Journal articles on the topic 'Susquehanna Rail Road Company'

Reducing the costs of the transport company is one of the key issues in the management of the organization. There are standard ways to reduce the costs of transport companies, the article proposes options for reducing costs through the interaction of several modes of transport, namely, rail and road. The article discusses options for the transportation of goods by a trucking company. For the purpose of reducing operating costs, it is proposed to combine the use of road and rail transport on certain sections of the route of routes of various lengths. The authors made a conclusion about the dependence of the operating costs on the distance when using the above types of transport.

Recently, MLS (Mobile Laser Scanning) has been successfully used in a road maintenance. In this paper, we present the application of MLS for the inspection of clearance along railway tracks of West Japan Railway Company. Point clouds around the track are captured by MLS mounted on a bogie and rail position can be determined by matching the shape of the ideal rail head with respect to the point cloud by ICP algorithm. A clearance check is executed automatically with virtual clearance model laid along the extracted rail. As a result of evaluation, the accuracy of extracting rail positions is less than 3 mm. With respect to the automatic clearance check, the objects inside the clearance and the ones related to a contact line is successfully detected by visual confirmation.

In this paper, we develop a multi-objective integrated optimization method for feeder buses of rail transit based on realistic considerations. We propose a bus stop selection method that considers the influence of shared motorcycles, which can score the importance of alternative bus stops and select those with the highest scores as objectives. The objective of the model in this paper is to minimize both the travel costs of passengers and the operating costs of the bus company. This is achieved by optimizing feeder bus routes, the frequency of departures, and interchange discounts to enhance the connectivity between feeder buses and rail transit. In addition, to ensure the feasibility of generated routes in the real road network, a genetic algorithm encoded with priority is used to solve this model. We use the Xingyao Road subway station in Kunming as an example, and the results show that the optimization method is effective.

The purpose of the article is to review the main financial indicators of JSC “NC “KTZ”. The analysis of dynamics and structure of active and passive balance of the company is studied. The official documents that regulate the activities of the national company are studied. On the basis of statistical data and reports of the company, using the method of financial planning, the study of the main indicators of JSC “NC “KTZ”. The analysis of planned and actual values of indicators noted that the company needs to improve the system of financial planning and budgeting. Finally the conclusions are made and the main problems of sustainable development of the company are stated. JSC “NC “KTZh” is a transport and logistics holding, the history of formation and development of which began in Soviet times. Because of repeated transformations and reorganizations, the holding currently carries out sea and rail transportation, renders services of transport and logistics centers; provides airport, maritime, road and rail infrastructure services. The functions of JSC “NC “KTZh” include acting as an operator of the main railway network, transportation of goods and passengers. The authors of the article note that the unstable dynamics of indicators for the main types of services directly affects the profitability of the company. As before, the main revenue is generated by cargo transportation, primarily transit transportation.

At present, the world is changing very dynamically, which radically changes the geography of existing freight traffic. There is a process of redistribution of existing cargo flows, there is an active search for new alternative options for cargo delivery, and new logistics chains are being formed. In the rapidly changing conditions of the country's economy, the importance of road and rail transport is increasing. Road transport is the fastest reconstructing channel in the development of new transport chains. The importance of rail transport also remains very high, especially for longdistance cargo transportation. Improving the efficiency of logistics companies in the construction of new transport corridors directly depends on the choice of the company's business strategy and the development of the company as a whole. This article presents tools to assess the effectiveness of logistics companies. It offers methods for performing such analysis, allowing to conclude the required number of transport infrastructure facilities, about the choice of the type of transport necessary for the full development of a given cargo flow in the new supply chains.

Currently, there is a process of redistribution of existing cargo flows, an active search is underway for alternative options for the delivery of goods, and actual logistics chains are being formed. Logistics companies in the context of existing prohibitions and restrictions are forced to find new markets. The long-term vector of cooperation from the western side is moving to the east. In these rapidly changing conditions for the functioning of the country’s economy, the importance of domestic road and rail transport is growing. Road transport is the most rapidly rebuilding in the development of new transport chains. The importance of rail transport also remains high, especially when transporting goods over long distances. Improving the efficiency of logistics providers directly depends on the choice of business strategy and the development of the company as a whole.Tools are presented to assess the effectiveness of logistics providers. Methods are proposed for performing such an analysis, allowing to draw conclusions about the required number of transport infrastructure facilities, the choice of transport mode for the full development of a given cargo flow. The result of the study was the analysis of a way to minimize the costs of logistics providers using the method of comparative analysis. This method takes into account the costs of maintaining transport infrastructure facilities, maintaining and servicing vehicles, organizing transportation, by searching for the break-even point of a logistics company.

Regional cooperation in rail transport can help participating countries diversify their trade patterns. Improved rail transport can also help attract foreign direct investment, increase participation in global production networks and the scale of related trade in manufactured goods, and diversify exports. Improved rail infrastructure will increase global competitiveness and spur economic development. In addition, improved rail infrastructure will help regional cooperation and integration through improved connectivity between people, goods and services. The operation is carried out by a railway company, providing transport between train stations or freight customer facilities. Power is provided by locomotives which either draw electric power from a railway electrification system or produce their own power, usually by diesel engines or, historically, steam engines. Most tracks are accompanied by a signalling system. Railways are a safe land transport system when compared to other forms of transport. Railway transport is capable of high levels of passenger and cargo utilisation and energy efficiency but is often less flexible and more capital-intensive than road transport, when lower traffic levels are considered. Railways are a climate-smart and efficient way to move people and freight. Keywords: railway, transport, improvement, transportation, transit, passenger, development, delivery, traffic, technology, vehicles.

PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) is a company engaged in land transportation. PT KAI employees work in units, one of which is the JJ unit in charge of recording and checking roads and railways. PT KAI (Persero) has implemented an e-Office Information System to facilitate employees' work, but the system does not fully support the JJ Unit. As a result, the JJ Unit has problems where there is a lack of time efficiency when recording work tools, staffing structures, and tracking data that still use Microsoft Excel. One solution to this problem was created: a web-based Rail Road and Bridge Unit Information System at PT KAI (Persero) Divre IV Tanjung Karang. The purpose of this research is to facilitate data searches and data updates needed in the JJ Unit. The stages of this research are data collection, system design, system development, and system testing. The result of this research is the information system of the Rail Road and Bridge Unit at PT KAI (Persero) Divre IV Tanjung Karang based on the Web. This information system was developed with PHP programming, supported by MySQL as the database. The Balsamiq MockUp application was used to design the system interface in the design phase. The system has been tested with BlackBox testing and is supported by results that are as expected. This information system has four levels of users: Senior Manager, Junior Manager, Head Office Staff, and users in each resort and station. Thus, it can be concluded that the Website-based Rail Road and Bridge Unit Information System has been successfully developed using the Waterfall method and using the PHP programming language assisted by MySQL as a database.

Background. Currently, there is a process of redistribution of existing cargo flows, an active search for new alternative options for cargo delivery is underway, new logistics chains are being formed. In the rapidly changing conditions of the functioning of the country’s economy, the importance of road and rail transport is increasing. Road transport is the fastest–changing channel in the development of new transport chains. The importance of rail transport also remains very high, especially when transporting goods over long distances. Improving the efficiency of logistics companies in the construction of new transport corridors directly depends on the choice of the company’s business strategy and the development of the company as a whole. The purpose of the current study was to optimize the activities of logistics companies by determining the feasibility of developing its own fleet of rolling stock, warehouses and terminals of a logistics company. Materials and methods. Methods of system analysis, comparison, systems theory, logistics, outsourcing, as well as the architecture of logistics systems with the participation of providers were used. The tools for evaluating the efficiency of logistics companies are presented, which allow us to draw conclusions about the required number of transport infrastructure facilities, about the choice of the type of transport necessary for the full development of a given cargo flow in new supply chains. Results. The analysis of the method of minimizing the costs of logistics companies, using the method of comparative analysis, which takes into account the costs of maintaining transport infrastructure facilities, the costs of maintaining and servicing vehicles, the costs of organizing transportation, by searching for the break-even point of a logistics company. Conclusion. A methodology has been developed for assessing the feasibility of involving a logistics provider in the implementation of transportation and transferring part of the work to it on outsourcing terms.

Subject area The subject areas are strategic management, transportation management and business management. Study level/applicability This case is useful for undergraduate and postgraduate level students majoring in strategic management, transportation management and business management. Case overview Etihad Rail Company is planning to implement a mega infrastructure project in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They have included freight rail system as part of the 2030 Abu Dhabi economic vision and the UAE national Charter 2021. The plan is to link the UAE’s main cities via the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) border. This ambitious project presents a formidable task for the Etihad Rail Company and the region, as there is no previous railway history of this kind. The project requires coordination of rail standards from East of Ghwefatet and the Northern Emirates cities and will ultimately be combined with the Western Saudi Arabia borders. The transportation system in the region will be improved greatly with the introduction of a cargo and passenger railway system in addition to the current road system and other means of transportation. The Etihad railway network is the first infrastructure project in the UAE, and it will bring economic, strategic, social and environmental changes to the country. This case aims to present an overview of the strategic management dimensions of the Etihad Rail and the processes involved. This case will analyze whether Etihad’s top management team should make a decision to focus only on freight rail or to include passenger transportation as well. Many questions will be addressed in this paper such as the following: What steps should Etihad take to start passenger rail? Will economical, strategic and environmental aspects affect it? And if so, how? The case will focus on the analysis of the different aspects of Etihad Rail by using strategic management tools as guidance for implementation and determining its success factors. Expected learning outcomes In this case, the students can learn and understand the purpose of commencing cargo rail projects in the region; discuss the mechanisms which help in promoting sustainability and the business growth of Etihad Rail; and identify the challenges and issues freight rail may face in terms of legal, economic and environmental aspects and identify and alternative solutions. Supplementary material Teaching notes are available upon request. Subject code CSS 11: Strategy.

Introduction. This study analyses the economic and management trends of the company Ferrovie Elettriche Abruzzesi SA (FEA), the owner of the concession granted to build and use the Tavo railway from Penne to Pescara, and the tramway service in the city of Pescara from 1925 to 1956. Aim of the work. This study highlights how the management of concessionary companies of secondary railway lines is interconnected with the more general Italian problems of passenger and freight railway traffic management. Methodological approach. An analysis of the company's financial statements, the content of the reports by the technical bodies and the Internal Works Com- mittee, and the company's correspondence with stakeholders facilitated the reconstruction of all the internal and external causes of the crisis. Main findings. The common denominator of the crisis was the associated and growing competition from road traffic and bus services, which led to increas- ingly poor operating results for FEA. The Penne-Pescara line had a low volume of traffic, which was part of the more general ‘rail problem' that characterised Italy. Originality. Delving into the interface of accounting and the history of local pub- lic transport, this study provides a case study of ‘bad practice', which is rarely available in the scientific literature on corporate crises.

