Topic 22: Types Of Relationship

There are two main types of buyer and seller relationships. The buyer is the person or organisation that purchases products from suppliers. A buyer could be a manufacturer purchasing raw materials a customer buying a finished product from a retailer. The relationship between the buyer and seller can be either short term (one off or low commitment purchases) or long term, involving regular purchases based on established agreements.
Both short term and long term buyer and seller relationships have advantages and disadvantages. Short term relations can be useful when a degree of flexibility is required. For example, short term agreements give the buyer the option to switch suppliers for their next purchase.

They can also be beneficial in markets where the prices of materials are volatile and long term commitments are not appropriate. The high level of competition to win short term contracts can also provide opportunities for price discounting and special deals to be done.
However, short term arrangements also have their disadvantages. They generally provide little scope for payment and order flexibility. For example, a new supplier on a short term agreement will want a definite order and prompt payment. There is no trust built up over time between parties, so the opportunity to share market information is also reduced.

There are many advantages that come as a result of building strong buyer and seller relations over a period of time. There is a greater commitment from both groups which means that you will be better able to rely on them when it comes to orders and payments. There may also be more scope for discounts after the relationship is established and there may be more flexibility in the timing of payments. Trust between the buyer and seller is developed over time and this may allow for the sharing of information, forecasts, knowledge and customers between the buyer and seller.

However, long term buyer and seller relationships generally involve a high level of commitment and work to maintain. Entering into long term contracts may be involved so it is important to have accurate forecasts about the future performance and needs of both businesses. Generally, most organisations will have a balance of both long term and short term relationships with their buyers and sellers. This balance can provide some of the benefits of both, while also reducing the amount of associated risks potential problems

Topic 21: what and why use the bill of lading?

A Bill of Lading is a document issued by a carrier to a shipper of goods. It is a negotiable instrument, and it serves three purposes, it is a receipt for the goods shipped; it evidences the contract of carriage; and it serves as a document of title example ownership.
1. Straight Bill of Lading: This is typically used when shipping to a customer. The "Straight Bill of Lading" is for shipping items that have already been paid for.
2. To Order Bill of Lading: Used for shipments when payment is not made in advance. This can be shipping to one of your distributors or a customer on terms.
3. Clean Bill of Lading: A Clean Bill of Lading is simply a BOL that the shipping carrier has to sign off on saying that when the packages were loaded they were in good condition. If the packages are damaged or the cargo is marred in some way (rusted metal, stained paper, etc.), they will need issue a "Soiled Bill of Landing" or a "Foul Bill of Landing."
4. Inland Bill of Lading: This allows the shipping carrier to ship cargo, by road or rail, across domestic land, but not overseas.
5. Ocean Bill of Lading: Ocean Bills of Lading allows the shipper to transport the cargo overseas, nationally or internationally.
6. Through Bill of Lading: Through Bills of Lading are a little more complex than most BOL. It allows for the shipping carrier to pass the cargo through several different modes of transportation and/or several different distribution centers. This Bill of Landing needs to include an Inland Bill of Landing and/or an Ocean Bill of Landing depending on its final destination.
7. Multimodal/Combined Transport Bill of Lading: This is a type of Through Bill of Lading that involves a minimum of two different modes of transport, land or ocean. The modes of transportation can be anything from freight boat to air.
8. Direct Bill of Lading: Use a Direct Bill of Lading when you know the same vessel that picked up the cargo will deliver it to its final destination.
9. Stale Bill of Lading: Occasionally in cases of short-over-seas cargo transportation, the cargo arrives to port before the Bill of Landing. When that happens, the Bill of Landing is then "stale."
10. Shipped On Board Bill of Lading: A Shipped On Board Bill of Lading is issued when the cargo arrives at the port in good, expected condition from the shipping carrier and is then loaded onto the cargo ship for transport over seas.
11. Received Bill of Lading: It is simply a Bill of Lading stating that the cargo has arrived at the port and is cleared to be loaded on the ship, but has not necessary mean it has been loaded. Used as a temporary BOL when a ship is late and will be replaced by a Shipped On Board Bill of Lading when the ship arrives and the cargo is loaded.
12. Claused Bill of Lading: If the cargo is damaged or there are missing quantities, a Claused Bill of Landing is issued.

Topic 20: why information management is important?

The following are the most important reasons to have a good management information system:
To reduce operating costs
Record keeping requires administrative dollars for filing equipment, space in offices, and staffing to maintain an organized filing system (or to search for lost records when there is no organized system).
To improve efficiency and productivity
Time spent searching for missing or misfiled records are non-productive. A good records management program (e.g. a document system) can help any organization upgrade its record keeping systems so that information retrieval is enhanced, with corresponding improvements in office efficiency and productivity. A well designed and operated filing system with an effective index can facilitate retrieval and deliver information to users as quickly as they need it.
Moreover, a well managed information system acting as a corporate asset enables organizations to objectively evaluate their use of information and accurately lay out a road map for improvements that optimize business returns.
To ensure regulatory compliance
In terms of record keeping requirements, China is a heavily regulated country. These laws can create major compliance problems for businesses and government agencies since they can be difficult to locate, interpret and apply. The only way an organization can be reasonably sure that it is in full compliance with laws and regulations is by operating a good management information system which takes responsibility for regulatory compliance, while working closely with the local authorities. Failure to comply with laws and regulations could result in severe fines, penalties or other legal consequences.
To support better management decision making
In today's business environment, the manager that has the relevant data first often wins, either by making the decision ahead of the competition, or by making a better, more informed decision. A good management information system can help ensure that managers and executives have the information they need when they need it.
By implementing an enterprise-wide file organization, including indexing and retrieval capability, managers can obtain and assemble pertinent information quickly for current decisions and future business planning purposes.  Likewise, implementing a good ERP system to take account of all the business’ processes both financial and operational will give an organization more advantages than one who was operating a manual based system.

