849954 sisus

Essay 9
Common Carriers in Intermodal Rail
and Sea Transportation Networks:
Preliminary Empirical Evidence
Astract
The term common carrier has many connotations in freight transportation systems,
depending on the context where it is applied, though mostly it refers to juridical
interpretation. In this study the concept is approached differently, as the
main objective of the paper is to discuss and compare the role of the common
carrier (represented by a chosen focal actor in empirical analysis) in intermodal
freight transportation networks. A bi-faceted and dualistic interpretation of the
role-position concept provides a robust analytical basis for the study. The network-based
approach as a theoretical suggestion with strong emphasis on interorganisational
issues (complementing the conventionally used normative and
strategical/operational approaches) is strongly addressed. The analysis is based
on preliminary theoretical presumptions related to empirical findings and comparison
in the Finnish railway systems and liner shipping industry. The study
shows that particularly in the railway industry the common carrier as an organisational
role tends to have some typical characteristics, such as the executive’s
intention of expressing its strategic will openly. The railcarrier often aims at being
truly neutral towards all the other operators. In pricemaking policy the principle of
cross-subsidization, which is based on the idea of stability, ensures the continuity
of neutrality. In liner shipping industry, some of the features – also as reflections
of neutrality - are assumed to be valid as well, to name the liner freight
making policy and its stability, which also implies non-discrimination between
customers. In liner shipping industry the classical normative approach (referring
to the influence of international conventions in practices) still dominates the examination,
though the network-based approach could enrich both the theoretical
and the empirical discussion.
171