Enterprise Resource Plan is the coordination of management and technology, making full use of information and supporting operational decision is the resource of ERP. Huge enterprise need to adapt the management requirement of information age and implement ERP. Beijing Rail Transit Luwang Group implement project management and operate resource is the coordination of ERP concept and software, and put it into practice and operation. Purchasing management module take an important role in the ERP implementation. Material purchase, equipment purchase finance control, all these need to realize in the purchasing management system. So we make research and analyze to the purchasing management, then design and develop for IFS purchasing function module, and achieve the purpose of adjusting the organization structure and implementing function. This article analyzed the factors which affect the ERP implementation in every stage and evaluated the result of implement ERP. And this article also present the all processes from demand analysis to system test. According to the current situation of Luwang Group, we proposed adjustment for the management system which all departments participant, then build the relationship between material requirement with purchase application and contract, in order to promote the efficiency and turnover ratio of spare parts. Improving the material management and ensure the consistence between cash on hand and accounting ledger. Then evaluating the ERP efficiency and summarizing the advantages and problems of internal enterprise, and providing experience for ERP implementation widely.

In city of Pilsen (Czech Republic) modern transport engineering is developed. The Skoda Transportation (production company) has successfully been producing rail and road vehicles for many years (electric locomotives, trams, metro cars, trolleybuses, battery buses). This producer cooperates in developing these vehicles with the Research and Testing Institute (commercial research institute) and with the University of West Bohemia (public university). Fatigue tests are carried out by the Dynamic Testing Laboratory at the Research and Testing Institute and by the Regional Technological Institute, the research center of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the university. The paper describes various fatigue tests and presents their practical realization in the mentioned laboratories.

This paper assessed the operational efficiency as well as the use of valuable resources and strategic capabilities within the rail transport industry/sector in Namibia, with specific reference to TransNamib Holdings Limited. This paper also focuses on the long-term direction of the rail transport sector as well as the causes of poor performance in the sector. The researchers analysed the questionnaires using descriptive statistics. The researchers explored and presented the individual variables to show specific values, highest and lowest values, trends, propositions and distribution values. The major findings from the data collected revealed that available resources and strategic capabilities are effectively utilized to optimize operational efficiency and that the top management does not pay much attention to development of strategic capabilities, customer value, new strategies, corporate governance, risk management, communication, benchmarking, knowledge management etc. It is also evident from that findings that the main causes of poor performance are the lack of strategic direction and long-term objectives, decline in volumes transported, lack of new technologies to create value, lack of funding or financial assistance from the shareholders, lack of performance agreements and measures as well as the aging and poor rail transport infrastructure. It is recommendable that TransNamib Holdings Limited develop strategies to turn around the current situation to transform the company into self-sustaining and profitable organization. The rail transport sector needs restructuring to streamline the business operations, with more focus on core business, secure funding, enhanced customer services, enhance value proposition for road-to-rail strategy, and enhancing stakeholder and shareholder relations.

In modern marketing, analysing and acting on buyers' needs is very important. Companies try to listen to the opinions of consumers because "they are always right". Marketing for commercial logistics plays an important role. All the goods in the world are transported by air, sea, pipeline, road and rail. Based on this, large logistics companies that need customer orders and customers who need their services use modern marketing strategies to sell their services. The consumer wants the company to do everything for him at the highest level. He does not turn to the first company he meets but evaluates the market and chooses the best one. The success of the company depends on which strategy the company chooses. Therefore, analysing these strategies is important for society, and only after analysing many examples used in the modern world will it not make a mistake in its choice. The research aims to analyse the innovative marketing strategies companies use in commercial logistics to sell their products and services successfully. In total, five modern marketing strategies were analysed, which are diametrically different and, due to their uniqueness, specific to different types of companies.

This paper discusses engineering design ideas employed by P. Wirzius Heavy Assembly GmbH of Hinden, Germany, to transport heavy loads across states. In order to find a safe way to cross its bridges, Wirzius enlisted a specialist in getting heavy objects safely to their destinations, Greiner Vehicle Technology, an engineering company based in Neuenstein, Germany. Greiner says it designs systems for transporting large machinery by road or rail. Working with Wirzius, the Greiner company devised a plan to transfer some of the extraordinary vehicle weight to a temporary track system that would channel that part of the load directly to the bridge piers. Engineers working in 3D simulated the system in motion and avoided problems, like collisions, that would otherwise have needed correction later. Crews from Greiner and Wirzius tested the system at the former Butzweilerhof Airport in Ossendorf. A transport vehicle had to transport 295 tons of ballast across a 14S-meter track. The next day, they repeated the test as a demonstration for French motorway authorities.

Freight forwarders typically arrange cargo movement to an international destination. Also referred to as international freight forwarders, they have the expertise that allows them to prepare and process the documentation and perform related activities pertaining to international shipments. Some of the typical information reviewed by a freight forwarder is the commercial invoice, shipper's export declaration, bill of lading and other documents required by the carrier or country of export, import, or transhipment. Much of this information is now processed in a paperless environment. A freight forwarder organizes the safe, efficient movement of goods on behalf of an exporter, importer or another company or person, sometimes including dealing with packing and storage. Taking into account the type of goods and the customers' delivery requirements, freight forwarders arrange the best means of transport, using the services of shipping lines, airlines or road and rail freight operators. In some cases, the freight forwarding company itself provides the service. Companies vary in size and type, from those operating on a national and international basis to smaller, more specialized firms, who deal with particular types of goods or operate within particular geographical areas.

The paper aims to identify the differences in stock prices’ rate of return of companies from transportation industries in 2020, i.e., the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. We focus on the largest companies by market capitalization from airlines, logistics and air freight, marine, rail, and road industries, using Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS). We use Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) to identify the company profile. We conduct the analysis on average weekly rates of return based on daily market prices and use data from Refinitiv Datastream and Yahoo Finance. Based on ANOVA, we confirm that the stock market performance of the largest companies during the COVID-19 pandemic is industry-specific and varies among transportation industries. Moreover, based on descriptive statistics and Tukey Multiple Comparison test (Tukey’s HSD), we reveal that the airlines is the transportation industry that is the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Electric Vehicle Company (EVC) and its affiliated operating entities (1897–1912), along with similar electric taxicab ventures in London and Paris, figured prominently in the early history of the automobile industry. Long dismissed as a quintessential instance of business failure resulting from the choice of inferior technology, the picture of EVC that emerges from new archival evidence suggests a different view. Seen within the continuing electrification of urban transit, traditional centralized approaches to transportation management, and genuine uncertainty about future automotive technology, EVC constituted a significant, if incremental, extension of traditional, service-based concepts of transportation. The goal of the owners of EVC was to offer an integrated, all-electric urban transportation service that included road- and rail-based components. The failure of EVC represented not simply the victory of internal combustion over electric propulsion but also the triumph of a decentralized, product-centered view of mobility, in which individuals owned and operated their own vehicles.

The paper analyzes the relevance of the chosen research topic, in particular, the importance of the freight transportation sector for the development of the Ukrainian economy. The significant impact of a full-scale war on the dynamics of freight transportation and structural changes in this market, which began in 2022, is substantiated. The dynamics of prices for A95 gasoline and diesel fuel for 2022-2024, UAH, is analyzed and analyzed. The dynamics of prices for freight transportation for 2022-2023 is analyzed and substantiated, UAH. The structure of the Ukrainian freight transportation market by export and import of goods as of 2022 is analyzed and analyzed. It is determined that the war affected the rise in fuel prices, which led to higher transportation prices and fuel shortages. It is determined that the largest share in 2022 belonged to rail transport, namely: 50% were exports and 41% were imports. It is determined that most of the cargo was transported by road and rail during the study period. The dynamics of the volume of freight traffic in Ukraine by types of transport for 2021-2022, million tons, is analyzed and substantiated. The paper analyzes the introduction of electronic queues and electronic registration "e-queue". The main problems faced by freight transportation are identified. A way to optimize the costs of enterprises under martial law is proposed. The expediency of introducing digital technologies, which should primarily lead to time savings and faster delivery, is substantiated. The use of a logistics chain management system based on the Digital Twin technology is proposed, the use of which will positively affect the organization of the process of cargo transportation by road and minimize unnecessary costs. The process of implementing Digital Twin in the logistics processes of a carrier company is depicted schematically. Conclusions are drawn about the impact of the war on the development of freight transportation in Ukraine.

The article analyzes the work of personnel departments in international companies. It is noted that the human resources department in the 21st century reached the international level, although even at the end of the 20th century it was mostly local and local in nature. The reason for this was globalization. The Human Resources (HR) department has evolved from a mere administrative function to a more professional, consultative and strategic partner. Previously, HR was primarily responsible for managing employee records, benefits and payroll functions, as well as other operational tasks. Today, the primary responsibility of the HR department is to ensure that employees are motivated and committed to their work and responsibilities, as well as committed to the vision, mission and goals of their organization. And this role is becoming more difficult for HR in multinational corporations (hereinafter TNCs). TNCs have a positive qualitative impact on wages and working conditions, the formation of new skills and knowledge in host countries. The company that became the subject of our work also belongs to the definition of TNC. The human resource function plays an important strategic role in the success of the organization and its further growth. Kuehne+Nagel is an international forwarding company that is a world leader in the logistics services market and occupies the first places in sea logistics, air logistics, contract logistics, international road logistics and rail logistics. Using her example, in this article we will examine the development of HR activity in the company, analyze its weaknesses and strengths, and provide recommendations for further improvement of the company's work.

The railway industry of the Republic of Uzbekistan is currently an emerging market for transport services that integrates into the global economy, primarily in the Asian space. This is explained by the fact that the Republic of Uzbekistan occupies a strategic geographical position in Central Asia and is the center of the region’s geopolitical development, the main transit corridors connecting the North and South, East and West of the continent pass through the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan [1]. When organizing both freight and passenger rail traffic, the issues of ensuring their safety should be considered taking into account the parameters of economic sustainability, which is still not given due attention. Based on the analysis of the indicators and the assessment of traffic safety in JSC “Uzbekistan Temir Yollari”, the authors identified such planning steps as analyzing traffic safety indicators and identifying problems, analyzing the causes of the problems identified, forming the idea of a goal, checking the achievement of a goal, development of options for activities to achieve goals. For each stage, based on the methods of correlation, regression and factor analysis, algorithms for their implementation have been developed. A concept of measures has been developed with the aim of increasing the economic efficiency of traffic safety management depending on the method of control. The authors believe that the implementation of the proposed recommendations for decision-making on road safety is a comprehensive preventive measure to ensure a guaranteed level of economic security in the developing market of Uzbekistan.