Topic 19 : Airline Industry

The airline industry is highly competitive, is characterized by low profit margins and high fixed costs, and we may be unable to compete effectively against other airlines with greater financial resources or lower operating costs.

        The airline industry is characterized generally by low profit margins and high fixed costs, primarily for personnel, aircraft fuel, debt service and aircraft lease rentals. The expenses of an aircraft flight do not vary significantly with the number of passengers carried and, as a result, a relatively small change in the number of passengers or in pricing could have a disproportionate effect on an airline's operating and financial results. Accordingly, a minor shortfall in expected revenue levels could harm our business.

        In addition, the airline industry is highly competitive and is particularly susceptible to price discounting because airlines incur only nominal costs to provide service to passengers occupying otherwise unsold seats. Although we do not currently face nonstop competition on many of our route competing airlines provide connecting service on many of our routes or serve nearby airports. In addition, we have faced other competing services in the past, and we cannot assure you other airlines will not begin to provide nonstop service in the future on the routes we serve. Many of these competing airlines are larger and have significantly greater financial resources and name recognition. We may, therefore, be unable to compete effectively against other airlines that introduce service or discounted fares in the markets we serve.

    The airline industry began its development in the early part of 20^th century, and its growth influenced  to a great extent iniatially by government interest and policy. airlines are unique in they face limited intermodal competition , but intramodal competition is very keen in term of pricing and service and has been exarcerbated by unused capacity. The higher cost of airline service can be trade off gain lower inventory and warehousing costs, as well as another logistic related savings.

    Airlines usually provide service for small shipments where value is high and the product may be perishable. Speed  also the major advantage of airlines service can for both passenger and freight , but the airlines speed of service has been offset recently by congestion and fewer flights. Major and national airlines use a hub approach to their service , which contributes to operating efficiency but often adds travel time.

Topic 18 : Terberg Tractors Malaysia Clinches RM10mil Kontena Nasional Contract

Pasir Gudang, Johor, 15 February 2012 - Terberg Tractors Malaysia (TTM), a joint venture between Terberg Group and Sime Darby Industrial Sdn. Bhd., was awarded a contract worth RM10mil by Kontena Nasional Berhad. The contract comprises 40 units of the YT220 MKII Terberg Terminal Tractors. The deal is also accompanied by a service and maintenance contract worth an additional RM5mil over the next five years.

Kontena Nasional is a leading container handling company in Malaysia and it recently introduced value-added services through its expansion into Container & Crane Handling. Kontena Nasional successfully clinched a tender by Westport to operate five quay cranes and TTM was subsequently awarded the contract to supply 40 units of terminal tractors.

Yoong Kee Sin (third from left), Senior Vice President Strategy, Sime Darby Industrial Sdn Bhd handing over the Terberg mock key to Mahnorizal Mahat, Chief Operating Officer of Kontena Nasional Global Transport at the handover ceremony in Pasir Gudang. The first delivery to Kontena Nasional was undertaken at a handover ceremony in Pasir Gudang, where TTM’s manufacturing and assembly line is located. Chief Operating Officer of Kontena Nasional Global Transport, En. Mahnorizal Mahat, was present at the handover ceremony.

Commenting on the contract award, Managing Director of Sime Darby Industrial, Chong Kwea Seng said, “The contract represents a testament of faith on the part of Kontena Nasional towards our products. Our focus has always been to deliver equipment and expertise to improve efficiency and competitive advantage for our customers”.

“More importantly, the use of quality terminal tractors in ports is the right way forward. Port operations can be distilled down to two things, efficiency and reliability; you need the right tool for the right job”. Chong added. TTM’s solid products are anchored on the philosophy of continuous improvement. The MKII sports an upgraded Euro 3 engine and ample enhancements in the overall specifications to provide more than 10% savings in fuel efficiency.

“In fact, the MKII is not an unfamiliar sight in Westport. The port is already running more than 100 units. With close to 40 quay cranes operating at Westport, there are sufficient opportunities for Kontena Nasional to expand its footprint in the Malaysian ports scene; and we too, are looking forward to Kontena Nasional winning more businesses from these ports,” said Chong. He added that TTM was committed to providing even greater value and quality service support to meet the port’s high expectations and deliverables to its worldwide customers. This included offering a comprehensive maintenance service for the Terberg fleet running in Westport under Kontena Nasional Berhad. The handover ceremony was held in conjunction with a luncheon with Sime Darby Industrial’s employees at the Pasir Gudang manufacturing and assembly facility. The luncheon was attended by more than 130 employees, with representatives from Kontena Nasional Berhad as guests of honour.

