...Question: Critically analyse HR planning and develop a recruitment and selection plan for the UK High Speed Railway Project. 1.0 Introduction Within this report, the main influential factors which effect the development and construction of the High Speed Rail Project (HSR), will be identified and explored. Because approximately 20 per cent of all budgeted spending for transport in the UK between now and 2021 is allocated for HSR, strong human recourses and a robust recruitment and selection plan are vital to its success, (gov.uk, 2013). This essay will analyse the strengths of existing HR strategies and choose suitable methods for recruitment, in the context of a large scale, long term national, government backed project. The key decisions will centre round union relations, agency recruitment versus long term employment contracts, potential of hiring from within existing similar industries and taking on employees new to the industry. This essentially pits useful experience of industry employees against employees with fresh perspectives to influence a change in culture, from other railway companies. The findings of this essay will be applicable to the actual HSR project as all theory and studies used within, are based on academic sources. This essay is structured to firstly explore the landscape surrounding this project and human recourse issues in general, before presenting conclusions. 2.0 Development In order to identify the main issues associated with...
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...High Speed Rails Contents High Speed Rails 3 Chapter I - Introduction 3 I.1 Statement of the Problem 3 I.2 Question of the Study 3 I.3 Objective of the Paper 3 I. 4 Significance of the Study 4 Chapter II - Literature Review 4 II.1 Introduction and a Short Page of History 4 II.2 What is it exactly? A Definition 5 II. 3 What Are the Costs? 6 II. 4 Advantages of High-Speed Rails 8 II. 5 Disadvantages of High-Speed Rails 12 II. 6 Pollution 13 Chapter III – Methodology 18 Chapter IV – Findings 18 Chapter V – Conclusion 21 Abstract Technological developments are always meant to ease humans’ lives, in terms of commodity, and to offer performing solutions for their needs. However, often the technological developments are working in the benefit of humankind evolution, but in the detriment of the nature. High-speed rails are a model of such solutions, meant to improve humans’ lives. Their high speeds (between 200 and 431 km/hour), and their easy boarding (the time spent in boarding is less than 30 minutes, depending on the travelling class), transform the meaning of travelling, making it a real experience. Moreover, the high-speed rails lead to indirect benefits such as allowing the possibility to travel for business purposes, or to working relocation. On the other hand, indirectly, high-speed rails create negative outcomes: urban agglomerations because of this efficient transportation mode, automatically lead to people deserting the rural regions, for...
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...Economics Development Impacts High Speed Rail Tom Kayo TMLT601, I001, Fall 15 American Public University Emmet Fritch December 26, 2015 Abstract This paper premise is the economic development impacts of transportation in general, as examined by Kumares, Sinha & Labi (2007). Multiple studies have revealed that investments in public transportation ultimately drives productivity and economic growth (Kumares, Sinha & Labi, 2007). This paper however will move away from highways and most common types of transit systems to focus on high speed rail and its potential economic development impacts in the United States. By examining additional resources such as World Bank analysis, papers from the MIT library, and reports from non-profit advocacy groups, this paper seeks answers on why a project with tremendous economic benefits has not yet happened in a country known for always being first when it comes to leading in innovation and economic development. Introduction In Kumares et al.’s. (2007), two types of transportation impact on economic development are listed. One is the impact on the overall economic development, driving income and jobs, for instance, and the other is the positive effect on investment, property appreciation and tax revenue. All of this correlates with higher wages and better communities. At the same times, when looking at other developed and emerging countries, like countries of the European Union and China for example it’s...
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...Study on the California High Speed Rail System (CAHSR) - Is It Feasible? By Hardeep Ramesh, MS ISE Engineering Economics (ISE 460) University of Southern California December 3, 2010 Abstract: California High Speed Rail (CHSR) system is a mega project planned by the California High Speed Rail Authority (CA HSRA), connecting the major metropolitan areas of California. The project finalized in mid 2000, is estimated to be one of the most expensive of its kind. It is in the lines of the high speed rail systems existing in France, Japan and China. The cost of the total project, which will cover around 800 miles, is estimated to be around $45 billion as of 2008. At this time of economic instability and no proper funding expected the big question is that - is the project economically feasible? This case study evaluates the financial benefits of the project. It will show the various sources from which the project will be benefited. Since it is a public investment if the total benefits are more than the total costs it is said to be economically feasible. This case study uses the benefit-cost analysis as an evaluation to establish this. It uses only the benefits and costs which are quantifiable and those which are not duplicative. Introduction: California’s burgeoning population and increasingly congested highways and airports demanded new transportation solutions. Highway construction The California High Speed Railway Authority (CHSRA)...
