Research Essay
Enclosed is a list of essay topics for your consideration. Students are required to choose any one from the list.
These topics are merely suggestions - students do not have to rigidly follow the topic headings. Some topics also overlap to a certain extent and students are welcome to combine them. If students wish to deviate substantially from a suggested topic (for example the potential use of airships/helicopters, or the use of smartcards in collecting fares) they can do so, provided they give UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG a brief outline in advance of what they intend to cover.
It should be clear from a scrutiny of the topics that students are encouraged to make use of their own company's records or those of companies they know (with permission if necessary) as far as possible, as this reduces the amount of research work quite significantly. It is also important to make suggestions for improvements, even if these have not been tested in depth.
In cases where students do not have easy access to the records of a company or organisation (e.g. unemployed, working in a remote department, etc.) they can write on a ‘generic' topic such as no 2, 11, 13, 21, (as well as others on the list). Page 30 of 35 RESTMY2 Updated August 2017
TOPIC NUMBER 1
Select a public transport route or corridor in your city (or area) which in your opinion is not being served well. Describe its potential in terms of service to shops, offices, residential areas etc. Suggest the most appropriate vehicles and schedules to develop the route.
TOPIC NUMBER 2
Select a company or government department you work for, or know well or describe a fictional organisation.
If the organisation uses its own fleet, describe its approach towards vehicle maintenance. Does it use its own workshops or outside workshops and why? Describe any programmes to improve efficiency (fuel consumption, tyres, major components, longer vehicle life etc). Suggest improvements. Use a case study if necessary.
TOPIC NUMBER 3
Select a city or area you know well.
Research the history of its public transportation. Present a short review of major developments and discuss the impacts of these developments on the growth and character of the city or area, including its population, physical size and form. If you find deficiencies, propose measures to improve them.
TOPIC NUMBER 4
Analyse the bus or rail or minibus taxi service in a city (or area) you know well and describe it in terms of:
• Adequacy in relation to the needs of the population (schedules, route coverage, etc.)
• Level and structure of fares
• Condition of vehicles (comfort, safety, cleanliness)
• Training of staff (driver manner, courtesy, knowledge about city, fare collection)
• Administration
• Design of vehicles.
(Do not slavishly follow the above headings, however). Discuss the problems and suggest improvements to any of the above, if necessary.
TOPIC NUMBER 5
Select a transport organisation (road/rail/air or sea)/or trading company you work for, or know well or describe a fictional organisation.
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Analyse its management information systems relating to the transport function. Refer to cost records, utilisation data, load factors, route profitability analysis (goods/passengers) and suggest improvements. Use a case study if necessary.
TOPIC NUMBER 6
Select an airline with which you may be familiar.
(a) Discuss problems faced by an airline schedule-planning department that are similar to problems of other industries.
(b) Some marketing problems are unique to the airline industry. Discuss three such marketing related problems.
(c) What is meant by?
• - traffic flow
• - sensitivity of schedule salability. Give examples.
TOPIC NUMBER 7
Select an airline with which you may be familiar.
(a) Discuss the basic factors that affect the price of its services.
(b) How does it promote its services? Give examples of how promotion is used to
inform, persuade and remind.
(c) What types of sales outlets are used?
(d) What are the main functions of the reservation system?
TOPIC NUMBER 8
Select any rail route with which you may be familiar. Describe its existing traffic levels (passengers and/or freight), utilisation, type of traffic, physical facilities (signals, stations, and locomotives). Suggest ways in which the line's potential can be optimised - in terms of improvements to allow higher volumes to be moved, new sources of passenger and/or freight traffic, intermodal improvements at stations, etc.
TOPIC NUMBER 9
Discuss the role of intermodal transport in the growth of trade, with particular reference to its potential in the Southern African region. Refer to an actual route or type of traffic or facility (i.e. container port, harbour, etc.) and suggest improvements.
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TOPIC NUMBER 10
Discuss the factors that influence the demand for freight transport. In a South African context, suggest ways in which the role of freight transport in the economy can be optimised. You can refer to any of the four main modes of transport.
TOPIC NUMBER 11
Refer to any road transport facility (through road, freeway, network etc.) which in your opinion is not functioning satisfactorily or which is inadequate. How would you improve the situation? Indicate the cost and advantages and savings which would be generated, both for users and non-users as well as benefits to traffic flow in the area.
TOPIC NUMBER 12
Discuss in detail the many varied and very important roles, which transport plays in our lives. Describe, also, realistic ways in which the public and private sector can ensure that the efficiency and cost effectiveness of these roles are maximised with reference to freight and passenger transport. Explain and justify your reasoning.
TOPIC NUMBER 13
The government plays a key role in the functioning of society through the policies it adopts. In a transport context, indicate what you consider to be the most appropriate level of government involvement in relation to the provision of both transport infrastructure and transport services. In you answer also discuss any three Acts or protocols used by Government in the regulation of transport in South Africa. Use an actual example (any mode) to illustrate your approach.
TOPIC NUMBER 14
Select a rural area (at least 50 km from any urban centre) that you know well. Describe the roads, public and private transport (bus, minibus, taxi, car, LDV, non-motorised transport, walk etc.) serving the area. Describe the most frequent trips (to work, to market, to shops, to school, to clinics, to church etc.). Describe the highest priority transport problems as viewed by residents of the area. Suggest solutions to these problems and assess them in terms of cost (to the user and to the state) and meeting user needs.
TOPIC NUMBER 15
Select an urban area which you know has a number of dormitory suburbs or townships and employment centres. Examine how disabled persons (a category of your choice wheelchair-bound, blind, deaf, etc) undertake their daily or weekly travel (between home, work, school, shops, clinics etc) and describe in detail the problems they face. Suggest solutions to these problems relating to both infrastructure/facilities and to public transport and assess them in terms of cost (to the user and to the state) and meeting user needs.