Topic 17 : Freight Forwarder

A freight forwarder, forwarder, or forwarding agent, also known as a non-vessel operating common carrier (NVOCC), is a person or company that organizes shipments for individuals or corporations to get goods from the manufacturer or producer to a market, customer or final point of distribution.[1] Forwarders contract with a carrier to move the goods. A forwarder does not move the goods but acts as an expert in supply chain management. A forwarder contracts with carriers to move cargo ranging from raw agricultural products to manufactured goods. Freight can be booked on a variety of shipping providers, including ships, airplanes, trucks, and railroads. It is not unusual for a single shipment to move on multiple carrier types. International freight forwarders typically handle international shipments. International freight forwarders have additional expertise in preparing and processing customs and other documentation and performing activities pertaining to international shipments.

Information typically reviewed by a freight forwarder includes the commercial invoice, shipper's export declaration, bill of lading and other documents required by the carrier or country of export, import, and/or transshipment. Much of this information is now processed in a paperless environment.

The FIATA shorthand description of the freight forwarder as the 'Architect of Transport' illustrates the commercial position of the forwarder relative to his client. In Europe, some forwarders specialize in 'niche' areas such as rail-freight, and collection and deliveries around a large port.

Lloyd's Loading List is the freight forwarding industry's journal of record, first published 160 years ago as a UK export directory. Today it provides details of forwarders, NVOCCs and shipping lines/agents who serve over 10,000 ports globally. Some forwarders handle domestic shipments only.

Topic 16: Intermodal and Special Carriers

Special carrier is some of these carriers could be classified as air carries or trucking companies, however they provided some value added services not provided by the basic modal carrier. These value added services not shipper through freight cost savings or service improvements that lowered the shipper’s or buyer inventory cost. It will transport for high demand high value added. For example, gold they can more security for protect their product. They have air freight forwarders, freight brokers and shipper association. Air freight forwarders are consolidating small shipment for long haul and eventual distribution. Freight brokers are the middlemen between the shippers. Shipper association is the member firms. The benefit is through the better services and lower total transportation cost.

Inter modal is involves the use two or more mode transportation in moving shipment from one origin to the destination. For example Malaysia to China. Malaysia sends a product by water after arrived at China the supplier can use the other transportation to easy send to the customer by truck. They have 3 owner operators, express services and dragged carrier. Owner operators is the term operators was traditionally applied to a person who owned or leased the truck and often a trailer and made his or her equipment and driving services available to for hire carrier. An express service is for example FEDEX, UBS. The company provided their services. Fast delivery and no make more time to send for the one product. Dragged carriers are motor carriers that provided pickup and delivery services in the local metropolitan area, piggyback ramps area or container area.

Containerization is nothing more than a big box into which the freight is loaded; improve the efficiency of interchange among modes. Basic size for one container is length from 28 to 53 feet. They have advantages and disadvantages for the use container. A first advantage is safety; the product can be more protection from bad weather. Minimize handling and design by steel. Second, save cost; minimize handling, consolidate freight and fully utilize. Third, goods can be carried more easily. Four, temporary is not for rent warehouses.  Five is flexibilities; interchanges mode (water, rail, road), standard dimension, loaded into container become 1 unit. Lastly, high security is have a seal and able to trace. 

Topic 15: What Is a Pipeline?

Pipeline transport is the transportation of goods through a pipe. Liquids and gases are transported in pipelines and any chemically stable substance can be sent through a pipeline. Seawage, slurry, water, and even beer pipelines exist; but arguably the most valuable are those transporting crude petroleum and refined petroleum product including fuels: oil and natural gas. Pneumatic tubes using compressed air can be used to transport solid capsules. Not many companies to use the carrier. They have advantages and disadvantages. The advantages is low rates, warehouse functions and unaffected by weather. Disadvantages are slow speed, limited geographic flexibility and limited number of product. They also cannot be easily extended to complete door to door service.
How does a pipelines work? To transport products, pipelines have to be full, since each product propels another. There also has to be sufficient receiving capacity at the exit point to handle the batches.
A pipeline that carries a number of different products is known as a multi-product pipeline. The product batches propel one another in a predefined sequence, which is determined in line with the compatibility and specifications of the products carried (diesel and home heating oil, unleaded regular gasoline and unleaded premium gasoline). Only jet fuel cannot be transported with other products, for safety reasons
They are general pipelines can be classified in three categories depending on purpose is Gathering pipelines. In this group, pipelines are usually short- a couple of hundred meters and with small diameters. Also sub-sea pipelines for collecting product from deep water production platforms are considered gathering systems.
Transportation pipelines is Mainly long pipes with large diameters, moving products (oil, gas, refined products) between cities, countries and even continents. These transportation networks include several compressor stations in gas lines or pump stations for crude and multi-products pipelines.