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...are a balancing act; the disruptive aspects must be outweighed by the benefits that they bring to society. Today, high speed rail is one of the most prominent disruptive technologies in our world. High speed rail systems are appearing across the globe, but its development does not come without controversy. Development of high speed transit has the potential to cost billions of dollars and disrupt long-standing influential industries that provide jobs to thousands of people; to address the ethical problems caused by this disruption, we need to develop the high speed transit industry to the extent where it can replace jobs provided by the old industries, and we must analyze the increased benefit from each dollar spent on high speed rail, insuring that it is the most worthwhile use of funds. High speed rail has been commonplace in many European and Asian countries for years, and it has just recently been introduced in the United States. First introduced in Korea in 1968, high speed rail is defined as train systems that travel at speeds faster than 120 miles per hour. The intention of high speed rail is to provide faster,...
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...The November 4th, 2008, a new era began in America. People elected a black President. But there were an other event this day, which was also really important for change in the State of California. Fifty-two percents of Californian voted in favor of the High Speed Train building in their State (Ortiz). “Story will remember this day, when Californians asked for a new transportation system for the California circulation’s needs of the twentieth century “ said Quentin Kopp, the responsible in charge of the project (Europe1). That is more than needs. As every huge project, the construction of a high-speed train in California will have a lot of positive effect and bad effect, even if in the actual situation, its built is primordial. Indeed, each day there is kilometers of traffic jam. That encouraged the California’s authority to find a solution to relieve the traffic. But on the other hand, the costs, in a period of economic crisis, and the route the train will take can be source of rejection. Highways are full of traffic jam, and airports are getting more and more frequented. Build a substitute of this transportation in California is urgent. At first, the first line built will be Los Angeles-San Francisco. This will generate construction cost of approximately 30 billion dollars. San Francisco is located 432 miles away from Los Angeles, and the trip will take two hours and thirty-eight minutes (State of California). And in the second time, the line will be extended in the North...
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...Transport policy in 2011: a new direction? RESEARCH PAPER 11/22 2 March 2011 This paper outlines the changes made to transport policy by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition Government and looks at some of the long term transport challenges the government is likely to face over the course of this Parliament. It complements and updates House of Commons research paper 10/28, Transport policy in 2010: a rough guide. Louise Butcher Matthew Keep Recent Research Papers 11/05 Social Indicators 18.01.11 11/06 Scotland Bill [Bill 115 of 2010-11] 19.01.11 11/07 Estates of Deceased Persons (Forfeiture Rule and Law of 19.01.11 Succession) Bill [Bill 8 of 2010-11] 11/08 Unemployment by Constituency, January 2011 19.01.11 11/09 Fixed-term Parliaments Bill: Commons Stages 21.01.11 11/10 UK Defence and Security Policy: A New Approach? 21.01.11 11/11 Health and Social Care Bill [Bill 132 of 2010-11] 27.01.11 11/12 Economic Indicators, February 2011 01.02.11 11/13 Anonymity (Arrested Persons) Bill [Bill 9 of 2010-11] 02.02.11 11/14 Education Bill [Bill 137 of 2010-11] 03.02.11 11/15 Budget Responsibility and National Audit Bill [HL] 08.02.11 [Bill 143 of 2010-11] 11/16 The Local Government Finance Settlement 2011-13 08.02.11 11/17 Legislation (Territorial Extent) Bill [Bill 10 of 2010-11] 08.02.11 11/18 Wash-up 2010 11.02.11 11/19 Unemployment...
