M.A. / The proposal to build the Gautrain rapid-rail link between Pretoria, Johannesburg and Johannesburg International Airport was approved in June 2000 by the Gauteng Provincial Government. It was noted that this particular development could have serious environmental implications for the area involved. The aim of this research is therefore to identify the most suitable terrain in order to optimise the rail route alignment with minimal environmental impact. This will be accomplished by undertaking a terrain suitability analysis. The different high-speed railway types are discussed and their impact on the environment is considered, culminating in an evaluation of the background and status of the proposed Gautrain rapid-rail link. The different approaches to terrain evaluation are discussed in order to draw conclusions relative to the methodology used in this research. Subsequently the activity approach as described by Mitchell (1991) and Hugo et al (1997) was chosen as the methodology to use for this research and the terrain within the study area was classified according to its suitability for the development of the Gautrain rapid-rail link. A Geographic Information System (GIS) was utilised to aid in the terrain suitability analysis. As a result of the analysis an optimised route is proposed and compared to the rail routes already proposed for the Gautrain rapid-rail link. It is imperative that a terrain suitability analysis should form part of the preliminary phase of any environmental management cycle as portrayed in Fuggle & Rabie (1998), in order to identify suitable terrain for the development in question; the rapid-rail link route should be no exception.

M.Comm. / Spoornet ( South African Transport Services before 1991) realised since the early 1980's that pressure from its environment would have a serious effect on its economic survival. Since 1991 it has had to fight for its marketshare. Road transport companies started to beat Spoornet on all levels and robbed it of its client base. Spoornet was forced to reform its customer services approach. Pantograph-overheadwire entanglements is one of the obstacles in obtaining customer satisfaction due to the fact that one such incident can cause a train delay of up to three hours. Due the impact this has on the predictability of service, the Chief Engineer (Electrical) set as first objective an entanglement figure of 1 per million pantograph kilometres. A few informal investigations were made into possible technical reasons but none was made into the possible non-technical reasons. As hypothesis it was stated that the efforts of personnel in the organisation to solve the entanglement problem were being handicapped by the lack of motivation, which caused a atmosphere of conflict and frustration. This frustration and conflict has a negative influence on productivity and effectiveness which could be the cause of entanglements. Research done on this was conducted on a dual approach; Literature study as secondary information. Structured interview as primary information. The hypothesis was tested with this study and it was shown that inter-groupconflict, motivation, resource employment and the current approach all had aspects which needed to be addressed to solve the pantograph-overheadwire entanglement problem.

The purpose of the study was to explore barriers to supplier development encountered by SMEs as suppliers in the South African railway industry. The first objective was to identify barriers faced by SMEs to be suppliers of large OEMs in the South African railway industry. The second objective was to establish the challenges that lead to failure in the supplier development process. The third objective was to describe the activities done by SMEs to position themselves in becoming preferred supplier development candidates for OEMs in the South African railway industry. SMEs as suppliers in the railway industry were interviewed through an explorative interview. The interview targeted suppliers who were involved in the railway industry and who are actively seeking contracts with the South African railway operators. The findings are that new suppliers are experiencing barriers to enter the railway industry. The key barriers for new suppliers are industry human capital, industry regulation, capabilities, ineffective government intervention and lack of resources. The main challenges identified during the supplier development process are the long bureaucratic process related to supplier development on-boarding, miscommunication and lack of transparency. Suppliers also faced challenges in the way they position themselves in becoming preferred suppliers development candidates for OEMs in the South African railway industry. Recruiting railway expertise and innovating compliant products were the most effective measures taken by suppliers in becoming a preferred supplier. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lmgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / Unrestricted

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Includes bibliographical references (p. 62-64). / In Camera Lucida Roland Barthes (1980: 64-66), describes the process of looking through his mother's photographs after her death. He weighs up how much of her he recognises in the images he comes across. He evaluates the versions of her that are portrayed and deduces that "none seem to be really 'right':" neither as photographic performances nor as existing recurrences of "the beloved face" that he carries in his psyche. He talks about trying to find her, and achieves only part satisfaction in pinpointing fragments in each image that seem to depict parts of the mother he knows. He concludes that by being partially true, the total representation in each image is false. He suggests that the physical details and direct documentations of his mother's physical self, do not contain the sense of her, as he knows her.

The decade of the 1880s was a time of unprecedented development in the Pacific Northwest. Railroads were being constructed, immigration was high, lumber in demand and statehood for Washington appeared imminent. Vancouver, Washington, benefited from this prosperity. In 1888 a Portland firm built a steam powered railway from East Portland, through its real estate development, Woodlawn, to the Vancouver ferry. The success of this enterprise in aiding the sale of real estate was observed by several Vancouver men who formed the Columbia Land and Improvement Company to promote the sale of their property. The company constructed a horse drawn street railway in 1889 from Vancouver's business district north to its development in Vancouver Heights. The railway had mixed financial success and was sold to a Portland man, George B. Markle, in 1892. He electrified it and operated the line until his financial empire crumbled in the Panic of 1893. After several years of operation in the hands of a receiver, the railway ceased running in 1895, and was dismantled two years later.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Engineering: Industrial Date: 11 October 2016 / This research investigates Transnet‟s Foundry Quality System, focusing on the quality issues in the Foundry. This includes determining the total cost of quality for the business, investigating the impact of the specific defects on the productivity of the business. Two products were analysed namely, the top centre casting and the brake shoe holders. Root cause analysis was done on each stage of the Foundry process to understand the causes of defects. Data was collected and analysed and most of the defects that occur were found to be the result of poor quality management which consequently causes low productivity and low profits. Also identified was a lack of skilled personnel in specific areas in the Foundry. Furthermore data collection as part of the quality system in the Foundry is not effectively executed and this implies that performance cannot be fully measured. Non Compliance reports from customers were analysed and the total cost of quality was calculated to be R1 214 690.73 based on the data that was available. The impact of defects on productivity was also analysed for the financial year 2014/2015 and it was calculated to be 47% for the brake shoe holders. The target for the Foundry for the financial year was R4 048 799.30 for the actual productivity in sales amounted to R 1 915 510.60. For the top centre the estimated target for the financial year 2014/2015 was R6 271 500.00 and the actual productivity amounted to R3 305 250.00. Statistical process control charts were drawn and it was discovered that some of the machines owned by the business are not capable of producing to specification. Qualifound was identified as a framework to improve the Transnet foundry quality system. It is recommended that top management be educated in the concept of cost of quality and its impact on business profitability and that skilled quality coordinators be appointed to facilitate continuous quality maintenance. / MT2017

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