Distribution pipelines is Composed of several interconnected pipelines with small diameters, used to take the products to the final consumer. Pipelines at terminals for distributing products to tanks and storage facilities are included in this group.

Topic 14: Water carrier

What the water transport? Water transport is movement by means watercraft. They have many types for the water carrier this is because most domestic in global water carriers transport bulk materials. Such as barge ship, general cargo ship, reefer ship and container ship. They use the ships with large size to transport their products and easy to loading and unloading. Besides that, they have advantages and disadvantages to use the carrier. The need for float is common to watercraft to making the hull a dominant aspect of its construction, maintenance and appearance. Transport by water is significantly less costly different with another transport.
General cargo ship is General cargo vessels carry packaged items like chemicals, foods, furniture, machinery and motor. General cargo vessels carry a broad mix of cargoes, such as forest products, manufactured goods, heavy equipment, vehicles, machinery, bagged goods, steel, food products and containers, which poses challenges to the cargo system. It should be designed for maximum efficiency, optimized cargo space flexibility, compromised weather tightness for sensitive cargoes, fast and reliable port operations as well as for full safety and reliability at sea. The cargo are still built but in small quantities.
Reefer ship is they transport perishable foods such as fruit, vegetables, meat, and dairy. The cargo must be to send the product very require faster delivery. Besides than to protect and condition for one product. Specifically designed and used for shipping perishable commodities which require temperature controlled.
Container ship is Container ships are cargo ship that carry their entire load in truck-size inter-modal containers, in a technique called containerization. They are a common means of commercial inter-modal freight transport and now carry most seagoing non-bulk cargo. Container ship capacity is measured in twenty-foot equivalent units. Typical loads are a mix of 20-foot and 40-foot (2-TEU) ISO-standard containers, with the latter predominant.
Tanker ship is a merchant vessel designed to transport liquids in bulk. Major types of tank ship include the oil tanker, the chemical tanker, and gas carrier. Tankers can range in size of capacity from several hundred tons, which includes vessels for servicing small harbors and coastal settlements, to several hundred thousand tons, for long range haulage. Besides ocean or seagoing tankers there are also specialized inland-waterway tankers which operate on rivers and canals with an average cargo capacity up to some thousand tons.

Topic 13: Travelling by Train

Travelling by train is an excellent way to see the Malaysian countryside and many towns in West Malaysia. However if you are pressed for time, you may find the journey by rail from town to town rather slow. (Best option of those with limited time is by bus or coach) There are a number (still few compared to buses) services per day for intercity travel. You can catch the electric train services (ETC) if you travel between Seremban, KL and Ipoh

Trains from Kuala Lumpur International Airport     From Kuala Lumpur International Airport, a fast train, the KLIA Express, takes you to the Kuala Lumpur city centre (KL Sentral terminal) in less than 30 minutes. At KL Sentral, the main railway terminal, there are connecting trains operated by Malayan Railways (KTMB) to Butterworth (Pulau Pinang), Alor Setar (Kedah) and to Arau (Kedah). The journey by train to Butterworth takes more than six hours from Kuala Lumpur and about 12 hours from Singapore .

Trains in Malaysia     In peninsular Malaysia, the KTMB operates over 12 intercity express services daily on weekdays, 18 intercity express services on weekends and eight local train services daily. (most are commuter services with Selangor) There are also services operating from Bangkok, which stop at major towns such as Haadyai (Thailand), Alor Setar, Padang Besar, Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur, Seremban, Johor Bahru and Singapore . You can also travel from KL to the east coast of West Malaysia, right up to Tumpat in the state of Kelantan.

You can buy tickets for some train services on-line or make reservations by phone.

Train services by KTM are classified as Express trains, Shuttle Trains and Local trains (multiple stops)

Topic 12 (free topic) : Advantages and Disadvantages for Air Transportation

Air transportation is transportation by air. Besides that, the goods and passengers can be transported from one place to another by means of planes, helicopters and other flying machines. Air transportation has been developing at a very quick pace since the beginning of the 20th Century. Nowadays, almost every one can fly. Most of companies use the transportation because the transportation can manage the inventory and reduce the cost and the time for one shipment of the goods and services. The company can get the good customer services and the product can get a lot of customer demand. The transport of goods through airways is costly and therefore it is designated to carry costly goods of small quantity. 

They have advantages for use the air transportation is one of the biggest advantages to air transport is speed because the fastest mode of transport and therefore suitable carriage of goods over a long distance requiring less time. There is no substitute for air transport when the transport of goods is required urgently. Second, security and high safety is the arrival of product in the same condition they were in when to transfer to the carrier. Third, punctuality is the goods can transit based on the time and the air transportation can provides comfortable, efficient and quick transport service. It is regarded as best mode of transport for transporting perishable goods.Disadvantages for the air transportation are high costs. 

Air transportation is high cost between other modes of transportation. Second, the air transportation not provides door to door services. The product can get the high risk and can get the damage because maybe the customer can get wrong condition. Third, high maintenance because requires trained, experienced and skilled personnel which involves a substantial investment. The air transportation is controlled by weather condition. It is seriously affected by adverse weather conditions. Snow and heavy rain weather may cause cancellation of some flights. The transportation is most risky between other modes of transport because a minor accident may put a substantial loss to the goods, passengers and the crew. The chances of accidents are greater in comparison to other modes of transport.

