Management information and management practices: Freight train operation in inter-war Britain.

This thesis seeks to explore how management practices developed in the U.K. using three of the big four railway companies as case studies. It will be argued that the managers in the UK, whilst aware of the debates on "Systematic" management and US practices, pioneered their own approach. Many of these practices were begun before amalgamation in 1923, but were only fully developed afterwards. We begin by exploring the history of management with an outline in Chapter Two on management ideas from the turn of the 20th century to 1939. This is followed by an analysis of management practices from circa 1900 to the amalgamation of 1923 in Chapter Three. Chapter Four introduces the railway companies within the context of their commercial environment. Chapter Five addresses the problem of achieving control of conveyance operations was addressed using similar methods by all companies. The key difference lay in the extent to which techniques were applied: the LMS developed centralised Train Control which enabled a systematic analysis of information to be made. The GWR and LNER introduced localised Traffic Control which did not allow such systematic analysis. In Chapter Six we see how the LMS employed management consultants to study terminal work using Time and Motion studies. Both the GWR and LNER emulated LMS practice by 1939. However these techniques were not the only solution. The LMS identified particular problems after amalgamation which it was felt could be solved by such analysis. The GWR on the other had concentrated on the transhipment freight, with encouraging results. Chapter Seven examines how railways perceived and interacted with their external business environment. New services were offered on the basis of research directed at identifying customers and the services they required. Agents of all companies would investigate opportunities for business and advise customers on their best options. The LMS and GWR had sophisticated Research Departments dedicated to the collection of commercial and economic information regarding the traffic available. If we take the essence of what these were trying to achieve: a rational and scientific approach to management problems, then the railway companies appear in a favourable light. Whatever criticisms are made of the railways, it was not a failure to adopt new management methods

Exploratory research into supply chain voids within Welsh priority business sectors

The paper reports the findings resulting from the initial stages of an exploratory investigation into Supply Chain Voids (SCV) in Wales. The research forms the foundations of a PhD thesis which is framed within the sectors designated as important by the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) and indicates local supplier capability voids within their supply chains. This paper covers the stages of initial data gathering, analysis and results identified between June 2006 and April 2007, whilst addressing the first of four research questions. Finally, the approach to address future research is identified in order to explain how the PhD is to progress

Sustainable development for the logistics industry in the UK

At a time when environmental mitigation is firmly at the centre of the agenda for sustainable development, there is no shortage of research in the field of green logistics. However, little has been done in an attempt to provide integrated solutions for industry, based on a practical assessment of the interrelationships between specific measures. This research investigates the current status of the British logistics industry in terms of its environmental sustainability, by examining 14 sustainable measures that feature strongly in contemporary logistics practice and policies, and determines the interrelationships among them. The primary data was collected using a combined approach involving a postal questionnaire survey and in-depth company interviews. The survey covered both logistics services providers (LSPs) and logistics service users (LSUs), together with the targeted inclusion of more specific actors within the logistics industry. Through analysis of the sustainable practice and implementation process as seen in the experiences and judgments of key actors in the logistics industry, it is shown that the role of the actors as either logistics providers or users has a certain impact on their perceptions of, and behaviours in, sustainable logistics. Particular characteristics of the company and the sector it belongs to also exert influence, to various extents, on its response to sustainability. The findings also highlight cost-effectiveness as another critical factor determining companies’ sustainability policies. On the basis of the assessment of the measures, in particular their effectiveness and cost efficiency, the thesis concludes with proposals for sustainable packages constructed from different perspectives, along with suggestions for their implementation. This evidence-based research thus informs policy-makers of appropriate and viable sustainable strategies with the right incentives in various circumstances, and the potential to bring about tangible improvements in environmental performance

Sustainable development for the logistics industry in the UK

At a time when environmental mitigation is firmly at the centre of the agenda for sustainable development, there is no shortage of research in the field of green logistics. However, little has been done in an attempt to provide integrated solutions for industry, based on a practical assessment of the interrelationships between specific measures. This research investigates the current status of the British logistics industry in terms of its environmental sustainability, by examining 14 sustainable measures that feature strongly in contemporary logistics practice and policies, and determines the interrelationships among them. The primary data was collected using a combined approach involving a postal questionnaire survey and in-depth company interviews. The survey covered both logistics services providers (LSPs) and logistics service users (LSUs), together with the targeted inclusion of more specific actors within the logistics industry. Through analysis of the sustainable practice and implementation process as seen in the experiences and judgments of key actors in the logistics industry, it is shown that the role of the actors as either logistics providers or users has a certain impact on their perceptions of, and behaviours in, sustainable logistics. Particular characteristics of the company and the sector it belongs to also exert influence, to various extents, on its response to sustainability. The findings also highlight cost-effectiveness as another critical factor determining companies’ sustainability policies. On the basis of the assessment of the measures, in particular their effectiveness and cost efficiency, the thesis concludes with proposals for sustainable packages constructed from different perspectives, along with suggestions for their implementation. This evidence-based research thus informs policy-makers of appropriate and viable sustainable strategies with the right incentives in various circumstances, and the potential to bring about tangible improvements in environmental performance

Computer Controlled Urban Transportation: A Survey of Concepts, Methods, and International Experiences

This book is concerned with the present and future traffic problems in the developing and developed world. It examines possible solutions to those problems based on technological innovations and implementing large-scale computerized traffic and transportation control systems. It discusses the basic concepts and methods for control and automation that have been proposed, developed, and implemented, and experience from real applications of these in different cities and nations