Transport, Protection and Best Practices - Essay Example

Introduction The expansion of the economy across national borders in the global economy has been overwhelmingly supported by all countries globally.Gary (2000, p. 124) pointed out that the center of interest to any business has been the services it offers to the customers. Customer services and experience are the central part for economic growth. Service industry contributes enormously to the GDP of many countries and this was witnessed in the British government in the 20th century. Transport services industry is the hallmark of the expansion of economical markets across borders. Businesses have expanded their markets internationally because of effective transportation of goods and services. The transport of people remains the most critical issue that should be addressed by any international transport company. Provision of high quality but cost effective transport services is achieved when the key elements are considered. Effective services depend mainly on the comprehensive standards underpinning transport operations where innovation to provide immense benefits to customers and service providers remain the central issue. Protection and best Practices Bardi (2007, p. 78) suggested that robust and comprehensive standards should be practiced in the transportation sector. The service providers should have best practices that offer protection to both people and goods that are in transit. Means of international transport available in the world are risky hence the owners should establish the best practices that limit the extent of risks. International transportation of human remains calls for numerous measures to govern the conditions and state of transport. The service providers must have strong strategies which protect the crew. Transport of the human remains exposes the crew to a lot of dangers. Human remains of those who were affected by dangerous diseases such SAARS and H1N1 can be very dangerous to the crew. Loading and offloading of human remains should be carried out with all protective devices. The embalmers should be people of high intelligence and are qualified enough to take up the job. This limits the chances of been infected hence the rest of the passengers are safe. The embalming process should be done very effectively and fast enough. The customer transporting goods across national borders should feel safe at all times. Protection standards should be developed with real consumer needs in mind and the service provider should ensure that services provided are well understood by the consumer. UN Model Regulations have ensured protection of the customers and the goods being transported. International carriage of dangerous goods should be regulated in all modes of transport i.e. road, waterways, sea and air. The service provider is obliged to ensure that products are classified and tested to ascertain any dangerous goods due for transportation. The transporting company must have strict rules governing documentation requirements to make sure that all goods being transported are safe. Goods should be labeled and marked to ensure that right goods are transported. Transport of goods that are not marked might lead to a great deal of confusion as customers might end up loosing their goods during offloading at different destinations. It is a regulatory standard that international service providers clarify destinations and their respective time frames. This eliminates chances of customers confusing their points of destination hence they will not alight at wrong destination point. Safety should not be compromised in the chain of multi-modal transport service. Risks might arise due to differences in modal provisions between countries undertaking international trade. Multi-modal provisions differ with time. The international service provider should ensure that there are harmonized regulations applicable throughout the chain of multi-modal transport. There are scenarios where transport service providers such as shipping companies comply with regulations at the initial stages of the journey but become very reluctant at later stages. This has an effect of dangerous delays at some terminals as the ship might be held up by authorities if confirmed to be in possession of dangerous goods. The company will end up incurring huge costs and the customers’ time is wasted immensely. Having safety regulations in the international transport sector offers several substantial benefits to both the service providing companies and the customers (Fletcher & Cooper, 2000, p. 60). Shipping is an international transport service industry which has been used by international traders and investors for a long time. It provides the lifeline of international trade since heavy goods can be transported across national borders where road transport cannot apply. Due to advanced technology, ship designs and construction have been modernized hence offering larger economies of scale to international traders. According to Vickerman (2003, p. 60), many international transport service providers are victims of dangerous accidents due to transport of dangerous goods. These are goods that are explosive, easily flammable and toxic, can contaminate other goods in the cargo, are radioactive and can cause harm the humans. The safety of goods and people is compromised if the company does not take serious the international regulations governing the type of goods to be transported. Transportation of large amounts of dangerous goods causes hazards to human health and the goods being transported. If an accident occurs when transporting dangerous goods, chances are that catastrophic consequences might be experienced. The owner of goods is then exposed to risk of losses. Time consumption- Alliances Time wastage is at the verge of collapsing all modes of international transportation especially the shipping industry. The emergence of alliances between difference shipping companies has eradicated time wastage in the international transport. This is an aspect that has been welcomed by the international regulatory boards. Alliances offer substantial advantages to both the service provider and the customer. Joint use of terminals reduces costs and capital expenditure. Customers transporting goods are able to access parallel global networks. Through alliances, traders can access new markets and a wider range of transit routes, shorter route time is an immense benefit to the traders. In the transport of human remains, alliances