Topic 11 (free topic) : Several Advantages for Rail Transportation

Railway transport has several advantages over other means of passenger/goods transportation, including safety, speed, capacity, comfort, environmental protection, traffic jam reduction, and economic feasibility.

Why safety? It’s because Railway accident averages and related injuries and deaths are much lower than those of other means of transportation such as motor vehicles. About speed the average time needed to transport people or materials from one point to another by railway has become quite competitive with other means of transportation, and is being continuously improved by increasing train speeds, reducing the length of their routes.

The capacity is also one of the advantages its mean that trains are capable of carrying larger number of passengers and greater volumes of goods that other means of transportation cannot handle. For the comfort is trains offer passengers more comfort and freedom of movement inside the trains’ cars.

Furthermore the main point is environmental protection to train are considered one of the most energy-efficient means of transportation. To transport one passenger one kilometre, a car needs twice to five times the energy consumed by a train. This average increases from four to eight times in the case of an aircraft.

For the traffic jam Utilizing trains to convey such big numbers of passengers and high volumes of goods means less cars and trucks on the roads, i.e., less accidents, less pollution and less time wasted. Based on the above benefits, railway transportation reduces the cost of transporting passengers and materials as well as road maintenance costs.

Topic 10 : 21st Century Rail Transportation Development and equipment

Although railways are a product of the industrial revolution, they has been affected by continuous innovations, technical, regulatory and commercial changes which have improved their capacity and efficiency. Rail transportation is thus as important in the 21st century as it was in the late 19th century. One innovation relates to the quality of the rail infrastructure, particularly rail tracks (e.g. better steel, concrete ties), which will determine the operational characteristics of their use such as speed, permitted weight, maintenance and resilience to the environment.

 Increasing electrification and automation will also improve the efficiency of rail transportation, passenger and freight alike. A few new rail lines are being built, but mainly in developing countries. Railway speed records have constantly improved with the introduction of high speed rail systems. For instance, portions of the French high speed rail system (also known as TGV: Tres Grande Vitesse) can reach speeds up to 515 km/hr. Variable wheel-base axles permit rail transport between different gauges. However, freight trains run at a considerably lower speed, in the range of 30-35 km/hr. In some cases, as the rail system gets more used, operational speed may decline because of congestion.

The emergence of high-speed rail networks and increasing rail speed had significant impacts on passengers transportation, especially in Europe and Japan (high speed freight trains are not currently being considered; see Application 1 for a more detailed overview). For instance, the French TGV has an operational speed of about 300 km/h. High-speed passenger trains require special lines, but can also use the existing lines at a lower speed. In many cases it permitted a separation between rail passenger traffic rolling at high speed and freight traffic using the conventional rail network. The efficiency of both the passengers and freight rail network was thus improved significantly.

 Since high-speed trains require some time to accelerate and decelerate, the average distance between stations has increased significantly, by-passing several centers of less importance. Over average distances, they have proved to be able to compete effectively with air transportation. Other strategies include improving the speed of existing passenger services without building a high speed corridor. This involves upgrading the equipment and improving the infrastructure at specific locations along the corridor. The benefits of offering a passenger rail service about 120 km/h can be substantial to improve the quality and efficiency of inter-city services in high density urban regions.

Topic 9 (free topic) : Maritime Issues

Seventy percent of Malaysia’s trade in manufactured goods is carried by containers and the use of containerized shipping has increased tremendously. During the 1990s, total container movements increased at least nearly 10 percent a year, with the fastest growth occurring in the ports of Malaysia.

                The rapid growth in container usage represents both a revolution in maritime technology and a significant logistics challenge to economies in the region. Though container ports in the region are becoming more efficient in handling containers Malaysia cannot keep pace with the rapidly growing demand for berth and storage space. While the capacity of the container fleet on the South East Asia – East Asia routes increased at more than 20 percent a year between 1980 and 2000, the capacity of container berths to handle those ships increased at less than 8 percent a year.

 Countries in the region, including Malaysia, responded to the shortage by adding new berths, converting general cargo berths to container handling and developing new ports. Expanded capacity requires greater land area for use in container storage and storage yards to handle the capacity still cannot cope with the decreasing amount of space available both at the ports and depots. Not to mention the means of transporting the containers across land.

There is limited scope for further reducing costs by increasing vessel size and the next development is likely to be more direct services from what are now feeder ports. With higher volumes and more efficient smaller vessels, this could overcome the cost penalty of transfers in the hub ports. The start of this trend can already be seen in the slower growth rates of two regional mega ports in this region: Port Klang and Port of Singapore.

Topic 8 : Factor in Determining Terminal Location

The terminal location is the related with to the decision of how many terminals to establish is the decision of where to establish them. They based on geographic, government and demand variables. The location must be to refer from the economic activities based on one location. The fundamentally based on geographical concepts of the site and based on situation. The site relates to the characteristics of a specific location while the situation concerns the relationships of a location in relation to other locations. 