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...The Cost of Tubular Travel and Our Environment Thomas Lunarde COM/156 Version 7 4/27/14 Mark Hassenstab The Cost of Tubular Travel and Our Environment People work hard throughout the year and ponder their next vacation of where they are going and how they are going to get there. With that in mind, they also worry about the expense. Is the weather going to cooperate? Is their luggage going to arrive? Have you ever been sitting at the bank drive through, watching people submitting their transactions by way of pneumatic tubes? Imagine being inside that pod travelling at 800 miles per hour with no worries of the above-mentioned. Why not alleviate travel concerns and climb aboard the tubular travel system? Even though the initial cost of development, construction, permits and approvals needed will have a hefty price tag for this mass transportation system. In the long run, it will provide the people of the world what better for our environment, faster, safer, and less expensive way to travel is. Tubular Travel Overview * While the elements of the earth continue to diminish year after year from natural and more so man made creations, it is time to prepare ourselves for the repercussions, if we chose to do nothing. Reversing our thought processes by way of Tubular Travel, will help conserve our environment and provide better protection for travelers of the world. With the air turbulence getting worse when traveling by plane, we can prevent future tragedies...
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...European railway market for Bombardier? (From a business and a corporate level perspective). 4. Is Adtranz an attractive acquisition target for Bombardier? What are the arguments for and against? 5. What should Lortie do with Adtranz? Integrate it ? Leave it as a stand alone? A mix? Justify. What should be his focus in Europe in the next three years : growth or profit ? Justify. 6. Propose an organizational structure for the Railway SBU of Bombardier. Justify. Question 1 Bombardier transportation was one of three major operating groups of Montreal, Canada-based Bombardier Inc, it was one of the world’s largest manufacturers of passenger rail cars. Adtranz, an European company belonging to DaimlerChrysler is the major player in Europe in propulsion systems and train controls. In order to expand BT’s presence in the global rail equipment industry, especially on European continent, BT considers that merging with Adtranz could enlarge its key competencies and know-how and will allow BT to be more competitive on its market. But this operation presents four main issues to be solved: The size of the acquisition, Adtranz was approximately twice the size of BT. The ability of BT’s management to manage this acquisition, Lortie BT’s COO evaluated the capacity of its management to take care of the new acquisition, and strategic priorities; The structures of both companies are quite different: BT is organized on geographic bases; Adtranz is organized by line of products. Those...
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...1 HIGHLIGHTS OF THE RAILWAY BUDGET 2014-15 Thrust 1. Safety 2. Project Delivery 3. Passenger Amenities/Services with focus on food services & on cleanliness, sanitation, toilets 4. Financial Discipline 5. Resource Mobilization 6. IT Initiatives 7. Transparency & System Improvements. Major Challenges facing the Railway System _ Vast tracts of hinterland waiting for rail connectivity. _ Railways expected to earn like a commercial enterprise but serve like a welfare organization. _ Railways carry Social Service Obligation of more than Rs 20,000 cr by carrying services below cost. This is nearly 16.6% of GTR and is almost half of Railways’ Plan Outlay under budgetary sources. _ Surplus revenues declining; Hardly any adequate resources for its development works. _ Tariff policy adopted lacked rational approach; passenger fares kept lower than costs; loss per passenger kilometer increased from 10 Paise per Km in 2000-01 to 23 Paise in 2012-13. _ ‘Decade of Golden Dilemma’ – choosing between commercial and social viability. _ Share of Railways in freight traffic coming down consistently. _ Rs 5 lakh crore required for ongoing projects alone. _ Focus so far in sanctioning more and more projects with inadequate prioritization rather than completing them; Of the 674 projects worth Rs 1,57,883 cr sanctioned in the last 30 years, only 317 could be completed. Completing the balance requires Rs 1,82,000 cr. _ Most of Gross Traffic Receipts is spent on fuel...
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...downward spiral. RITES - the Infrastructure People. The Company has come a long way from its inception in 1974 and, apart from India, has operated in 62 countries. The Authors, who have a wide experience in international consultancy, have forcefully brought out the present spread of its consultancy areas and as also its road map for the future. RITES’ contribution in the infrastructure sector has also been highlighted. A must read for all interested in infrastructure consultancy both in India and abroad. - Editor 22.2 Indian Infrastructure : Role of RITES India’s growth is constrained by inadequate infrastructure. Building roads, ports, railways, power plants and laying thousands of kilometers of fiber optic cables to enable high bandwidth...