Background: The soybean market is representative of the world. Brazil is the largest producer and exporter of this crop and has low production costs but high logistical costs, which are influenced mainly by transport costs. Added to these characteristics, the disputed grain supply, the possibility of crop failure, and the randomness of some parameters that influence the soybean supply chain make decisions even more challenging. Methods: To mathematically model this problem, we carried out an analysis of the scientific production related to grain supply chain and the models used to address the problem, as well as a document analysis and a case study. Results: This paper proposes a new two-stage stochastic linear programming model with fixed recourse for tactical planning in the soybean supply chain from the perspective of the shipper under take or pay contracts over a one-year time horizon. The first-stage variables are the grain purchasing decisions and the volumes of rail and road transportation hired in advance. The model addresses 243 scenarios derived from four uncertainty sources: the purchase and sale prices of raw agricultural products on the spot market, the probability of crop failure, and the external demand. Conclusions: The model is successfully applied to a soybean trade firm in Brazil with expected gain of US$4,299,720 when using the stochastic model instead of the deterministic model. The stochastic model protected the firm from take or pay fines and crop failures, contracting a smaller volume of rail transport than what the company does.

The purpose of the article is to analyze the problems of liquid cargo transportation between Ukraine and the EU countries, due to the non-interoperability of their railway transport systems. The analysis of existing solutions in the intermodal way of transporting liquid cargo was carried out. Their shortcomings are pointed out and their solution proposed by introducing a modular tank container MVO 480.00.110-02 for intermodal transportation of fuels and lubricants (F&L), liquefied petroleum gases (LPG), oil and other liquid cargoes by rail transport of 1435/1520 mm gauges. In the conditions of the ongoing war, there was an acute problem of ensuring the transportation of F&L from EU countries to Ukraine. It was complicated by the different width of the railway track. This required the replacement of tank car bogies at the joints of the 1435/1520 mm railway tracks. In addition, private tank cars had dimensions that are allowed for transportation only on railways with a gauge of 1520 mm. They exceeded the dimensions allowed for transportation on tracks of 1435 mm. This did not allow them to be used for transporting liquid cargo from EU countries. Usually, ISO 1496-3 tank containers with a length of 20 feet are used for intermodal transportation of liquid cargoes by sea, rail and road transport. In connection with the universal purpose and the need for stacking during sea transportation, their dimensions are made much smaller than the dimensions allowed for transportation by rail. Tank containers in the form of removable bodies – Swap Body tank containers are used for intermodal transportation of liquid cargo only by road and rail transport. The article points out the shortcomings of existing cargo units. To eliminate them, our company developed and patented tank containers – modular loading units (MLU) 480.00.110-02. For intermodal transportation of liquid cargo by rail transport of gauge 1435/1520 mm. MLU 480.00.110-02 are made in the form of modular connector complexes, which are assembled from container and cargo modules. The unified platform container model 480.00.010 of the ISO 668 standard, series 1, size and type code 29Р0 is used as a container module. Cargo modules can be mounted on the container module – removable tanks of various specializations for the transportation of various liquid cargoes. This execution of modular loading units made it possible to expand their specialization and increase the volume of tanks by 40 ÷ 45% in comparison with existing cargo units, with the possibility of transportation in the dimensions of the load of tracks of 1435/1520 mm. A comparison of the cost of transportation of liquid cargoes by tank cars, tank trucks and tank containers is given. MLU 480.00.110-02. The technical conditions of NTU 480.00.110-02 on transportation by fitting platforms of tracks of 1435/1520 mm were developed and agreed with the railway administrations of Ukraine and EU countries. An example of the implementation of a modular cargo transport complex for the transportation of liquid cargo on 1435 mm tracks is given. It can be retrofitted in operation by shippers by replacing the removable tank with a removable tank of the desired specialization, or by replacing the 1435 mm track fitting platform with a 1520 mm track fitting platform. Modular cargo transport complexes are an intermodal alternative to specialized tank cars, which is extremely necessary to ensure the transportation of liquid cargo between Ukraine and the EU countries.

The long-standing critical requirement of exploring alternate means to road and rail transport,for movement of essential commodities and commercial items, across Pakistan came to the forefront owing to various studies on the subject. This was reflected in the National Transport Policy, promulgated in 2018. Accordingly, the implementation of developing Inland Water Transportation Authority is in progress, as the government is expected to legislate on the matter. Inland waterways play a vital role in economic development,especially for remote rural areas. Focus on this sector would open new vistas of development along the banks of various waterways, and its extent can be enhanced in the regional context, up to the Kabul River in Afghanistan.This paper highlights the spadework done up till now and points at the impediments to making Pakistan’s in land water transport system workable while proving a cost-effective solution to ever-increasing cargo traffic. The paper analyses the potential of the Indus River, along with various tributaries and canals associated with irrigation of the vast plains of Pakistan. The projected insufficiency of water throughout the year in the system is discussed considering available data and records based on historical perspective. The establishment of Indus Water Transport Company by the Government of the Punjab, and achievements thus far have been underscored.

Objective: show the prospects of using an innovative type of public urban transport - a digital tram on tires with optical guidance along a strip marked on the road or using magnetic markers along the route, as attractive to passengers, cheaper in the arrangement of lines, as well as requiring less time to build than rail tram for urban transportation, allowing to relieve city roads from traffic jams and improve their ecology. Methods: an analysis and generalization of the operating experience of new digital trams built by the Chinese company CRRC, operated in the cities of China: Zhuzhou, Yibin, Yongxiu, Yancheng and Shanghai, as well as the most advanced designs of the operating rolling stock. Results: the operation of the tire tram revealed a number of problems: after a year of operation, severe rutting appeared on a dedicated lane of the road, speeds and capacity were lower than declared. The construction of new tire tram lines required costs for strengthening the roadway, which was not originally intended by the manufacturer. The possibility of their use in winter climate conditions on roads covered with ice and snow has not been proven. Further testing is required to identify and eliminate emerging deficiencies. Practical significance: despite a number of identified shortcomings, it is advisable to use a digital tire tram for cities with a warm climate, with complex terrain and narrow streets as a medium-capacity vehicle that can improve the mobility and quality of life of citizens, as well as reduce the negative impact on the environment. It is advisable to lay it in new residential areas and industrial zones under construction, as well as to use it for mass transportation of passengers in the event of any major one-time events: major exhibitions, forums, Olympic Games, world football championships, etc.

Bus transport in Dublin has been and continues to be perceived as a poor alternative to the car. It is generally seen as the “poor person’s” mode of transport, with many people upgrading to a car as soon as they can afford to do so. The result has been a significant increase in traffic congestion fueled by the recent period of economic growth during which car ownership levels have risen from 238 per 1,000 in 1991 to 350 per 1,000 in 1999. One of the main difficulties facing the state-owned bus company is that buses compete with cars for inadequate road space. In 1995, the Dublin Transportation Initiative proposed a new public transport strategy incorporating light rail transit and what they described as quality bus corridors (QBCs). To date, 9 out of 11 QBCs have been implemented. The characteristics of a QBC include a dedicated lane between 0700 to 1900 in most cases, although some 24-hour bus corridors also exist. Although there is no physical separation between the bus lane and other lanes, enforcement by the police is strict and there is a relatively low level of noncompliance. The QBC concept is described in more detail and the effects since introduction in Dublin are discussed, particularly with regard to travel times, passenger numbers, and reliability of service frequency. Future plans for bus transport in Dublin are mentioned, highlighting the significant contribution buses will be expected to make in solving Dublin’s transport problems.

The study focusses on the transport sector, where company participation level is measured at approximately 20% of levy paying enterprises, and this level is mostly based on relatively high levels of participation from large and medium-sized companies. The study explores the relationship between Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) and the companies within the sectors they are mandated to serve by researching the Transport Education Training Authority (TETA) maritime subsector. The research focus is on small companies and the focus is specifically on the low rate of participation of smaller entities in the skills development landscape. The consequences of the lack of participation are investigated and the study concludes that the SETA’s ability to effectively research its sector skills, as well as the SETAs ability to provide effective skills planning in support of the national agenda, are both negatively affected by current levels of poor participation. The research was conducted on small fishing companies registered with TETA, in order to determine the reasons for low participation in the government’s mandatory grant scheme. The research is survey-based across participating and non-participating small companies. In addition, it is proposed that the elements contained herein are transferable to other subsectors of the transport economy (e.g. air, road and rail), and to the multitude of other SETAs that have small companies registered with them. Succinctly, there is no financial incentive to a small company to participate, the SETAs should consider incentives schemes to increase participation that is project-based and allows for subsidised training. The value of an improved Sector Skills Plan (SSP) that matches the skills needs of the sector increases the likelihood of projects having a meaningful impact on the sector and reduces fruitless and wasteful expenditure in the sector. The small business environment has huge potential to assist in skills development, a skilled workforce, improved productivity and reducing unemployment. The findings and solutions are important tools for taking the maritime development agenda forward.

The article examines the peculiarities of logistics in the construction industry. The prospects for the development of industry logistics are associated with the use of outsourcing in the supply of construction companies. Decisions on managing supply chains for construction materials are systematized, and decisions made by logistics providers and construction industry organizations are identified. The possibility of reducing the amount of costs in the activities of construction companies is proposed through the analysis of processes based on classical concepts and their transformation into logistic concepts of organization. Additionally, according to the concepts of key competencies and business process reengineering, it is proposed that companies establish the best source of competitive advantage by making key processes as efficient and cost-effective as possible, while non-key processes can be outsourced to gain additional competitive advantage. Businesses are interested in reducing inventory holding costs, as analysts confirm the fact that inventory storage costs companies at least 25% of their book value per year. The practice of applying logistics proves its effectiveness. In a number of works, data on the effectiveness of logistics have been published. In one of them it is noted that, according to experts (expert assessment), the use of logistics allows to reduce the level of stocks by 30–50%; reduce product movement time by 25–45%; reduce repeat warehouse transportation by 1.5–2.0 times; reduce costs for road transportation by 7–20%, and for rail transportation by up to 12%. Logistics, developing at enterprises of various branches of the economy, acquires specific branch features. In construction, it has a number of features, among which the rather low level of logistics as a branch of the national economy of Ukraine stands out. To optimize costs in the supply chain, it is recommended to consider various decisions made by both the construction company being serviced and the logistics provider. Specifically, the construction company is required to specify logistic service requirements that are determined by plans and schedules for construction work, specifications dictated by construction technology, as well as cost, time, and quality characteristics of the expected service.

