Example performance management dissertation topic 2:

An examination of the management of signal failures in the London Underground during the 2012 Olympics

The 2012 Olympics in London will present a significant challenge for the London Underground, as approximately four million visitors are expected over a two week period. Transport for London has released a variety of plans for the management of visitors during the Olympics, but considerable community scepticism remains as to the likely success of those plans. This has been bolstered by incidents such as that on Wednesday, 23rd May 2012, when more than 770 passengers were forced to walk through tunnels after problems on the Jubilee Line (each receiving £40 compensation). This dissertation will track the progress of the Underground transport system through news reports during the Olympics, and will evaluate the success of the management plan, comparing it against the success of transport systems for previous Olympic Games in Beijing and Athens.

Suggested initial topic reading:

• Frantzeskakis, J. and Frantzeskakis, M. (2006) ‘Athens 2004 Olympic Games: Transportation planning, simulation and traffic management’, ITE Journal, Vol. 76(10), pp. 26-32.
• Olympic Delivery Authority (2012) Transport Plan for the London 2012
• Olympic and Paralympic Games. London: Olympic Delivery Authority.
• Su, Y., Lu, L., Yao, D., Zhang, Y., Li, Z., Zhang, Z. and Yangmeng, W. (2009) Transportation demand management for Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, International IEEE Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems, 2009, 4-7 Oct. 2009, St Louis.