Besides that, specific sites suitable for defense or commerce have been important factors in the location of cities. In addition to being a factor of spatial organization, transportation is linked with the location of economic activities, including retail, manufacturing and services. In a market economy, location is the outcome of a constrained choice where many issues are being considered, transportation being one of them. The goal is to find a suitable location that would maximize the economic returns for this activity. There is a long tradition within economic geography in developing location with a view to explain and predict the effect of economic activities by incorporating market, institutional and behavioral considerations.

The majority of location theories have an explicit or implicit role attributed to transport since accessibility is an important factor in the location preferences of firms and individuals. As there are no absolute rules dictating location choices, the importance of transport can only be evaluated with varying degrees of accuracy. The example for location terminal is ports and airport, roads and railroads and telecommunication.First about ports and airport are convergence of related activities around terminals, particularly for ports since inland and the cost being too high.

 The location and level of activity of ports and airports are reflective of global patterns. For example the airport and ports in Malaysia is Senai International Airport and Ports Klang. Second about roads and railroads, a structuring and convergence effect the varies according to the level accessibility. For the rail transportation the terminal also have a convergence effect. Last example for location terminal so telecommunications they no specific local influence but the quality of regional and national telecommunication system tends to ease transactions.

Topic 7 (free topic) : Public Transportation System National Development Generating Systematic

What is the public transportation system? It is a service to the public transport operations to move from one place to another as well as providing any form of transportation. The public transport system is mostly provided by the government and the private sector. In preparing the public transportation system network requires systematic investment and fiscal spending is very high - provided by the government or the private sector and hence a means of public transport systems can systematically contribute to the development of the country.

Looking at the public transportation system on land it covers the public transport such as buses, taxis, trucks, rail service, LRT and monorail. This service requires the provision of a connection. To obtain a systematic transportation system all require high-tech communications network with all transportation vehicles and involves investment and fiscal spending could boost economic activity thus generating development.

Air transportation system was further requires systematic management and implementation of transportation systems otherwise not be able to run smoothly and efficiently. Air transport system also requires a high-tech airport with more modern concepts and world-class landing platform can accommodate such as aircraft. Air transportation system is also very important for the country as it provides rapid transport system for the movement of the long journey and much needed by many people around the world.

The public transportation, such as bus taxis there has many effects to improve for their own country for the economy. This show many the importance of the public transport for the country’s development. But the country must be to needs transportation systems that have systematically. The passages can use the best transportation. The transport system can also enhance economic growth .The country can willing to spend much money to provide more public transport links across the country systematically. This is not a waste as claimed by some, but rather it is a long term investment which brings the profit to our country, such as to open opportunity for people.

So clearly demonstrates that the public transport system is able to generate the systematic development of the country. Development of a country cannot be seen if the country does not have a public transportation system that systematically and the best transportation. Thus to continue developing and developed countries can definitely have a systematic system of public transport.

Topic 6 : Sustainable Transportation Future

Sustainable transport refers to the broad subject of transport that is or approaches being sustainable. It includes vehicles, energy, infrastructure, road, railways, airways, waterways, canals, pipeline, and terminals.Transport operations and logistics as well as transit oriented development are involved. Transportation sustainability is largely being measured by transportation system effectiveness and efficiency as well as the environmental impacts of the system.

A sustainable economy is one in which our resources are not used up faster than nature renews them and benefits are shared equitably. Profitability is the product of thriving ecosystems and communities. Our shared assets are not sacrificed for short term profit. Pursuing sustainability has grown from the work of a few idealists to being a mainstream concept. The concept of sustainability has become a driver for a new generation of products and business practices.

Transport systems are major emitters of greenhouse gases, responsible for 23% of world energy-related GHG emissions in 2004, with about three quarters coming from road vehicles. Currently 95% of transport energy comes from petroleum. Energy is consumed in the manufacture as well as the use of vehicles, and is embodied in transport infrastructure including roads, bridges and railways. The environmental impacts of transport can be reduced by improving the walking and cycling environment in cities, and by enhancing the role of public transport, especially electric rail.

Green vehicles are intended to have less environmental impact than equivalent standard vehicles, although when the environmental impact of a vehicle is assessed over the whole of its life cycle this may not be the case. Green vehicles are more fuel efficient, but only in comparison with standard vehicles, and they still contribute to traffic congestion and road crashes. Well- patronized public transport networks based on traditional diesel buses use less fuel per passenger than private vehicles, and are generally safer and use less road space than private vehicles. Green public transport vehicles including electric trains, trams and electric buses combine the advantages of green vehicles with those of sustainable transport choices. Other transport choices with very low environmental impact are cycling and other human powered vehicles, and animal powered transport. The most common green transport choice, with the least environmental impact is walking

Transport plays an important role in economic and social development and can be powerful catalysts to sustainability through providing inter connectivity, learning and development, elements that are essential to women and their empowerment as well as to other marginal groups, the poor and those living in isolated areas.  The social and economic dimensions of transport use show that the poor and marginal groups living in rural areas often walk, or use non-motorized transports (cycles, rickshaw vans, animal carts) that are environment-friendly and do not account for GHG emissions.

