849954 sisus

works. The term common carrier has, however, many connotations in freight
transportation systems, depending on the context where it is applied, though
mostly it refers to a 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 (IFT) 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. One of the key findings is
also that 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.
Network Perspectives
In this study both nets and networks are under consideration. It is also assumed
that the network view gives a researcher different perspective for discussing the
conformities on modern logistics systems – like transportation or supply chains.
In this chapter some features of networks are explained; this is needed to understand
the scientific orientations in many articles.
The network is actually a metaphor: particularly in logistics a network has conventionally
been defined as a set of connected nodes and links. In infrastructural
networks the nodes are points of origin or destinations, or intermediaries between
links, having some functional character like warehousing, loading, or dis-
24