The presented study identifies modern trends in the innovative development of transport modes as the basis for the formation of a transition economy in the Eurasian space.Aim. The study aims to determine directions for the innovative development of transport modes based on the formation of a unified digital transport and logistics environment, and to find the most efficient ways of regulating financial flows from the transit passage of goods.Tasks. The authors develop and implement mechanisms for generating, distributing, and redistributing income from the functioning of a transit economy in the Eurasian territory in the context of automation, robotization, digital transformation, implementation of artificial intelligence, and transition towards paperless and unmanned technology.Methods. This study uses the methods of systems analysis, evolutionary-institutional theory, the theory of engineering and manufacturing balance, and historical approach.Results. The following directions for the automation and digital transformation of rail cargo transport in the Eurasian space are determined: reduction of the time spent on completing procedures at borders and stations; innovative development of the railroad infrastructure in the neighboring countries; automation of transportation, implementation of unmanned technologies; overcoming negative trends in the transportation of perishable items. Directions for the development and production of an innovative rolling stock for cargo transit are identified. Directions for the innovative development of road, sea, and air transport in the Eurasian space are analyzed, including the development of piggyback (raidroad) transport and uberization of the road cargo transport market. It is found that construction and commissioning of ice-class container ships is an innovative direction in the development of sea transport that transports cargo between Asia and Europe. The main direction in the development of air transport involves expanding consolidation and distribution cargo operations when flying over the Eurasian territory.Conclusions. Innovative transit transport systems (ITTS) are developing rapidly, which calls for the development and implementation of a mechanism for generating, distributing, and redistributing income from the transit of goods and passengers. This should be a corporate mechanism, i.e. it should be implemented via public-private partnership. The Eurasian Transit Transport Company could act as such a corporate structure in the Eurasian space. The most efficient way of distributing income from the functioning of a transit economy among the majority of economic agents is to develop the associated and related production of goods and services on a high-tech basis and to form a vast innovative industrial trade-route belt.

The transport and logistics complex of Kazakhstan, international transport corridors and bridges provide a linkage in the formation of the Eurasian transcontinental bridge and ensuring the sustainable development of Kazakhstan. A modern transport and logistics system provides a highly efficient transport network within the country, an increase in cargo traffic in the territory of Kazakhstan, coordination of all modes of transport, development of the local transport infrastructure in the regions and integration of Kazakhstan transport infrastructure into the global transport system. Currently, the logistics sector has accumulated a set of problems. This problem concerns the technical and technological modernization of the transport system, which implies the reequipment of transport fleet and, accordingly, the technical and technological improvement of transport infrastructure. Kazakhstan adopts the experience of foreign countries, which use innovative transport technologies. Innovative technologies allow reducing transport costs and expanding regional cooperation. Kazakhstan has implemented an effective satellite tracking and monitoring system of transport and the latest information technologies. Kazakhstan cooperates with China in the field of transport and logistics, and develops transport and transit infrastructure, which makes it possible to service cargo flows with Europe. According to the Government Program of Development and Integration of Transport System Infrastructure until 2020, Kazakhstan attaches great importance to the development and renewal of rail, road, air, and water transport. Therefore, we propose to implement a set of measures aimed at developing the infrastructure of the transport and logistics complex in Kazakhstan. It is necessary to reequip the transport fleet, improve the technical and technological characteristics of transport infrastructure, develop multimodal transport technologies and improve roadside service. Based on public-private partnership, it is necessary to form a fund that would support the development of the national transport and logistics complex, the growth of transit traffic and the growth of tourism in the country. We propose to develop transit transport, logistics enterprises, logistics centers, warehouses, to implement national standards for logistics services. The United Transport and Logistics Company of Kazakhstan is required to establish a unified platform for transport and logistics services both in Kazakhstan and abroad. Such a company will provide data on transport routes, which will allow a client to choose the fastest route, improve the service of logistic services and shorten the delivery time, cost, safety and stability of cargo.

Recently, in the countries of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Persian Gulf, much attention has been paid to improving railway transport using the latest technologies and achievements of science and technology. For economic, social and environmental reasons, the development of this type of transport is becoming one of the main tasks of the governments of these countries.A modern rail network will connect all GCC countries and provide another mobility option besides road, air and sea transport for both passengers and cargo in the region. The new national project is expected to make a significant contribution to the economy and prosperity of the countries in the region.The development of the transport system in this region, taking into account economic and climatic features, is justified by the state transport strategy to achieve global indicators not only of traditional safety, accessibility and quality of transportation, but also of environmental friendliness, multimodality and speed.As part of the long-term development of the transport system, among the priorities of the governments of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar is the use of a vacuum maglev transport system to launch ultrahigh-speed train traffic by putting into operation the fastest train in the world with a speed of up to 1100 km/h, the project executor is an American company Hyperloop. The journey between Dubai and Riyadh will last only 48 minutes, the project becomes the main competitor to the highly developed air transport, and the train of the future will be the first means of transport between the Gulf countries.The relevance of the project lies in the integration of the economy and life of the people of the countries of the region, increasing the mobility of citizens and residents, creating an attractive platform for companies, manufacturers, resources and human capital, supporting joint investments between countries, as well as developing the tourism industry and environmental protection.

Fractogram analysis shows that deep scratches, particles of titanium and chromium carbides and other elements were found on the friction surfaces. Moreover, in the braking devices there was damage to the large size of the brake pads of trucks. The transfer of particles of borides and carbides to the surface of the wheels can be explained by the processes of metal flooding with their subsequent embrittlement, which inevitably leads, as a rule, to the destruction of friction wheel pairs. It is established that such types of wear as fretting corrosion significantly (by 1.5-2 times) reduce the fatigue limit of parts. Also significantly reduce the cyclic strength of metal friction pairs oxide films on their surface in the absence of lubricant. The service life of friction wheel pairs has a particularly strong impact on fatigue strength. The main reason for the decrease in endurance due to the processes of setting on the working surfaces of friction units is a high concentration of stresses caused by deep tears, cuts, microcracks. The process of destruction of brake pads from fatigue begins from the surface of the part. In this regard, the quality of the surface, its structural-phase composition, physical and mechanical properties of the surface layer in most cases are decisive for the intensity of the development of wear processes of parts from fatigue of the tribosystem (friction wheel pairs), which are operated under cyclic loads. The peculiarity of the influence of friction and wear processes on the fatigue strength of metal is that at the time of running-in there is a change in surface roughness, structure and properties of surface layers. As the analysis of literature sources has shown, the effectiveness of the influence of friction and wear processes on the characteristics of fatigue resistance in the case of repeatedly alternating (cyclic) loads is essential, and therefore ignoring this effect during the traditional assessment of the reliability of parts by individual criteria, for example, wear resistance, often leads to an incorrect assessment of the operational durability of the elements of the tribological system of road or rail transport. The long-term (cyclic) strength of brake pads was determined on a specialized unit model 1251 by Instron company (Great Britain). The basis for spraying and surfacing of different types of coatings was normalized steel 35. Tensile-compressive deformations at zero average stress and a cycle frequency of 20 Hz were studied on the laboratory unit. Most of the tests were carried out in salt solutions (NaCℓ of industrial purity was used).The process of destruction of brake pads from fatigue begins with the surface of the part. In this regard, the quality of the surface, its structural-phase composition, physical and mechanical properties of the surface layer in most cases are decisive for the intensity of the development of wear processes of parts from fatigue of the tribosystem (friction wheel pairs), which are operated under cyclic loads. Endurance limits in the case of simultaneous exposure to friction forces and cyclic loads will depend on the sliding speed of the tangent surfaces of the normal contact load, which determines the friction force, and the composition of the environment.

Spiro Munayyer's account begins immediately after the United Nations General Assembly partition resolution of 29 November 1947 and culminates in the cataclysmic four days of Lydda's conquest by the Israeli army (10-14 July 1948) during which 49,000 of Lydda's 50,000 inhabitants ("swollen" with refugees) were forcefully expelled, the author himself being one of those few allowed to remain in his hometown. Although the author was not in a position of political or military responsibility, he was actively involved in Lydda's resistance movement both as the organizer of the telephone network linking up the various sectors of Lydda's front lines and as a volunteer paramedic, in which capacity he accompanied the city's defenders in most of the battles in which they took part. The result is one of the very few detailed eye-witness accounts that exists from the point of view of an ordinary Palestinian layman of one of the most important and tragic episodes of the 1948 war. The conquest of Lydda (and of its neighbor, Ramla, some five kilometers to the south) was the immediate objective of Operation Dani-the major offensive launched by the Israeli army at the order of Ben-Gurion during the so-called "Ten Days" of fighting (8-18 July 1948), between the First Truce (11 June-8 July) and the Second Truce (which started on 18 July and lasted, in theory, until the armistice agreements of 1949). The further objective of Operation Dani was to outflank the Transjordanian Arab Legion positions at Latrun (commanding the defile at Bab al-Wad, where the road from the coast starts climbing toward Jerusalem) in order to penetrate central Palestine and capture Rumallah and Nablus. Lydda and Ramla and the surrounding villages fell within the boundaries of the Arab state according to the UNGA partition resolution. Despite their proximity to Tel Aviv and the fall of many Palestinian towns since April (Tiberias, Haifa, Jaffa, Safad, Acre, and Baysan), they had held out until July even though little help had reached them from the Arab armies entering on 15 May. Their strategic importance was enormous because of their location at the intersection of the country's main north-south and west-east road and rail lines. Palestine's largest British army camp at Sarafand was a few kilometers west of Lydda, its main international airport an equal distance to the north, its central railway junction at Lydda itself. Ras al-Ayn, fifteen kilometers north of Lydda, was the main source of Jerusalem's water supply, while one of the largest British depots was at Bayt Nabala, seven kilometers to its northeast. The Israeli forces assembled for Operation Dani were put under the overall command of Yigal Allon, the Palmach commander. They consisted of the two Palmach brigades (Yiftach and Harel, the latter under the command of Yitzhak Rabin), the Eighth Armored Brigade composed of the Second Tank Battalion and the Ninth Commando Battalion (the former under the command of Yitzhak Sadeh, founder of the Palmach, the latter under that of Moshe Dayan), the Second Battalion Kiryati Brigade, the Third Battalion Alexandroni Brigade, and several units of the Kiryati Garrison Troops (Khayl Matzav). The Eighth Armored Brigade had a high proportion of World War II Jewish veterans volunteering from the United States, Britain, France, and South Africa (under the so-called MAHAL program), while its two battalions also included 700 members of the Irgun Zva'i Le'umi (IZL). The total strength of the Israeli attackers was about 8,000 men. The only regular Arab troops defending Lydda (and Ramla) was a minuscule force of 125 men-the Fifth Infantry Company of the Transjordanian Arab Legion. The defenders of Lydda (and Ramla) were volunteer civilian residents, like the author, under the command of a retired sergeant who had served in the Arab Legion. The reason for the virtual absence of Arab regular troops in the Lydda-Ramla sector was that the Arab armies closest to it (the Egyptian in the south, the Arab Legion in the east, and the Iraqi in the north) were already overstretched. The Egyptian northernmost post was at Isdud, thirty-two kilometers north of Gaza and a like distance southeast of Ramla-Lydda as the crow flies. The Iraqi southernmost post was at Ras al-Ayn, where they were weakest. And although the Arab Legion was in strength some fifteen kilometers due east at Latrun, the decision had been taken not to abandon its positions on the hills between Ras al-Ayn and Latrun for fear of being outflanked and cut off by the superior Israeli forces in the plains where Lydda and Ramla were situated. Indeed, as General Glubb, commander of the Arab Legion, informs us, he had told King Abdallah and the Transjordanian prime minister Tawfiq Abu Huda even before the end of the Mandate on 15 May that the Legion did not have the forces to hold and defend Lydda and Ramla against Israeli attacks despite the fact that these towns were in the area assigned to the Arabs by the UNGA partition resolution. This explains the token force of the Arab Legion-the Fifth Infantry Company. Thus, the fate of Lydda (and Ramla) was sealed the moment Operation Dani was launched. The Israeli forces did not attack Lydda from the west (where Lydda's defenses facing Tel Aviv were strongest), as the garrison commander Sergeant Hamza Subh expected. Instead, they split into two main forces, northern and southern, which were to rendezvous at the Jewish colony of Ben Shemen east of Lydda and then advance on Lydda from there. After capturing Lydda from the east they were to advance on Ramla, attacking it from the north while making feints against it from the west. Operation Dani began on the night of 9-10 July. Simultaneously with the advance of the ground troops, Lydda and Ramla were bombed from the air. In spite of the surprise factor, the defenders in the eastern sector of Lydda put up stout resistance throughout the 10th against vastly superior forces attacking from Ben Shemen in the north and the Arab village of Jimzu to the south. In the afternoon, Dayan rode with his Commando Battalion of jeeps and half-tracks through Lydda in a hit-and-run raid lasting under one hour "shooting up the town and creating confusion and a degree of terror among the population," as the Jewish brothers Jon and David Kimche put it. This discombobulated the defenders, some of whom surrendered. But the following morning (11 July) a small force of three Arab Legion armored cars entered Lydda, their mission being to help in the evacuation of the beleaguered Fifth Infantry Company. Their sudden appearance both panicked the Israeli troops and rallied the defenders who had not surrendered. The Israeli army put down what it subsequently described as the city's "uprising" with utmost brutality, leaving in a matter of hours in the city's streets about 250 civilian dead in an orgy of indiscriminate killing. Resistance continued sporadically during the 12th and 13th of July, its focus being Lydda's police station, which was finally overrun. As of 11 July, the Israeli army began the systematic expulsion of the residents of Lydda and Ramla (the latter having fallen on 12 July) toward the Arab Legion lines in the east. Also expelled were the populations of some twenty-five villages conquered during Operation Dani, making a total of some 80,000 expellees-the largest single instance of deliberate mass expulsion during the 1948 war. Most of the expellees were women, children, and elderly men, most of the able-bodied men having been taken prisoner. Memories of the trek of the Lydda and Ramla refugees is branded in the collective consciousness of the Palestinians. The Palestinian historian Aref al-Aref, who interviewed survivors at the time, estimates that 350 died of thirst and exhaustion in the blazing July sun, when the temperature was one hundred degrees in the shade. The reaction of public opinion in Ramallah and East Jerusalem at the sight of the new arrivals was to turn against the Arab Legion for its failure to help Lydda and Ramla. Arab Legion officers and men were stoned, loudly hissed at and cursed, a not unintended outcome by the person who gave the expulsion order, David Ben-Gurion, and the man who carried it out, Yitzhak Rabin, director of operations for Operation Dani.

