Chairman’s Message

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

VISION” is a wonderfully exciting word as it has so many stimulating meanings including – the faculty of sight, intelligent foresight, the manner of seeing or conceiving something, a mental imagination, a mystical experience or something of great beauty. “Share The Vision”, the theme for this year’s strategy meet held in Middle East aboard Costa Victoria cruise liner from 14th December, was designed to utilise all aspects of “vision”.  In these global turbulent times, we all need to be focused and visualise provocative ideas so that our creative business skills are aroused. Our C.S.S. strategy team was encouraged to visualise, produce and absorb ideas so they may be put to practical use. Such a process is vital to ensure we surmount the current challenges forced upon all within our industry. To emulate the ethos of our strategy meeting we must remain open to others’ thoughts and ideas. We should be prepared to listen more than we talk and be happy to change our opinion when new information demands it. New ideas often arise by listening to what others have overlooked so we may benefit from their unrecognised opportunities. We should be encouraged to ask questions, even when they may expose our weaknesses, so that team players may willingly guide and inspire us. If we avoid acting defensively when faced with constructive criticism then such situations will provide a beneficial opportunity to respond and interact.
Imagine breath-taking panoramic views across a sparkling pool where avant-garde design sets new standards of excellence. You may ask, “What has this to do with C.S.S. and our visions?” “Everything!” is my answer. This is a description of The Costa Victoria cruise ship that reflects the warmth and spirit of Italy, which is destined to be feted as one of the most exciting and stunningly beautiful ships of our time. A new vision within the C.S.S. Group, The Costa Victoria emphasises our enhanced strategies which will enable us to rise above this period of global recession. I am confident and enthused by our resilience, perception and visions, which I know will achieve greater rewards for all of us throughout 2009.
Wish you an exciting and promising year ahead !!!
                                                                                                                       T S Kaladharan

C.P.R. or C.S.R?

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

You may know that C.P.R. stands for Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) but what about C.S.R? The initials may not invoke the same interest as Sachin Tendulkar, David Beckham or Britney Spears but in terms of achieving sustainable development goals many will argue that CSR is to society what CPR is to the body. CSR is essential in order to save our society and ultimately our world.  Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is essentially about how business responds to its impact on social, economic and environmental affairs.
CSR attracts debate and criticism where those in favour argue that it makes strong business sense as companies committed to CSR operate with an awareness which expands beyond their own immediate short-term profits.
The counter arguments are that CSR detracts from the core economic business roles and ends up being nothing more than PR window-dressing.
As consumers have become aware of social issues it has frequently been their reaction to business made disasters which has lead to greater awareness about CSR. Often it takes a crisis to precipitate CSR awareness. The Exxon Valdez oil spill, which occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska in 1989, is still considered as one of the most devastating man-made environmental disasters ever to occur at sea because of the remote location. It was because of this event that the Ceres Principles, a ten-point code of corporate environmental conduct, publicly endorsed by companies as an environmental mission statement or ethic, were agreed. By contrast, those who argue against the value of CSR will point to the cynical approach of the tobacco companies who sponsored social and sporting enterprises.
You may think that CSR is a current fad but with Christmas only just past you may recall the 1843 Charles Dickens story “A Christmas Carol”, where the reader meets Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserable but wealthy old man. Scrooge works in his counting house with his clerk, Bob Cratchit.  When Scrooge ends up ordering the prize turkey for Bob Cratchit, enjoying a party and recognizing Tiny Tim’s courage and cheerfulness, in spite of Tim’s poverty and disability, Scrooge was demonstrably a CSR forerunner. In the author’s words Scrooge explained that his actions included “a great many back-payments”. 
Within a company social, in the CSR sense, is mostly focused on the relationship between employer and employee. CSR internally centers on health care, insurance policies, social activities as well as sponsoring sport and culture.  When developed externally CSR involves sponsoring and initiatives to develop science, education and charity actions.  “Catch ‘em young” is still a popular generalisation.  This concept goes someway to explaining why companies choose to interact with social projects which help to empower the young.  The “Raise a helping hand” picture was taken at an initiative by “Living Heritage”,  a UK company,  to increase youthful awareness of countryside pursuits – fishing, falconry, archery, dog handling and game keeping.  In recent years all these country facets and skills have been sidelined by computer games, mobile phones, television and the Internet.

