the fishing country. However, it can create some threats that with time can be fixed. Enhancing productivity is a management decision thus there is need to do a SWOT analysis of the entire industry and weigh the risks and gains before establishing the degree in which the industry wants to expand.
For Castlerock to succeed in its quest for enhanced productivity, it needs to engage partners both locally and internationally. This will create a good and harmonized trading environment where all parties are satisfied and content. Also it needs to develop and improve on its infrastructure as well as increase transparency in the organization and how it conducts its business. It also needs to engage its stakeholders as well as the entire community as well as help the community through community-based projects such as scholarships and charity.
With Castlerock enhancing its productivity, the impact will not only be felt by the organization itself but on a global scale as well.
Business-Standard-India, 2015. MPEDA expects marine products exports at US$ 6.6 billion in 2015-16 against US$ 5.5 billion in 2014-15. [Online] Available at: https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-cm/mpeda-expects-marine-products-exports-at-us-6-6-billion-in-2015-16-against-us-5-5-billion-in-2014-15-115070300295_1.html [Accessed 2 October 2017].
Castlerock, 2017. Casterock Fisheries. [Online] Available at: https://www.castlerock.in/about [Accessed 2 October 2017].
Creswell, J.H., 2014. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications.
Danilo Alfaro, 2017. IQF (Individually Quick Frozen). [Online] Available at: https://www.thespruce.com/what-does-iqf-mean-995719 [Accessed 2 October 2017].
De Vaus, D.A., 2001. Research Design in Social Research. London: SAGE Publishers.
FAO, 2006. Fishing Profile (India). [Online] Available at: https://www.fao.org/fi/oldsite/FCP/en/IND/profile.htm [Accessed 2 October 2017].
FAO, 2006. India – National Fishery Sector Overview. [Online] Available at: https://www.fao.org/fishery/facp/IND/en [Accessed 2 October 2017].
Prince, J.H. & Murnan, J., 2004. Research Limitations and the Necessity of Reporting Them. In American Journal of Health Education. 35th ed. pp.66-67.
WWF-Global, 2015. Fishing problems: poor fisheries management. [Online] Available at: https://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/blue_planet/problems/fisheries_management/ [Accessed 2 October 2017].
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