1. Administrative Policies and Procedures : The ADG, M&CP, administers the marketing & Corporate Planning Department in accordance with BR policies, including :
-setting and approving of administrative policies and procedures specific to the Department;
-approving of the direction and priorities of the Department’s work;
-selecting and administrating department staff;
-preparing the Department’s budget and allocating the Department’s funds, including capital for the procurement of office equipment and facilities.
2. Marketing Research & Strategic Planning: The ADG, M&CP, leads the Railway’s market research and strategic planning efforts, including.
-guiding and setting the direction for transportation market research for both passenger and freight traffic; participating in intelligence gathering, reconnaissance and research at the senior levels and on appropriate occasions, as they arise;
-leading the development of BR product strategy for each freight and passenger service or business unit, including all commodities and all major shippers;
- ensuring that the relative attractiveness of each of BR’s traffic sectors is assessed in terms of profitability, volume and growth potential;
-ensuring that target customer service standards (frequency of service, transit times, from origin to each destination, time of day for shunting, supply of ancillary services, etc) are set for freight traffic;
-ensuring that target customer service standards (frequency of service, transit times, customers comfort, ancillary services such as food, luggage, information etc) are set for passenger traffic;
-ensuring that, from the point-of-view of the customer, equipment standards (types of wagons and coaches, condition of wagons and coaches, special features, cleanliness etc) are set for all BR services;
-ensuring that, from the point-of-view of the customer, facility standards (location, space, staff and services, security, hours of availability, etc) are set for all BR services;
-negotiating, promoting and seeking Senior BR Management consensus for the acceptance and implementation fo the above standards.
3 Tariffs, Rates and Service Contracts: The ADG, M&CP, leads and is sole authority for pricing BR’s transportation products, including:
-defining of transportation pricing strategies (freight: competitive, contract, seasonal, shipper-owned equipment, etc; passenger: by class, service, season, etc);
-leading in the structuring and definition of BR’s tariff and commercial terms and conditions;
-negotiating of freight and setting of passenger rates at competitive levels for all BR services;
-ensuring that all key freight and passenger rates are profitable and maximize contribution to BR’s overheads and profits;
-ensuring that regular assessments of competing transport services and their pricing are carried out.
4. Product Development & Sales : The ADG, M&CP, leads in planning the details of BR products from implementation to on-going follow-up, and sets BR’s sales tactics to sell the products, including:
-promoting the new service within other BR departments, working out details with their managements and spearheading the implementation of the new service;
-working with other BR departments and zones in the delegation of roles and functions associated with various transportation products;
-explaining and promoting the new products to passengers, shippers, media and regulatory authorities; liaising particularly with major shippers and passenger/travel groups;
-Assisting Operations and infrastructure Departments in the planning of station and facility layouts, improvements and tariffing for customer service purposes;
-or freight traffic, leading or guiding the negotiation of freight rates with major shippers, in accordance with approves strategies;
-or passenger traffic, guiding the timing and implementing of passenger fares, discounts and promotions;
guiding the promotion and advertising of new BR services.
5. Service & After-Sales Monitoring : The ADG, M&CP, Working closely with the Operations Department, monitors BR’s performance in providing transportation products as they have been planned and sold, including:
-ensuring that important customer services provided to key freight customers and passenger groups are monitored, and quality of service, equipment, etc are spot checked, and improvements negotiated with other BR departments;
-ensuring that passenger and shipper complaints and concerns are determined and evaluated, and remedial action is implemented within ;
-ensuring the tracking of customer shipments and wagons, and the provision of a variety of BR information to customers.
6. Marketing Support Services: The ADG, M&CP, establishes and guides a variety of support services which ensure the timeliness, accuracy and completeness of data collection and analysis for the marketing Department, including:
-ensuring that revenue forecasts are prepared for BR Senior Management, reflecting changes in shipping and travel patterns, seasonality, etc.
-working with Operations, ensuring that passenger and freight traffic statistics are collected and analytical procedures developed which focus on management and trouble-shooting issues, as well as end-of-year reporting
7. Corporate Planning: The ADG, M&CP, guides the preparation of economically-valid capital investment proposals in rail equipment and facilities for all BR departments and co-ordinates BR’s overall annual budgeting process with the GOB’s including:
-in support of the DG and BRA, advocating the total capital investment threshholds at which different BR groups or individual departments should target each year. The capital categories may comprise:
1. Wagons, carriages, other equipment and facilities required for new freight or passenger business.
2. Replacement of infrastructure
3. Replacement of mechnical shop facilities and maintenance equipment
4. New infrastructure and mechnical equipment and projects
-Setting BR’s economic process for evaluating and selecting from among its capital projects, including setting and internal rate of return procedure whereby BR will rank comparative investment alternatives;
-ensuring the preparation of marketing Department proposals for capital projects to capture or preserve major rail freight and passenger traffic;
-ensuring that BR’s overall capital budgeting process is consistent with GOB guidelines and meets GOB schedules;
-assisting other departments and divisions with respect to form and documentation of capital proposals;
8. Internal Briefings: The ADG, M&CP briefs Senior BR Management on developments in the rail passenger and freight sectors, including:
-major new business opportunities and potential trends in traffic volumes, effects on profitability, etc.
-monitoring and evaluating tgrends and changes in political, economic and regulatory environments affecting the Railway;