Many corporate websites lay emphasis on their commitment to promoting CSR, under the headings of charitable efforts, volunteering, human resources, business development and public relations. Evidence supports the view that CSR can be an aid to recruitment and retention particularly amongst the graduate student market.  Globally the initiatives to promote CSR are expanding.  “The Foundation for Corporate Social Responsibility”, based in Poland, lists amongst its members, Pfizer, Exxon Mobil, Dell, Ford, BMW and McDonalds. Within its mission statement The Foundation states:  “Realising that the greatest incentive to participating in social good is to participate in social good itself……. members live up to their responsibilities to society by being an economic, intellectual and social asset to each community in which they do business.”
In India, major companies including “Mahindra” and “Adani” place emphasis on CSR. “The Adani Foundation” established in 1996 is situated in Ahmedabad, Gujarat and has achieved sterling results by supporting efforts in the development of society, in areas of rural livelihoods and communities, education, and health.
So where does this all lead? Despite what detractors may say, provided that the reasons for CSR are ethically motivated, the resulting returns on all fronts are meritable and worthwhile. CSR stimulates opportunities within social environments and provides the economic equivalent of CPR in areas, where without some external boost; the social structures will stagnate, decline and eventually die. Hence the opening comparison in this article – CSR is the social equivalent of life-saving CPR.

Dave Eager December 2008

Cruising Italian Style aboard Costa Victoria

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

It was one of the most exciting strategy meets, CSS Group had over the years. Yes, it was truly overwhelming, breathtaking and grand aboard The Costa Victoria. CSS group’s sales strategy meet was held from 14th to 17th December onboard this stunningly beautiful floating luxury to which the CSS Group boarded from Dubai and travelled through Oman & Fujaira to disembark at Abu Dhabi. It carries 1928 passengers and has 12 decks for you to explore, out of the 14 decks in total, while you are at sea. The 790 member crew will pamper you and see to your every need. The massive vessel takes you to the ports of your dreams as you sail away into the sunset. It is becoming too poetic when you describe about this floating extravaganza.
CSS strategy meet had seen an increase in the number of participants from 50 the last year in Goa to 61 this year. The team comprised of CSS group members from Middle East, India & USA. Associates of CSS group, from Doha and Kuwait also attended on an invitation for this meet. The meet was formally inaugurated with a welcome note from the Group Chairman T. S. Kaladharan, as he invited all to “Share the vision” of the group for the future, the motto being the theme this year. Amith Surya Horra, Asst. Marketing Manager, who was also the team head for the organising committee explained about the four days programme for the event, and the details about the Cruise Vessel.
From the breathtaking panoramic Concorde Plaza to the sparkling indoor pool, ultramodern Pompei Spa and incredible Planetarium Atrium spanning seven decks, the Costa Victoria cruise ship combines the elegance of European style with the sophistication of American comforts.
Day one saw the CSS Volume being presented by Paul D’ Souza, Senior VP for Sales & Marketing, followed by, the team from Projects Oil & Gas presenting their status with the current economic scenario and the figures they had calculated. There after presentations and figures from the sales team of Dubai was presented. The Captain’s night was the attraction for the evening where in the Crew heads introduced themselves to the passengers, which was followed by the Gala dinner organised by the Costa crew. The appetizers are good but sometimes unusual, along with desserts and salads. The Casino opened till early morning attracting many, to part with some good amount of bills, on the Black jack table.
Day two started with the Airfreight presentation from Sanal Haridas, Commercial Manager. Presentations and budget figures were later on presented from the Land Transport department, CSLC-1, Abudhabi, Bahrain, CSS Logistics, and Business development in USA. A scavenger hunt organised by the crew animators, was the team building activity for the day. CSS India presentations were started by Mumbai by Rampal and later on moved on to Kolkata and Delhi. The bar-be-que night organised by CSS Group topped up the day’s events.
Day three saw the presentations being continued from the Indian offices and then the group’s corporate communications department had its presentation. Marketing department had their presentation on Day four which was followed by the open discussion initiated by the Management
It was then time to pack back with lots of memories aboard this mighty liner. The team CSS disembarked at the Abu Dhabi port after the long four days of sail away parties and much more to remember. The CSS sales strategy meet 2009, can be remembered as one of the most exciting and stimulating of all the strategies meets we had over the years past.

Shipco Transport – Global Agents Meeting

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

Shipco Transport hosted a Global Agents Meeting in October 2008 in Weehawken, New Jersey.

With representatives from 58 countries, the meeting was truly ‘global’ and was the first time that all Shipco offices and agents had assembled since April 2000.