Railways have been used throughout history for the transportation of goods. Even though the inception of rail transport improved civilization, due to its inefficiencies, road transport is at present dominating the freight and logistics industry. Company A, which has the largest market share in the rail freight business, has embarked on projects to improve rail efficiencies by moving higher volumes of freight timeously. Most of the projects embarked on by Company A have failed largely due to the poor planning of the projects in the feasibility stages. Most of the planning schedules are overoptimistic and unrealistic making them unreliable and difficult to track. The scope of this study was to investigate the way in which planning schedules of Company A are developed by undertaking a schedule risk analysis on one of the planning schedules titled 'Design of railway exchange yard' and using Monte Carlo simulation to validate the schedule. If projects of Company A can be planned better, using schedule risk analysis, projects can become more successful and completed within the required time frame.

This study highlighted the importance of determining the impact that an ineffective mode of transport has on a firm’s transportation model and costs. The main focus of this study was to determine the logistics opportunity costs of using road transport within a mining firm. A case study approach was followed, as the investigation aimed to analyse a complex problem experienced by one company and present it in an easily understandable format. From the results of this study, it was apparent that the logistics opportunity costs associated with the mode of transport was substantial. This highlighted the need for firms to revise their choice of transport mode on a regular basis, as it has a major impact not only on their transportation costs, but also on their inventory holding and carbon emissions. The results also have implications for South Africa’s only freight railway, Transnet Freight Rail, which should not only focus on expanding its existing capacity, but also on improving its customer service delivery whilst containing tariff increases.

This paper introduces implementation of the new project known as African Satellite Augmentation System (ASAS) for Africa and Middle East, designed by the CNS Systems Company and its research group supported by partners. The ASAS project as Regional Satellite Augmentation Systems (RSAS) will provide service for maritime, land (road and rail), and aeronautical applications. Thus, with existing and other newly designed RSAS networks, it will be integrated in Global Satellite Augmentation System (GSAS) with new Satellite Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) for improved Ship Traffic Control (STC) and Ship Traffic Management (STM). This System also enhances safety and emergency systems, transport security and control of ocean shipping freight, logistics and the security of the crew and passengers onboard ships and fishing vessels as well. The current CNS infrastructures of the first generation of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS-1) applications are represented by old fundamental solutions for Position, Velocity, and Time (PVT) of the satellite navigation and determination systems, such as the US GPS and Russian (former USSR) GLONASS military requirements, respectively. The establishment of Space, Ground, and User segment, including Local Satellite Augmentation System (LSAS), are discussed as a new basic infrastructures for maritime and other mobile applications, which will be integrated with RSAS in the future GSAS network.

The paper examines the export of grain cargo (for example, wheat) for the company "Nibulon". The authors considered the delivery of wheat from the grain elevators of the Nibulon company to Asian countries, with which a contract for the supply of grain with an intermediate stage-transshipment in the ports of Odessa, Yuzhny and Nikolaev. The task of the supplier company is to ensure that the conditions for grain delivery are met in accordance with the concluded contracts with importing countries, as well as to select transshipment ports and justify the type of vehicles used in the delivery of grain cargo flow from grain elevators to transshipment ports, by forming optimal delivery schemes.The specified cargo is transported from elevators to transshipment ports by rail, road and river transport. In international traffic, transportation is carried out by sea transport. To calculate the logistics schemes for the delivery of export cargo, an economic and mathematical model of a two-stage transport problem was formed. The article formulated the transport problem of grain delivery from grain elevators through transshipment ports to the destination country (port). Cargo delivery is carried out in a mixed connection (Sea part of the way and land). Cargo transshipment can be carried out in ports. A route of cargo delivery from senders to recipients was chosen,and a mode of transport that provides overall minimal costs. As a result of solving the problem according to the compiled economic and mathematical model, logistics schemes for the delivery of export cargo flow of wheat from the grain elevators of the Nibulon company through the ports of the Black Sea region to the importing countries of the Asian region were formed. The calculated economic effect showed that using the new optimal route, it is possible not only to get the previous profit, but also to reduce transportation costs on all routes. Taking into account the share of cargo traffic assigned to river transport, we can conclude that grain transportation along the Dnieper river by river transport is a promising option for the development of river export grain logistics in Ukraine.

Against a background characterized by railways liberalization and by politics will to reduce road transport externalities, most major shipping lines have made announcements of their intention to integrate the inland segments of the intermodal chain of transport. What does it mean really? Why should the inland legs attract such intense attention from sea carriers? How will they adjust their strategies in each particular country where progress towards rail deregulation and privatization differ so widely? Such are the issues we propose to address in this paper.Our analysis will be based on a case study: Rail Link ( RL) which is a CMA-CGM subsidiary engaged in the development of rail extensions to the maritime core business of the company. The case is interesting because RL operates in two European countries, the UK and France, which are reacting to deregulation in opposite ways. We highlight the motivations lying behind the strategies which are developed in the UK and France. In both of these countries operators adopt a policy of co-operation and not of integration. On the one hand under the UK "liberal" concept, long-term contracts are being introduced and the commercial risk exposure is shared between the combined operator and the client. At the same time all the parties will derive benefits from the cost reductions, but the risk will exist that smaller shipping companies and smaller ports could be ousted. On the other hand in France, the commercial risk exposure remains on the combined operator’s side, and the conditions of contracts are clearly playing in favor of the clients. Dans un contexte marqué par la volonté de libéralisation et de report modal, la plupart des grandes compagnies maritimes ont annoncé leur intention d’intégrer les segments terrestres de la chaîne de transport intermodal. Quelle est la réalité de ces annonces ? Pourquoi les dessertes terrestres attirent-elles tant l’attention des armateurs ? Comment ajustent-ils leurs stratégies aux contextes particuliers de chacun des pays en fonction du degré de libéralisation effective des chemins de fer ? Où en sont-ils réellement de leur implication dans le transport ferroviaire ? Ce sont les questions auxquelles nous essaierons de répondre dans cet article.Notre analyse se base sur l’étude du cas de Rail Link (RL), filiale de la compagnie maritime CMA-CGM engagée dans le développement ferroviaire. Le cas est intéressant parce que RL opère dans deux pays européens, Royaume-Uni et France, qui ont réagi de façon totalement opposée aux directives de libéralisation des chemins de fer. Nous mettrons en valeur les motivations qui conduisent à la définition des stratégies développées respectivement au Royaume-Uni et en France et les politiques de coopération mises en place au contraire de l’intégration qu’on aurait pu attendre. On assiste bien à une intégration des services, un seul opérateur est capable de proposer l’ensemble du service, mais pas à une intégration des moyens de production - aucun ou de très faibles investissements.Derrière le " concept libéral " du Royaume-Uni, des contrats long terme sont introduits et la prise de risque commercial est partagée entre l’opérateur de transport combiné et le client. Toutes les parties tireront des avantages des réductions du coût, mais le risque existe pour les plus petites compagnies maritimes et les plus petits ports d’être évincés. En France, le risque commercial repose sur l’opérateur combiné plutôt que sur le client et finalement sur l’entreprise ferroviaire et le gestionnaire d’infrastructure, et les conditions des contrats jouent clairement en faveur des clients.

