Which Kaptein to Choose? The Havoysund Fleet Question

Abstract

Olaf Tryggvason, owner of a fleet of fishing ships in a small northern Norwegian town, has been offered and has accepted a reality television deal about the fleet to create a show along the lines of "The Deadliest Catch" and "Big Shrimpin'." He now has to recommend which ships and kapteiner (skippers or captains) in his fleet should be the stars of the show. He also has to consider the various dangers and complexities inherent in making a show like this, and what responsibility he has to his employees and other stakeholders. In thinking through the decisions in the case, students will have to wrestle with how values shape their quantitative analysis and views of their moral responsibilities to employees, and how their own experiences and biases shape how they view moral issues. Excerpt UVA-E-0419 Rev. Sept. 1, 2020 Which Kaptein to Choose? The HavOysund Fleet Question The way you continue to be a successful business is you don't wait for the car to go off the cliff. You have to manage yourself. And make sure you do it in the right way so you are not making decisions in crisis. Olaf Tryggvason looked at the quotation, his own, that sat on his desk. It was, for him, more than a passing inspirational comment. Tryggvason sat in his office in HavOysund, a small fishing village of just 1,000 inhabitants on the northern Norwegian island of HavOya. From his window, he could see tourists disembarking from a cruise ship, and he knew very soon they would make their way through his hometown, swelling the streets and clogging the stores. If you were able to share some aquavit with him, Tryggvason would confess that he found the tourists an irritating yet necessary evil. Tourism and entertainment had become critical to the economies of a number of port towns in Norway. Historically, HavOysund had been an important fishing village at least since the late Middle Ages, and there was even evidence of early fishing settlements dating back to the Neolithic era. Years ago, the city had leveraged this heritage into a revenue-generating asset. The citizens had converted an old religious rectory into the MasOy Museum. The museum featured a collection of historic fishing and whaling equipment. Tryggvason begrudgingly acknowledged that for some in the village, becoming an entertainment hub had “cheapened” their culture. He looked at the quote again. It gave him resolve for the decisions ahead. Specifically, Tryggvason, who operated a fleet of fishing vessels, had accepted a reality television deal that he'd been offered by a producer from Oslo, Arvid StrOmstad. He needed to make recommendations about which ships and their skippers, or kapteiner, should have a shot at becoming the “stars” of the show; however, this responsibility would come with increased risks and rewards. As he diversified his lines of business, Tryggvason wondered how his quote should shape his obligations to his employees. . . .