Abstracts ABSENTEEISM
IN THE
MINING
INDUSTRY
PEDDER A P (1971) A study of absence behavior in the mining industry. MSc Thesis, Lyon Playfair Library, Imperial College of Science and Technology. Exhibition Road, London SW7 2BX.
ANTHONY PEDDER found that for a sample of mine workers, work attitudes were not strongly related to absenteeism. This result, which is perhaps contrary to expectations, was based on a national sample of 1228 mine workers at 24 collieries. Information on absenteeism, accidents and sickness was taken from the colliery records, while attitudinal data were obtained for half the sample in face to face interviews. The analyses of the relationships between absences due to different causes-accidents, sickness or absenteeism--suggest that absences due to accidents and sickness tend to be associated for a given individual and are probably a function of a common underlying personality dynamic. Voluntary absenteeism, on the other hand, seemed relatively independent of accidents and sickness, and it was hypothesised that the level of absenteeism of this type might be a function of social norms rather than personality. Significant differences were found between different regions of the country in the rates of accidents and sickness and in the average length of absence for any given accident or sickness. It was concluded that regional social norms influence what is percieved as an acceptable period of time to take off work, given that an accident or sickness has occurred. Demographic factors and type of job were related to absenteeism, but work attitudes were not strongly related. It was concluded that more sophisticated methods of treating the data were needed before this negative conclusion could be accepted. Consistent increases appear to have occurred in the frequency of absenteeism due to sickness and accidents and in the length of periods of absence due to these causes since the changes in the industrial benefit scheme in March 1970. There was evidence that increases were greater amongst workers who would gain most compensation from the scheme. There were no apparent changes in the level of voluntary absenteeism. Abstracted by Antony Pedder, The Cedars, Tixover Grange, Duddington, Stamford, Lincolnshire, England.
A MODEL
OF INTER-CITY
TRAVEL
DEMAND
IRWIN N A (1972) A model of inter-city travel demand. 1972 Annual Conference of the Canadian Operational Research Society. Paper available from Keith Lansdell, Transportation Development Agency, 2085 Union Street, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
A PAPER given by Neal A Irwin at the 1972 Annual Conference of the Canadian 124
Omega, Vol. 1, No. 1 Operational Research Society described the development, testing and initial application of a mathematical method for estimating future travel demand between cities in Canada and the market share which would be attracted by each available mode of travel under various conditions of service and price. The model is a two-stage procedure involving in the first stage a method of estimating total travel demand (by all travel modes combined) between pairs of cities, based upon the size and characteristics of the cities, their separation, and average characteristics of the transportation system connecting them. The second stage of the model is a "model split method" which estimates the relative market shares of available travel modes between each pair of cities, taking into account factors such as the travel time, cost, and service level offered by each mode. Both stages of the model work on the "segmented market" approach in that they are stratified in terms of various types of trip makers and trips, and a unique set of model coefficients developed for each segment of the market. The paper describes model development wolk carried out on behalf of the Transportation Development Agency, Ministry of Transport, Government of Canada, and initial applications of the model to estimate the travel market or STOL services between Montreal and Ottawa. Abstracted by Neal A Irwin, Kates Peat, Marwick and Co., Toronto, Canada.
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