The legal status of port stevedoring operators in the seaports of Ukraine is regulated by the Code of Merchant Shipping, the Law of Ukraine «On Seaports оf Ukraine» and the Rules for the provision of sea services in the ports of Ukraine. Port activity is an integral part of the sphere of merchant shipping and its legal regulation is associated with activities that are part of the concept of merchant shipping. The world transport system, which includes ports, operates in conditions of intensified competition between national systems, between different modes of transport, namely between sea and land. Both containerized and non-containerized lines operate in multimodal mode today. Working as part of a multimodal scheme requires seaports −stevedores to be competitive, both in relation to the subjects of movement of goods, and to the ports included in other logistics chains. Stevedoring activities are part of economic activities. Itshould be considered as the activity of business entities, which is associated with the loading and unloading of ships, aimed at generating income, is regular, permanent, significant, that is, it coincides with the definition of entrepreneurial activity. Stevedoring activities include a production and technological component and an organizational and economic component. As a reality on the grounds of modernization in the development of the world port distribution system, the process of attracting private capital not only in the development of port infrastructure, but also in the actual stevedoring activities. State stevedores operate on the territory of each seaport. The port operator, the terminal operator provide services for freight operations with goods transported by water, rail, road and pipeline modes of transport, as well as other related work at the request of the client. That is, there are two definitions regarding the executor of cargo operations. These are the port operator and the terminal operator. In the seaports of Ukraine, the list of port operators, terminal operators in each seaport, as well as the list of services provided is determined in the register of seaports of Ukraine. Based on this rule, the executor of cargo operations can be only port operators, terminal operators, whose range is limited to the register.Keywords: merchant shipping, stevedoring company, port operator, seaport, terminal operator

In the contemporary urban environment of mass transit, it falls to a small group of public officers to keep large number of travellers safe. The small size of their force and the often limited powers they exert mean that these public safety ‘transit officers’ must project more authority and control than they really have. It is this ambience of authority and control which, in most situations they encounter and seek to influence, is enough to keep the public safe. This paper examines the ambience of a group of transit officers working on the railway lines of an Australian capital city. We seek to show how transit officers are both influenced by, and seek to influence, the ambience of their workplace and the public spaces they inhabit whilst on duty, and here we take ambience to apply to the surrounding atmosphere, the aura, and the emotional environment of a place or situation: the setting, tone, or mood. For these transit officers to keep the public safe, they must themselves remain safe. A transit officer who is disabled in a confrontation with a violent offender is unable to provide protection to his or her passengers. Thus, in the culture of the transit officers, their own workplace safety takes on a higher significance. It affects not just themselves. The ambience exuded by transit officers, and how transit officers see their relationship with the travelling public, their management and other organisational work groups, is an important determinant of their work group’s safety culture. Researching the Working Lives of Transit Officers in Perth Our discussion draws on an ethnographic study of the working lives and communication cultures of transit officers (TOs) employed by the Public Transport Authority (PTA) of Western Australia (WA). Transit officers have argued that to understand fully the challenges of their work it is necessary to spend time with them as they undertake their daily duties: roster in, roster out. To this end, the research team and the employer organisation secured an ARC Linkage Grant in partnership with the PTA to fund doctoral candidate and ethnographer Christine Teague to research the workers’ point of view, and the workers’ experiences within the organisation. The two-hundred TOs are unique in the PTA. Neither of the other groups who ride with them on the trains, the drivers and revenue protection staff (whose sole job is to sell and check tickets), experiences the combination of intense contact with passengers, danger of physical injury or group morale. The TOs of the PTA in Perth operate from a central location at the main train station and the end stations on each line. Here there are change lockers where they can lock up their uniforms and equipment such as handcuffs and batons when not on duty, an equipment room where they sign out their radios, and ticket-checking machines. At the main train station there is also a gym, a canteen and holding cells for offenders they detain. From these end stations and central location, the TOs fan out across the network to all suburbs where they either operate from stations or onboard the trains. The TOs also do ‘delta van’ duty providing rapid, mobile back-up support for their colleagues on stations or trains, and providing transport for arrested persons to the holding cell or police lock up. TOs are on duty whenever the trains are running–but the evenings and nights are when they are mainly rostered on. This is when trouble mostly occurs. The TOs’ work ends only after the final train has completed its run and all offenders who may require detaining and charging have been transferred into police custody. While the public perceive that security is the TOs’ most frequent role, much of the work involves non-confrontational activity such as assisting passengers, checking tickets and providing a reassuring presence. One way to deal with an ambiguous role is to claim an ambience of power and authority regardless. Various aspects of the TO role permit and hinder this, and the paper goes on to consider aspects of ambience in terms of fear and force, order and safety, and role confusion. An Ambience of Fear and Force The TOs are responsible for front-line security in WA’s urban railway network. Their role is to offer a feeling of security for passengers using the rail network after the bustle of the work day finishes, and is replaced by the mainly recreational travels of the after hours public. This is the time when some passengers find the prospect of evening travel on the public transport rail network unsettling–so unsettling that it was a 2001 WA government election promise (WA Legislative Council) that every train leaving the city centre after 7pm would have two TOs riding on it. Interestingly, recruitment levels have never been high enough for this promise to be fully kept. The working conditions of the TOs reflect the perception, and to an extent, the reality that some late night travel on public transport involves negotiating an edgy ambience with an element of risk, rubbing shoulders with people who may be loud, rowdy, travelling in a group, and or drug and alcohol affected. As Fred (all TO names are pseudonyms) comments: You’re not dealing with rational people, you’re not dealing with ‘people’: most of the people you’re dealing with are either drunk or under the influence of drugs, so they’re not rational, they don’t hear you, they don’t understand what you’re saying, they just have no sense of what’s right or wrong, you know? Especially being under the influence, so I mean, you can talk till you’re blue in the face with somebody who’s drunk or on drugs, I mean, all you have to say is one thing. ‘Oh, can I see your ticket please’, ‘oh, why do I need a fucking ticket’, you know? They just don’t get simple everyday messages. Dealing with violence and making arrest is a normal part of this job. Jo described an early experience in her working life as a TO:Within the first week of coming out of course I got smacked on the side of the head, but this lady had actually been certified, like, she was nuts. She was completely mental and we were just standing on the train talking and I’ve turned around to say something to my partner and she was fine, she was as calm as, and I turned around and talked to my partner and the next thing I know I ended up with her fist to the side of my head. And I went ‘what the hell was that’? And she went off, she went absolutely ballistic. I ended up arresting her because it was assault on an officer whether she was mental or not so I ended up arresting her.Although Jo here is describing how she experienced an unprovoked assault in the early days of her career as a TO, one of the most frequent precursors to a TO injury occurs when the TO is required to make an arrest. The injury may occur when the passenger to be arrested resists or flees, and the TO gives chase in dark or treacherous circumstances such as railway reserves and tunnels, or when other passengers, maybe friends or family of the original person of concern, involve themselves in an affray around the precipitating action of the arrest. In circumstances where capsicum spray is the primary way of enforcing compliance, with batons used as a defence tool, group members may feel that they can take on the two TOs with impunity, certainly in the first instance. Even though there are security cameras on trains and in stations, and these can be cued to cover the threatening or difficult situations confronting TOs, the conflict is located in the here-and-now of the exchanges between TOs and the travelling public. This means the longer term consequence of trouble in the future may hold less sway with unruly travellers than the temptation to try to escape from trouble in the present. In discussing the impact of remote communications, Rubert Murdoch commented that these technologies are “a powerful influence for civilised behaviour. If you are arranging a massacre, it will be useless to shoot the cameraman who has so inconveniently appeared on the scene. His picture will already be safe in the studio five thousand miles away and his final image may hang you” (Shawcross 242). Unfortunately, whether public aggression in these circumstances is useless or not, the daily experience of TOs is that the presence of closed circuit television (CCTV) does not prevent attacks upon them: nor is it a guarantee of ‘civilised behaviour’. This is possibly because many of the more argumentative and angry members of the public are dis-inhibited by alcohol or other drugs. Police officers can employ the threat or actual application of stun guns to control situations in which they are outnumbered, but in the case of TOs they can remain outnumbered and vulnerable until reinforcements arrive. Such reinforcements are available, but the situation has to be managed through the communication of authority until the point where the train arrives at a ‘manned’ station, or the staff on the delta vehicle are able to support their colleagues. An Ambience of Order and Safety Some public transport organisations take this responsibility to sustain an ambience of order more seriously than others. The TO ethnographer, Christine Teague, visited public transport organisations in the UK, USA and Canada which are recognised as setting world-class standards for injury rates of their staff. In the USA particularly, there is a commitment to what is called ‘the broken windows’ theory, where a train is withdrawn from service promptly if it is damaged or defaced (Kelling and Coles; Maple and Mitchell). According to Henry (117): The ‘Broken Windows’ theory suggests that there is both a high correlation and a causal link between community disorder and more serious crime: when community disorder is permitted to flourish or when disorderly