ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on two case studies that are similar, though of a different dimension and different type of participants. It analyzes the operations from a leadership standpoint on two joint ventures that were formed more by necessity than by diversification strategy on South America's east coast. Both studies refer to a number of both regional and global shipping companies that had to face a slump in their respective markets, leading to a significant tonnage surplus. A complex supply-chain operation designed for a large transnational corporation demands attending to a number of variables that are of utmost relevance in project management (PM). The uniqueness and complexity of the Parana-Paraguay waterways in the heart of South America makes this case study a sort of compendium of qualities PMs should have prior to accepting an assignment in complex emerging environments. Both case studies are useful for the reader to observe the major variables with respect to both ocean and river logistics.