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...automobiles. Besides, increasing pollution levels from automobiles, depleting fuel resources, critical dependence on the fuel import and due to a limited range of mobility of buses and cars the need for fast and reliable transportation is increasing throughout the world. High-speed rail has been the solution for many countries. Trains are fast, comfortable, and energy-efficient and magnetic levitation may be an even better solution.Development of magnetic levitated transport systems is under progress in developed countries and it is just a matter of time they make inroads to India as well. Therefore, it will be interesting to know about the science and technology behind mass ground transport system known as "magnetic flight". A LITTLE HISTORY In 1922 a German engineer named Hermann Kemper recorded his first ideas for an electromagnetic levitation train. He received a patent in 1934 and one year later demonstrated the first functioning model. It wasn't until 1969, however, that a government-sponsored research project built the first full scale functioning Transrapid 01. The first passenger Maglev followed a few years later and carried people a few thousand feet at speeds up to 50 mph. The company, Munich's KraussMaffei, which built the first Transrapid,...
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...California High Speed Rail Anil Hirani Concordia University Austin Texas Dr. Catalina Zarate April 5, 2015 Introduction and Highlights High speed rail (HSR) was generally defined as trains capable of travelling at least 150 mph. The origin of high speed rail in California started in early 1980s, a 130-mile bullet train project between Los Angeles and San Diego was put forward as assembly bill. Financing difficulties ultimately led the American High Speed Rail Corporation’s (AHSRC) abandonment of the project in 1984. California high speed rail authority has studied possible route alignment for the 800 mile system serving Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area, the Central Valley, Los Angeles, the Inland Empire, Orange County and San Diego. With two phases the study tries to concentrate the bulk of new population growth under political pressure to add stations and serve more communities throughout the state. Under the condition of, Assembly bill 3034 capped the maximum number of stations at 24. The business plan clearly defines the possible fares of the California High Speed Rail and the revenue needed for operating. Public, Private, Partnership (P3) between state and private train company was needed to overcome the total cost of the high speed rail. Problem Statement Financial Funds Alignment Revenue Problems faced by California high speed rail was finance, alignment and revenue. Necessary funds to complete the first phase of system were expected to gather...
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...Although the United States has built an advanced and high efficient transport system, most of Americans prefer to driving or taking airplanes rather than taking railways. There are a set of reasons that contribute this phenomenon such as huge cost, environmental and traffic impacts to the local transportation system. However, this project will focus on discussing competiveness, costs and benefits of developing HSR in the US. Competiveness It’s true that automobile is very convenient and attractive for most families, so HSR is difficult to compete with automobile especially for short trips. For example, if a traveler needs to make multiple stops around the destination city, a car may be more convenient, especially if the destination city lacks an extensive mass transit system. In addition, if one person takes a lot of things, an automobile is also practical. Furthermore, driving is likely to be cheaper than HSR if two or more people are traveling together because the added cost of each additional traveler is virtually zero for passenger cars. However, each person must purchase a ticket on the train. If the travel distance is too long, taking a HSR may be more attractive due to lower cost. For example, driving in a long distance means that you have to spend more money on gasoline, tolls and parking fee. (Government Accountability Office, 2011). Costs The costs of high speed rail can be divided into two general categories. One is infrastructure costs which include the costs of...
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...Business & Management Transferring low-cost marketing practices from air to rail services: The Ouigo case Paul Chiambaretto a,b, Anne-Sophie Fernandez c a b c MRM-Groupe Sup de Co Montpellier Business School, 2300 Avenue des Moulins, 34080 Montpellier, France Ecole Polytechnique, PREG-CRG, Bat. Ensta, 828 Boulevard des Maréchaux, 91762 Palaiseau, France MRM-ERFI, University of Montpellier 1, Espace Richter, Rue Vendémiaire, Bât. B, CS 19519, 34960 Montpellier Cedex, France a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 24 October 2013 Received in revised form 11 May 2014 Accepted 12 May 2014 Available online 29 May 2014 Keywords: Low-cost High-speed train Replication strategy Intra and intermodal competition a b s t r a c t More and more airlines have adopted a low-cost business model and many scholars have studied the characteristics of such marketing strategy. While other transport modes have decided to copy and adopt this strategy, we investigate how they replicate this business model. To do so, we in-depth study the operational and marketing characteristics of Ouigo, the new low-cost offer launched by the French rail operator SNCF in 2013. Based on interviews and secondary data (press articles, reports, etc.), we analyze how the rail operator has adapted the low-cost model used by airlines to the high-speed rail industry. We first begin by explaining why rail operators need to implement low-cost strategies and we analyze the characteristics...
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