conditions or problems are left untended, they actually cause more serious crime. ‘Broken windows’ are a metaphor for community disorder which, as Wilson and Kelling (1982) use the term, includes the violation of informal social norms for public behaviour as well as quality of life offenses such as littering, graffiti, playing loud radios, aggressive panhandling, and vandalism.This theory implies that the physical ambience of the train, and by extension the station, may be highly influential in terms of creating a safe working environment. In this case of ‘no broken window’ organisations, the TO role is to maintain a high ‘quality of life’ rather than being a role predominantly about restraining and bringing to justice those whose behaviour is offensive, dangerous or illegal. The TOs in Perth achieve this through personal means such as taking pride in their uniforms, presenting a good-natured demeanour to passengers and assisting in maintaining the high standard of train interiors. Such a priority, and its link to reduced workforce injury, suggests that a perception of order impacts upon safety. It has long been argued that the safety culture of an organisation affects the safety performance of that organisation (Pidgeon; Leplat); but it has been more recently established that different cultural groupings in an organisation conceive and construct their safety culture differently (Leith). The research on ‘safety culture’ raises a problematic which is rarely addressed in practice. That problematic is this: managers frequently engage with safety at the level of instituting systems, while workers engage with safety in terms of behaviour. When Glendon and Litherland comment that, contrary to expectations, they could find no relationship between safety culture and safety performance, they were drawing attention to the fact that much managerial safety culture is premised upon systems involving tick boxes and the filling in of report forms. The broken window approach combines the managerial tick box with managerial behaviour: a dis-ordered train is removed from service. To some extent a general lack of fit between safety culture and safety performance endorses Everett’s view that it is conceptually inadequate to conceive organisations as cultures: “the conceptual inadequacy stems from the failure to distinguish between culture and behavioural features of organizational life” (238). The general focus upon safety culture as a way of promoting improvements in safety performance assumes that compliance with a range of safety systems will guarantee a safe workplace. Such an assumption, however, risks positioning the injured worker as responsible for his or her own predicament and sets up an environment in which some management officials are wont to seek ways in which that injured worker’s behaviour failed to conform with safety rules or safety processes. Yet there are roles which place workers in harm’s way, including military duties, law enforcement and some emergency services. Here, the work becomes dangerous as it becomes disorderly. An Ambience of Roles and Confusion As the research reported here progressed, it became clear that the ambience around the presentation of the self in the role of a TO (Goffman) was an important part of how ‘safety’ was promoted and enacted in their work upon the PTA (WA) trains, face to face with the travelling public. Goffman’s view of all people, not specifically TOs, is that: Regardless of the particular objective which the individual has in mind and of his motive for having this objective, it will be in his interests to control the conduct of the others, especially their responsive treatment of him. This will largely be through influencing the perception and definition that others will come to formulate of him. He will influence them by expressing himself in such a way that the kind of impression given off will lead them to act voluntarily in accordance with his own plan. (3)This ‘influencing of perception’ is an important element of performing the role of a TO. This task of the TOs is made all the more difficult because of confusions about their role in relation to two other officers: police (who have more power to act in situations of public safety) and revenue project officers (who have less), as we now discuss. The aura of the TO role borrows somewhat from those quintessential law and order officers: the police. TOs work in pairs, like many police, to support each other. They have a range of legal powers including the power of arrest, and they carry handcuffs, a baton and capsicum spray as a means of helping ensure their safety and effectiveness in circumstances where they might be outnumbered. The tools of their trade are accessibly displayed on heavy leather belts around their waists and their uniforms have similarities with police uniforms. However, in some ways these similarities are problematic, because TOs are not afforded the same respect as police. This situation underlines of the ambiguities negotiated within the ambience of what it is to be a TO, and how it is to conduct oneself in that role. Notwithstanding the TOs’ law and order responsibilities, public perceptions of the role and some of the public’s responses to the officers can position these workers as “plastic cops” (Teague and Leith). The penultimate deterrent of police officers, the stun gun (Taser), is not available to TOs who are expected to control all incidents arising on duty through the fact that they operate in pairs, with capsicum spray available and, as a last resort, are authorised to use their batons in self defence. Furthermore, although TOs are the key security and enforcement staff in the PTA workforce, and are managed separately from related staff roles, they believe that the clarity of this distinction is compromised because of similarities in the look of Revenue Protection Officers (RPOs). RPOs work on the trains to check that passengers have tickets and have paid the correct fares, and obtain names and addresses to issue infringement notices when required. They are not PTA employees, but contracted staff from an outside company. They also work in pairs. Significantly, the RPO uniform is in many respects identical to that of the TO, and this appears to be a deliberate management choice to make the number of TOs seem greater than it is: extending the TO ambience through to the activities of the RPOs. However, in the event of a disturbance, TOs are required and trained to act, while RPOs are instructed not to get involved; even though the RPOs appear to the travelling public to be operating in the role of a law-and-order-keeper, RPOs are specifically instructed not to get involved in breaches of the peace or disruptive passenger behaviour. From the point of view of the travelling public, who observe the RPO waiting for TOs to arrive, it may seems as if a TO is passively standing by while a chaotic situation unravels. As Angus commented: I’ve spoken to quite a few members of public and received complaints from them about transit officers and talking more about the incident have found out that it was actually [RPOs] that are dealing with it. So it’s creating a bad image for us …. It’s Transits that are copping all the flak for it … It is dangerous for us and it’s a lot of bad publicity for us. It’s hard enough, the job that we do and the lack of respect that we do get from people, we don’t need other people adding to it and making it harder. Indeed, it is not only the travelling public who can mistake the two uniforms. Mike tells of an “incident where an officer [TO] has called for backup on a train and the guys have got off [the train at the next station] and just stood there, and he didn’t realise that they are actually [revenue protection] officers, so he effectively had no backup. He thought he did, but he didn’t.” The RPO uniform may confer an ambience of power borrowed from TOs and communicated visually, but the impact is to compromise the authority of the TO role. Unfortunately, what could be a complementary role to the TOs becomes one which, in the minds of the TO workforce, serves to undermine their presence. This effect of this role confusion is to dilute the aura of authority of the TOs. At one end of a power continuum the TO role is minimised by those who see it as a second-rate ‘Wannabe cop’ (Teague and Leith 2008), while its impact is diluted at the other end by an apparently deliberate confusion between the TO broader ‘law and order’ role, and the more limited RPO revenue collection activities. Postlude To the passengers of the PTA in Perth, the presence and actions of transit officers appear as unremarkable as the daily commute. In this ethnographic study of their workplace culture, however, the transit officers have revealed ways in which they influence the ambience of the workplace and the public spaces they inhabit whilst on duty, and how they are influenced by it. While this ambient inter-relationship is not documented in the organisation’s occupational safety and health management system, the TOs are aware that it is a factor in their level at safety at work, both positively and negatively. Clearly, an ethnography study is conducted at a certain point in time and place, and culture is a living and changing expression of human interaction. The Public Transport Authority of Western Australia is committed to continuous improvement in safety and to the investigation of all ways and means in which to support TOs in their daily activities. This is evident not only in their support of the research and their welcoming of the ethnographer into the workforce and onto the tracks, but also in their robust commitment to change as the findings of the research have progressed. In particular, changes in the ambient TO culture and in the training and daily practices of TOs have already resulted from this research or are under active consideration. Nonetheless, this project is a cogent indicator of the fact that a safety culture is critically dependent upon intangible but nonetheless important factors such as the ambience of the workplace and the way in which officers are able to communicate their authority to others. References Everett, James. “Organizational Culture and Ethnoecology in Public Relations Theory and Practice.” Public Relations Research Annual. Vol. 2. Eds. Larissa Grunig and James Grunig. Hillsdale, NJ, 1990. 235-251. Glendon, Ian, and Debbie Litherland. “Safety Climate Factors, Group Differences and Safety Behaviour in Road Construction.” Safety Science 39.3 (2001): 157-188. Goffman, Erving. The Presentation of the Self in Everyday Life. London: Penguin, 1959. Henry, Vincent. The Comstat Paradigm: Management Accountability in Policing, Business and the Public Sector. New York: Looseleaf Law Publications, 2003. Kelling, George, and Catherine Coles. Fixing Broken Windows: Restoring Order and Reducing Crime in Our Communities. New York: Touchstone, 1996. Leith, David. Workplace Culture and Accidents: How Management Can Communicate to Prevent Injuries. Saarbrücken: VDM Verlag, 2008. Leplat, Jacques. “About Implementation of Safety Rules.” Safety Science 29.3 (1998): 189-204. Maple, Jack, and Chris Mitchell. The Crime Fighter: How You Can Make Your Community Crime-Free. New York: Broadway Books, 1999. Pidgeon, Nick. “Safety Culture and Risk Management in Organizations.” Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 22.1 (1991): 129-140. Shawcross, William. Rupert Murdoch. London: Chatto & Windus, 1992. Teague, Christine, and David Leith. “Men of Steel or Plastic Cops? The Use of Ethnography as a Transformative Agent.” Transforming Information and Learning Conference Transformers: People, Technologies and Spaces, Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA, 2008. ‹http://conferences.scis.ecu.edu.au/TILC2008/documents/2008/teague_and_leith-men_of_steel_or_plastic_cops.pdf›. Wilson, James, and George Kelling. “Broken Windows.” The Atlantic Monthly (Mar. 1982): 29-38. WA Legislative Council. “Metropolitan Railway – Transit Guards 273 [Hon Ed Dermer to Minister of Transport Hon. Simon O’Brien].” Hansard 19 Mar. 2009: 2145b.