Topic 5 (free topic) :Innovation in Transportation

Sustained inflation of the price of oil has set in motion a number of adjustments in the economy. On the one hand, consumers have made adjustments, perhaps under duress. Many have tended to drift to public transportation to satisfy their needs for short-distance travel, and the capacity of the mass transit systems to serve the mounting demand is beginning to reveal its limits. Unfortunately, possibly owing to decades of disinvestment or simply neglect, the transit systems in most cities are not capable of scaling commensurately to meet the increasing demand. Consumers have also made longer-term substitutions of fuel efficient versions of their motor vehicles for gas guzzling models that until recently have enjoyed the status of household pets.

American motor vehicle manufacturers, on the other hand, after successfully resisting credible threats to force them to produce fuel-efficient models, have now begun to deploy their ever-scarcer resources to re-engineering their vehicles. Strategies to accomplish the fuel-efficient vehicle focus on re-engineering the engine, redesigning vehicle bodies to reduce resistance to air and road surfaces, improving engine and vehicle management systems, and other steps.

Ford Motor Company lost $8.7 billion in the second quarter of 2008. Its immediate response has been to announce that it will now shift its resources to the design and production of smaller, fuel-efficient models. One has to wonder if this public intention is credible or sufficient in addressing what might be a systemic alteration in its environment. Ford’s strategic intentions are not different from those of General Motors or Chrysler, and why should anyone expect them to be? All three manufacturers benchmark against each other.

The collective response of the manufacturers to the complex but evident changes in their environment is reminiscent of a wonderful passage in the novel, Ever After by Graham Swift, observing the plight of the great railroads of a fading Victorian Great Britain. At one point, perched on a hill, the protagonist watches in the distance a great express rushing across the scene as if steaming to its oblivion. So now one might ask whether the motor vehicle manufacturers should continue tinkering on their progressively quaint and anachronistic capsules of individualized transport as the world around them adjusts to a new reality. Some drivers may return to their urban origins, thus obviating the need to sit behind the wheel of a motorized vehicle as they ponder the objectives of their daily activities. No matter how much the manufacturer can make the interior of the vehicle look like a hotel room, or endow the vehicle with entertainment features, the erstwhile consumer may ultimately commit to a life without a motorized vehicle.

Should we expend energy or thought to rescuing the Malaysia automotive industry? Were we to do so, would we retrogress to a lower standard of living? After all, we are not ignorant of the unpleasant externalize that have accompanied the transition of a railroad driven economy to an automobile driven economy. Here is a start on the list: smog, congestion, urban decay, despoiled plains and farmlands, and pronounced dependence on despotic foreign suppliers of a dense energy source (oil).

What would be the optimal use or role for the automobile in Malaysia society now or in a future we might anticipate? More pointedly, should the use and role of the automobile change in light of how the Malaysia economy has evolved from the introduction of the automobile as a romantic instrument for escape, adventure, and liberation about a hundred years ago to a current status as a kind of multidimensional” hell on wheels?”

Considering the constraints of the infrastructure supporting its use, is the automobile now more suited to short- or long-distance transportation? Or does it matter? Or is transportation the real purpose of its use? The motorized vehicle had some assistance from the airplane over several decades of the 20th century in ultimately displacing the railroad as the preferred mode of choice for long-distance travel. With the development of road systems to support the automobile, and a network of airports to support airplanes, travel times between any random pairing of cities were re-calibrated in the minds of the American traveler. If gasoline prices at the pump continue to rise, then why should there not be a retrenchment in both the intensity and the variety of automobile use?

Topic 4 (free topic) : The Evolution of Transportation

Transportation is a very important part of history, today and the future. Because of transportation many people and businesses are able to survive. Transportation does not just involve business but it can also be for personal means. Ships are one of the oldest and most important means of transportation. Many kinds of ships are used to carry the world's trade. Giant tankers are used to carry petroleum, vegetable oil, wines and other liquids. Refrigerator ships can carry fresh fruits, meats and vegetables.

 The first era of life people just walking and they do not know that would call logistic. With just walking the movement still can happen. They used to deliver a goods sending by themselves. Not use any tools and kind of transportation. The goods have move from one place to another.

After that, they start to learn new thing it is call riding. Usually they will ride animal such as horses and camels. These riding methods not only create to move people but also the stuff. Most of people use the riding horse or we can call it as transportation to make the work more easier. For example, if the destination is far from the origin place they do not need to walk and be so tired when arrived.

One step to another step they were doing some improvement to move further in transportation. After riding a live animal they started to make an innovation to their transportation. They will drive instead of riding. Therefore they can finish their job more quickly.

Nowadays, the transportation industry become the most needed things in the world. The evolution of transportation teaches us the value of the movement itself. Just imagine if the first revolution of transportation doesn't exist. How about today's high technology of transportation will happen? Indeed we must be thankful for the first one who creates this method. We already know that there have many modes of transportation such as air, sea, railway, road and pipeline. Our job is to make sure these technologies will become more hi-tech for the future. We bear the responsibilities as a future logistician.