The guests had the opportunity to get together in the world-famous Shipco Bar in Hoboken on Thursday October 23rd.  This was the first social occasion of the event but was followed by more serious business on the Friday.

Klaus Jepsen, Group CEO for Shipco, opened the proceedings with a welcome and key note address.   This was then followed by presentations from other senior Shipco personnel. 

With the formalities out of the way, everyone got down to the real business of the day – one-on-one meetings.  This allowed Shipco offices and agents to meet individually, to further develop their relationship and, in some cases, start new working partnerships.  It is rare, with such a diverse crowd, that people have the opportunity to sit down, face-to-face and with the buzz in the meeting room, it was obvious that much business was done that day. 

Following a busy but beneficial day, the group left Weehawken for Liberty State House – a beautiful restaurant located on the banks of the Hudson River, overlooking the dramatic New York City skyline.  The ‘global’ nature of the event then took a very American twist with the theme of the evening being ‘Country & Western’.  As well as listening to some good old country music, the participants were given lessons in ‘line dancing’.  Everyone had great fun with this but whether their dancing skills improved remains to be seen.

On the Saturday, guests had a choice of leisure activities – golf, shopping or a New York City tour.  Unfortunately, the New Jersey weather was somewhat uncooperative although the golfers swear it was dry on the course.

However, the weather really did take a turn for the worse in the evening with hurricane-like winds and torrential rain – all the more unfortunate since the night’s entertainment was a dinner cruise around Manhattan.  With that plan ‘sunk’, the group had to make their own entertainment in the hotel.  This didn’t
seem to be too much of a problem and, although it was not quite as planned, the evening was still a success.

Sunday marked the end of the two day extravaganza and while many participants were tired, all agreed that it was a fruitful – and fun – event.  Let’s just hope it’s not 9 years until the next one!

30 years young- Shinyei Shipping Co. Ltd.

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

Shinyei Shipping Co.,Ltd. based in Tokyo prosperously commemorated
the 30th anniversary at The Ritz-Carlton Tokyo, in Roppongi, Tokyo, Japan on October 8th, 2008 then invited approximately 400 guests from home and abroad, i.e. the customers, the shipping companies, the customs brokers and the overseas agents. 

Established in 1978, they started LCL cargo business for Singapore and Hong Kong as a
specialist of the consoli-cargo transporter in Asia. They are now acknowledged widely
obtaining the legal basis as a pioneer of expanding the basis in this field having built
the network that covers all over Asia including the Middle East even from the time when the NVOCC was not yet common.

‘We’ve got all kinds of inquiries at the beginning, but NVO’s been established legally and acknowledged ever since. Nowadays the market is even seriously competitive.
Even though we’ve been through a lot, we wouldn’t be here without all your supports and would like to thank you for it. Keeping ourselves motivated, we’ll keep striving for the improvements.’ the general manager of the company, Mr. Nagashima greeted.

Representing the overseas agents, Mr. Iskandar Zulkarnain, the chairman of FPS Group congratulated and presented gifts. Representing, CSS Group, Mr. T.S Kaladharan Chairman and Mr. Paul James D’Souza, Senior VP- Sales & Marketing attended the function.

FPS AGM

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

This year FPS Annual General Meeting was held between 27th- 29th of October, 2008 at the Melia Galgos Hotel in Madrid, Spain.The meet was attended by FPS network agents and general agents. There were 113 delegates from 60 offices who represented 41 countries. “Your vision is our mission” is stated to be the motto /theme of the meet.

Iskandar Zulkarnain, Chairman was pleased to introduce 6 new companies to all the delegates. During his presentation, specially mentioned the spirit of togetherness during the time of economic crisis. Invitation to CSS proved to be an ideal opportunity for the team to cement the existing relationship with FPS. It was such a great honour for CSS Group to be part of this meet. It was always a strategic business relationship from the inception for both the groups.

CSS Group delegates headed by Paul D’Souza and the team consisted of Siby C Kurian from CSS UAE, Narayan R.T from CSS Bahrain, Dean Landers from CSS Kuwait, Jairam K R, Arup Ray, Rampal Tandon, Hemant Bhanushali from Console Shipping Services India and Asim Saeed Khan from Console Shipping Services Pakistan Private Ltd.

There were presentations given by FPS members on various functional activities of the Group such as Oliver Ward GED, Marina Rollan–SC Header of IT Development, Kettivit Sittisoontornwong, Ian Matheson–Impress Communication. The meet truly witnessed a great networking opportunity for all the delegates.