This article proposes that the growing popularity of reality television in the southernmost state of India, Kerala – disseminated locally and throughout the Indian diaspora – is not the product of an innocuous nostalgia for a fast-disappearing regional identity but rather a spectacular example of an emergent ideology that displaces cultural memory, collective identity, and secular nationalism with new, globalised forms of public sentiment. Further, it is arguable that this g/local media culture also displaces hard-won secular feminist constructions of gender and the contemporary modern “Indian woman.” Shows like Idea Star Singer (hereafter ISS) (Malayalam [the language spoken in Kerala] television’s most popular reality television series), based closely on American Idol, is broadcast worldwide to dozens of nations including the US, the UK, China, Russia, Sri Lanka, and several nations in the Middle East and the discussion that follows attempts both to account for this g/local phenomenon and to problematise it. ISS concentrates on staging the diversity and talent of Malayalee youth and, in particular, their ability to sing ‘pitch-perfect’, by inviting them to perform the vast catalogue of traditional Malayalam songs. However, inasmuch as it is aimed at both a regional and diasporic audience, ISS also allows for a diversity of singing styles displayed through the inclusion of a variety of other songs: some sung in Tamil, some Hindi, and some even English. This leads us to ask a number of questions: in what ways are performers who subscribe to regional or global models of televisual style rewarded or punished? In what ways are performers who exemplify differences in terms of gender, sexuality, religion, class, or ability punished? Further, it is arguable that this show—packaged as the “must-see” spectacle for the Indian diaspora—re-imagines a traditional past and translates it (under the rubric of “reality” television) into a vulgar commodification of both “classical” and “folk” India: an India excised of radical reform, feminists, activists, and any voices of multiplicity clamouring for change. Indeed, it is my contention that, although such shows claim to promote women’s liberation by encouraging women to realise their talents and ambitions, the commodification of the “stars” as televisual celebrities points rather to an anti-feminist imperial agenda of control and domination. Normalising Art: Presenting the Juridical as Natural Following Foucault, we can, indeed, read ISS as an apparatus of “normalisation.” While ISS purports to be “about” music, celebration, and art—an encouragement of art for art’s sake—it nevertheless advocates the practice of teaching as critiqued by Foucault: “the acquisition and knowledge by the very practice of the pedagogical activity and a reciprocal, hierarchised observation” (176), so that self-surveillance is built into the process. What appears on the screen is, in effect, the presentation of a juridically governed body as natural: the capitalist production of art through intense practice, performance, and corrective measures that valorise discipline and, at the end, produce ‘good’ and ‘bad’ subjects. The Foucauldian isomorphism of punishment with obligation, exercise with repetition, and enactment of the law is magnified in the traditional practice of music, especially Carnatic, or the occasional Hindustani refrain that separates those who come out of years of training in the Gury–Shishya mode (teacher–student mode, primarily Hindu and privileged) from those who do not (Muslims, working-class, and perhaps disabled students). In the context of a reality television show sponsored by Idea Cellular Ltd (a phone company with global outposts), the systems of discipline are strictly in line with the capitalist economy. Since this show depends upon the vast back-catalogue of film songs sung by playback singers from the era of big studio film-making, it may be seen to advocate a mimetic rigidity that ossifies artistic production, rather than offering encouragement to a new generation of artists who might wish to take the songs and make them their own. ISS, indeed, compares and differentiates the participants’ talents through an “opaque” system of evaluations which the show presents as transparent, merit-based and “fair”: as Foucault observes, “the perpetual penalty that traverses all points and supervises every instant in the disciplinary institutions compares, differentiates, hierarchizes, homogenizes, excludes. In short, it normalizes” (183). On ISS, this evaluation process (a panel of judges who are renowned singers and composers, along with a rotating guest star, such as an actor) may be seen as a scopophilic institution where training and knowledge are brought together, transforming “the economy of visibility into the exercise of power” (187). The contestants, largely insignificant as individuals but seen together, at times, upon the stage, dancing and singing and performing practised routines, represent a socius constituting the body politic. The judges, enthroned on prominent and lush seats above the young contestants, the studio audience and, in effect, the show’s televised transnational audience, deliver judgements that “normalise” these artists into submissive subjectivity. In fact, despite the incoherence of the average judgement, audiences are so engrossed in the narrative of “marks” (a clear vestige of the education and civilising mission of the colonial subject under British rule) that, even in the glamorous setting of vibrating music, artificial lights, and corporate capital, Indians can still be found disciplining themselves according to the values of the West. Enacting Keraleeyatham for Malayalee Diaspora Ritty Lukose’s study on youth and gender in Kerala frames identity formations under colonialism, nationalism, and capitalism as she teases out ideas of resistance and agency by addressing the complex mediations of consumption or consumptive practices. Lukose reads “consumer culture as a complex site of female participation and constraint, enjoyment and objectification” (917), and finds the young, westernised female as a particular site of consumer agency. According to this theory, the performers on ISS and the show’s MC, Renjini Haridas, embody this body politic. The young performers all dress in the garb of “authentic identity”, sporting saris, pawaadu-blouse, mundum-neertha, salwaar-kameez, lehenga-choli, skirts, pants, and so on. This sartorial diversity is deeply gendered and discursively rich; the men have one of two options: kurta-mundu or some such variation and the pant–shirt combination. The women, especially Renjini (educated at St Theresa’s College in Kochi and former winner of Ms Kerala beauty contest) evoke the MTV DJs of the mid-1990s and affect a pidgin-Malayalam spliced with English: Renjini’s cool “touching” of the contestants and airy gestures remove her from the regional masses; and yet, for Onam (festival of Kerala), she dresses in the traditional cream and gold sari; for Id (high holy day for Muslims), she dresses in some glittery salwaar-kameez with a wrap on her head; and for Christmas, she wears a long dress. This is clearly meant to show her ability to embody different socio-religious spheres simultaneously. Yet, both she and all the young female contestants speak proudly about their authentic Kerala identity. Ritty Lukose spells this out as “Keraleeyatham.” In the vein of beauty pageants, and the first-world practice of indoctrinating all bodies into one model of beauty, the youngsters engage in exuberant performances yet, once their act is over, revert back to the coy, submissive docility that is the face of the student in the traditional educational apparatus. Both left-wing feminists and BJP activists write their ballads on the surface of women’s bodies; however, in enacting the chethu or, to be more accurate, “ash-push” (colloquialism akin to “hip”) lifestyle advocated by the show (interrupted at least half a dozen times by lengthy sequences of commercials for jewellery, clothing, toilet cleaners, nutritious chocolate bars, hair oil, and home products), the participants in this show become the unwitting sites of a large number of competing ideologies. Lukose observes the remarkable development from the peasant labor-centered Kerala of the 1970s to today’s simulacrum: “Keraleeyatham.” When discussing the beauty contests staged in Kerala in the 1990s, she discovers (through analysis of the dress and Sanskrit-centred questions) that: “Miss Kerala must be a naden pennu [a girl of the native/rural land] in her dress, comportment, and knowledge. Written onto the female bodies of a proliferation of Miss Keralas, the nadu, locality itself, becomes transportable and transposable” (929). Lukose observes that these women have room to enact their passions and artistry only within the metadiegetic space of the “song and dance” spectacle; once they leave it, they return to a modest, Kerala-gendered space in which the young female performers are quiet to the point of inarticulate, stuttering silence (930). However, while Lukose’s term, Keraleeyatham, is useful as a sociological compass, I contend that it has even more complex connotations. Its ethos of “Nair-ism” (Nayar was the dominant caste identity in Kerala), which could have been a site of resistance and identity formation, instead becomes a site of nationalist, regional linguistic supremacy arising out of Hindu imaginary. Second, this ideology could not have been developed in the era of pre-globalised state-run television but now, in the wake of globalisation and satellite television, we see this spectacle of “discipline and punish” enacted on the world stage. Thus, although I do see a possibility for a more positive Keraleeyatham that is organic, inclusive, and radical, for the moment we have a hegemonic, exclusive, and hierarchical statist approach to regional identity that needs to be re-evaluated. Articulating the Authentic via the Simulacrum Welcome to the Malayalee matrix. Jean Baudrillard’s simulacrum is our entry point into visualising the code of reality television. In a state noted for its distinctly left-leaning politics and Communist Party history which underwent radical reversal in the 1990s, the political front in Kerala is still dominated by the LDF (Left Democratic Front), and resistance to the state is an institutionalised and satirised daily event, as marked by the marchers who gather and stop traffic at Palayam in the capital city daily at noon. Issues of poverty and corporate disenfranchisement plague the farming and fishing communities while people suffer transportation tragedies, failures of road development and ferry upkeep on a daily basis. Writers and activists rail against imminent aerial bombing of Maoists insurgent groups, reading in such statist violence repression of the Adivasi (indigenous) peoples scattered across many states of eastern and southern India. Alongside energy and ration supply issues, politics light up the average Keralaite, and yet the most popular “reality” television show reflects none of it. Other than paying faux multicultural tribute to all the festivals that come and go (such as Id, Diwaali, Christmas, and Kerala Piravi [Kerala Day on 1 November]), mainly through Renjini’s dress and chatter, ISS does all it can to remove itself from the turmoil of the everyday. Much in the same way that Bollywood cinema has allowed the masses to escape the oppressions of “the everyday,” reality television promises speculative pleasure produced on the backs of young performers who do not even have to be paid for their labour. Unlike Malayalam cinema’s penchant for hard-hitting politics and narratives of unaccounted for, everyday lives in neo-realist style, today’s reality television—with its excessive sound and light effects, glittering stages and bejewelled participants, repeat zooms, frontal shots, and artificial enhancements—exploits the paradox of hyper-authenticity (Rose and Wood 295). In her useful account of America’s top reality show, American Idol, Katherine Meizel investigates the fascination with the show’s winners and the losers, and the drama of an American “ideal” of diligence and ambition that is seen to be at the heart of the show. She writes, “It is about selling the Dream—regardless of whether it results in success or failure—and about the enactment of ideology that hovers at the edges of any discourse about American morality. It is the potential of great ambition, rather than of great talent, that drives these hopefuls and inspires their fans” (486). In enacting the global via the site of the local (Malayalam and Tamil songs primarily), ISS assumes the mantle of Americanism through the plain-spoken, direct commentaries of the singers who, like their US counterparts, routinely tell us how all of it has changed their lives. In other words, this retrospective meta-narrative becomes more important than the show itself. True to Baudrillard’s theory, ISS blurs the line between actual need and the “need” fabricated by the media and multinational corporations like Idea Cellular and Confident Group (which builds luxury homes, primarily for the new bourgeoisie and nostalgic “returnees” from the diaspora). The “New Kerala” is marked, for the locals, by extravagant (mostly unoccupied) constructions of photogenic homes in garish colours, located in the middle of chaos: the traditional nattumparathu (countryside) wooden homes, and traffic congestion. The homes, promised at the end of these shows, have a “value” based on the hyper-real economy of the show rather than an actual utility value. Yet those who move from the “old” world to the “new” do not always fare well. In local papers, the young artists are often criticised for their new-found haughtiness and disinclination to visit ill relatives in hospital: a veritable sin in a culture that places the nadu and kin above all narratives of progress. In other words, nothing quite adds up: the language and ideologies of the show, espoused most succinctly by its inarticulate host, is a language that obscures its distance from reality. ISS maps onto its audience the emblematic difference between “citizen” and “population”. Through the chaotic, state-sanctioned paralegal devices that allow the slum-dwellers and other property-less people to dwell in the cities, the voices of the labourers (such as the unions) have been silenced. It is a nation ever more geographically divided between the middle-classes which retreat into their gated neighbourhoods, and the shanty-town denizens who are represented by the rising class of religio-fundamentalist leaders. While the poor vote in the Hindu hegemony, the middle classes text in their votes to reality shows like ISS. Partha Chatterjee speaks of the “new segregated and exclusive spaces for the managerial and technocratic elite” (143) which is obsessed by media images, international travel, suburbanisation, and high technology. I wish to add to this list the artificially created community of ISS performers and stars; these are, indeed, the virtual and global extension of Chatterjee’s exclusive, elite communities, decrying the new bourgeois order of Indian urbanity, repackaged as Malayalee, moneyed, and Nayar. Meanwhile, the Hindu Right flexes its muscle under the show’s glittery surface: neither menacing nor fundamentalist, it is now “hip” to be Hindu. Thus while, on the surface, ISS operates according to the cliché, musicinu mathamilla (“music has no religion”), I would contend that it perpetuates a colonising space of Hindu-nationalist hegemony which standardises music appreciation, flattens music performance into an “art” developed solely to serve commercial cinema, and produces a dialectic of Keraleeyatham that erases the multiplicities of its “real.” This ideology, meanwhile, colonises from within. The public performance plays out in the private sphere where the show is consumed; at the same time, the private is inserted into the public with SMS calls that ultimately help seal the juridicality of the show and give the impression of “democracy.” Like the many networks that bring the sentiments of melody and melancholy to our dinner table, I would like to offer you this alternative account of ISS as part of a bid for a more vociferous, and critical, engagement with reality television and its modes of production. Somehow we need to find a way to savour, once again, the non-mimetic aspects of art and to salvage our darkness from the glitter of the “normalising” popular media. References Baudrillard, Jean. The Mirror of Production. Trans. Mark Poster. New York: Telos, 1975. ———. Selected Writings. Ed. Mark Poster. California: Stanford UP, 1988. Chatterjee, Partha. The Politics of the Governed: Reflections on Popular Politics in Most of the World. Delhi: Permanent Black, 2004. Foucault, Michel. Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. Trans. Alan Sheridan. New York: Vintage, 1995. Lukose, Ritty. “Consuming Globalization: Youth and Gender in Kerala, India.” Journal of Social History 38.4 (Summer 2005): 915-35. Meizel, Katherine. “Making the Dream a Reality (Show): The Celebration of Failure in American Idol.” Popular Music and Society 32.4 (Oct. 2009): 475-88. Rose, Randall L., and Stacy L. Wood. “Paradox and the Consumption of Authenticity through Reality Television.” Journal of Consumer Research 32 (Sep. 2005): 284-96.