Topic 3 : "Drive Less, Save More"

Traffic congestion takes a heavy toll on residents, our economy and the environment. Drive Less Save More seeks to reduce single-occupant car trips and vehicle miles traveled as a means of better managing the demand put on our transportation system and minimizing the environmental impacts of vehicle use. To reduce this problem, we got some strategies such as trip chaining and/or use of transportation options, including transit, ride-sharing, teleworking, biking and walking.

But when we go through on logistics concept, Drive Less Save More, majority all company set their strategies on this proverb. This is happened because all company want capital for their transportation decrease and that will increase their profit. Some example that we will see is one company want send their product at Sri Lanka, at the same time got another one company also want send their product to Sri Lanka, they can share the transportation to reduce their cost of transportation. It can save their money and also energy.

Transportation is the largest single source of air pollution in the United States. Fortunately, clean vehicle and fuel technologies can significantly reduce air pollution from cars and trucks. Hybrid, electric, and fuel-cell technologies are increasingly coming to market and offer long-term solutions to reduce global warming emissions.

Furthermore, instead of companies operating their own dedicated logistics, he envisions greater sharing, and less duplication of effort. Rather than many standalone warehouses, we would have "open hubs" as distribution centers. And, as with the Internet, there would be universal protocols for how goods pass through, and a universal packet size (as with the standard 40 foot shipping container, but a lot smaller). The result would be less waste, and less harm to the environment.

Let we see on public transportation, like bus or taxi, this transportation can make people easy to go anywhere without driving by their own. Public transport has also helped people around us, but the irresponsibility that is at the driver has obscures the eyes of the public to refuse to take the public transport. One example of irresponsible drivers is increasing prices of as he wished, not punctual, dangerous driving and more. But not all bus drivers like this. Let’s take the bus or taxi for drive less, save more.

Date of published: 16th February 2014

Topic 2 (free topic): How to improve the quality of transportation services

Transportation service is one of the important for the logistic process. It involved many party that working together to achieve the target. It is strongly connect with the customer satisfaction. When the service is good, then the company of transportation service will growth up very well. Most of customers want a good quality instead of quantity. There are many ways to improve quality of transportation such as increase speed of shipment, good communication with customers, the journey of shipment must follow the requirement and it will become higher satisfaction if there is no delay in along the process.

The first way is increase service speed. Even the speed in increase they must make sure it is not affecting the conditions of goods itself. It is because anything can happen if the shipment moves to fast. The goods can damages. Most important is the goods arrive to customer in good condition and with appropriate time. They can compete with other company if can deliver a goods quickly than others. Therefore, it is a good way to improve quality of transportation service and satisfied the customers.

The quality also can improve by having a good communication with customers. For example we give the customer the right info about the shipment schedule or delivery time. If we do not have a good communication with customers, they will not know the status of shipment and it will give a bad impact to the company. It is clear here that the good communication will improve the quality of transportation within the customer and the seller. How about the delay in transportation process? Of course it will unsatisfied the customer because if one process delays it will affect the entire process. We need the strategy how to get no delay along the process. We can fix it by follow the schedule as it been set.

 Other than that, the shipment itself must follow the requirement. There have many aspect of requirement such as the vehicle and the rules of shipment and transportation. The quality depends on how they operate and manage the transportation. They must follow the truck requirement such as condition of tyre and the freight rate. If the entire requirement is followed then the quality of transportation will also improve.

In conclusion, the customer satisfaction is the main reason why we need to improve the quality of transportation. Moreover the company also get benefits because many customers want to deal again if the services are good. 

Date of published: 9th February 2014

Topic 1: Provide opinion how the transportation provider response and face the pricing increase of fuel.

Nowadays the economy of Malaysia was affecting many things. This is including the increasing of fuel price. The transportation providers need to face this situation. This is because even the price increase they still need to provide the service. Therefore the company of transportation providers have to find the way to keep the best service and meet customer requirements. From our opinion the transportation providers face the pricing fuel issues by create more consolidation of shipment, make an innovation to their transport and apply the concept of fully utilized.

To face this critical situation they also can make an innovation to the transport itself. For example they can change the basic engine to bio diesel. For sure this innovation involved a lot of investment but for a long time it can help to reduce the cost especially the fuel cost. Besides that they also can apply the concept of fully utilized. When the shipment is move from point of origin to the point of consumption with full utilized shipment then it must have same used of space of shipment when it is return. This concept can rely when the fuel pricing was increased.

In Malaysia, all the transportation providers must face the unstable economy. However they need to run their business even the price of fuel is increased day by day. What happen if they stop their business because of this issue? Of course the logistics in Malaysia cannot run well. The manufacturer cannot run a production and customer cannot get their product as well. Therefore, by hook or by crook they must face and find a solution to get through of this situation and at the same time they still can get the profit.

For the first time the price of fuel increase, the transportation providers must have badly responses. When the fuel price increases most products also get the impact. Raw material will be high cost. Government side also need to control the price of product. In conclusion, the transportation providers must have their own way to solve the issue of increasing fuel price in Malaysia.

Date of published: 9th February 2014