How local is local?

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Pictured in Weymouth on Saturday







From Chronicle Live

[snip]

The full-year figures showed bus earnings were also under pressure in the year to July, down 0.5% at £90.7m, dragged lower by the regional bus business.

Go-Ahead is now targeting growth abroad, with aims to make 15% to 20% of profit overseas within five years as it faces challenges in its domestic market.

[JayMac]

"Dorset's great local bus company" is a bit snappier than, "Dorset's great semi autonomous locally managed limited bus company overseen by our corporate head office in Newcastle."

[grahame]

"Dorset's great local bus company" is a bit snappier than, "Dorset's great semi autonomous locally managed limited bus company overseen by our corporate head office in Newcastle."

Yes, but it would be accurate.   The shortening is inaccurate. It's rather like saying "off peak tickets not valid on this train" when an off peak day return ticket from Snodland to Goring and Streatley IS valid ...

[Red Squirrel]

We're into semantics here - some may think that 'local' refers to the company, whereas others may think it refers to the buses that they run. In the good old days, of course, both senses were possible.

[stuving]

We're into semantics here - some may think that 'local' refers to the company, whereas others may think it refers to the buses that they run. In the good old days, of course, both senses were possible.

But then, semantically, isn't it the word "company" that introduces the ambiguity? Is a subsidiary a "company" in the sense implied here?

This can be contentious - I did annoy the MD of the (wholly-owned subsidiary) company I worked for be referring to him and his colleagues as "not real company directors".

[John R]

In the legal sense then yet it is a company. It's only the ownership that is different (i.e. it is fully owned by its parent).  So the MD is in reality fully accountable to the parent, and may well take directions as to strategy, investment etc.

 

[Ralph Ayres]

In my experience the Go-Ahead group generally seem rather better than other large bus groups at allowing the local management to get on with their jobs in the way best suited to the local area, with the support of a larger organization when necessary.