help to reduce delays during delivery hence postmortem processes are done in time. Physical Evidence- Transport facilities characteristics and worthiness These are elements that all the transport service providers must take into account before the start of any journey. This strategy eliminates all kinds of inconveniences during the journey. The transporting facility should be up to standard and should be well maintained. All transport companies must comply with the international regulations governing the design and operation of these facilities. Proper fleet maintenance and continuous training of the service crew are major aspects that the service provider must adhere to as per the international regulations. The transporter should be aware of the worthiness of the facility for the safety of goods and people. Transport using unworthy vessels creates many problems as the facility might experience mechanical problems on the way rendering loss of personal property or goods. The service provider should ensure that the facility is worth for transportation at all times, it is well equipped and manned in a way that it can carry the goods safely. For the shipping facilities, it should be well supplied and manned that it can overcome sea tides and other ordinary sea perils (Harrison, 2001, p. 123). A transporting company which meets all the international regulations and has facilities that are worth transportation ensures that goods will be safe and they will be at the expected destination at the right time without unnecessary delays. Multi-modal Provisions Multi-modal transportation involves the carriage of goods using two different modes of transportation which pursue one multi-modal contract. The inadequacies of facilities in many companies undertaking international transportation have exposed the lives of many travelers to a great deal of risk. The transport of people through the multi-modal transportation has been affected significantly by the inadequacy of basic facilities. The delivery of human remains after offloading should be done faster. The service providers should have basic facilities for both embalming process and the mere delivery of the remains to avoid more destruction. The remains require immediate treatment hence any delay is very risky. The forwarders or the crew should have enough knowledge on the use of the facilities during the delivery process. To ensure safety of goods, the international regulatory body postulates that the transport operator is liable for any loss that occurred during the time of transportation. It is the responsibility of the multi-modal transport operator to ensure that there are minimal delays in the delivery of products and if it occurs, then they are liable and should compensate the owner for any suffering encounter. O’Neill (1996, p. 100) noted that it is mandatory for multi-modal transport operator to have knowledge and skills that will govern delivery of goods. The international regulations ensure that the personnel undertaking the multi-modal transportation are people with required qualities and who can perform smooth delivery of goods. Cost-effective without compromising the quality of services Novack & Coyle (2006, p. 400) argued that provision of unique and conventional services is very important to all business organisations. Transport Service Companies can compete comfortably in the transport market if they can provide effective services to their customers at low cost. For a transporting company to outwit its competitors, it should provide conventional services in clearance, transportation, quality and quantity analysis of the goods and international forwarding. These can be achieved if there are qualified personnel who are willing to take up different positions. The transport service industry can be cost-effective if it has very organized departments which perform different duties. Custom-clearing departments should have computerized information systems that can easily handle clearance of goods imported. The company should be in a position to offer professionals packing service of both large and small consignments and it should ensure that goods are delivered safely. It is recommendable that all international transporting companies comply with all the insurance requirements to cover any financial losses that might occur. Quality and quantity inspection is of the issue that a company can survive stiff competition in the transport industry. It should provide the customers with the shipment requirements. A competitive company should have competent staff that can carry out proper inspection of the goods arriving and those due for transportation. Conclusion The transport of the human remains is becoming a major concern internationally. A company which has all the basic facilities for transporting the delegate human remains and delivering it without any delay can survive the competition. There is stiff competition in all sectors in the modern global economy. Firms compete in the transport service industry and hence the effective firm will survive competition. Kletz (1998, p. 98) noted that a competitive company should have in place all the strategies that will enable it to outwit the competitors. Expansion of geographical markets calls for integrated production and service delivery in the transport sector. Cost reduction and higher service standards are very fundamental for survival in the competitive industry. The need to keep down operating costs is important hence firms competing in the service industry should engage in efficient multi-modal transport services to acquire new trading opportunities (Rajeev, 2005, p. 50). References Gary, K. 2000. International Transport Services Marketing. 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U.S. Department of Transport Services, USA. Pages 29-68. Harrison, J. 2001. Technology in Transport Services: Policies for Growth and Trade. Association of American Transportation Servicers, Washington, D.C., PP.45-167. Rajeev, A. 2005. Low Cost Operations of Transport Service Industry. Journal of Logistics of International Trade. Pages 23-124. O’Neill, M.A. 1996. Current Quality Issues in Transport Sector in Northern Ireland. Journal of TQM Magazine, MCB UP Ltd Publishers, Ireland. Pages 90-150 http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2001/03/19/stories/091971ra.htm References and further reading may be available for this article. To view references and further reading you must purchase this article. . Read More