Cost efficiency of NSW rail passenger services 1951/52-1991/92 : a case study in corporate strategic modelling

During the 1990s, governments, managements and unions have been focused upon improving the cost efficiency of firms. This focus has been strongest for firms in the public sector where improved outcomes can be expected to significantly improve the Gross Domestic Products of whole economies. This case study looks at the cost efficiency of NSW rail passenger services over a 41 year period to 1991/92, long suspected (but hitherto only tentatively demonstrated) as a paradigm of cost inefficiency. The case study focuses upon the use of the total factor productivity (TFP) index, as a datum point for measuring change in productivity in four markets: suburban, internrban, country and interstate passenger services since 1951/52. From this datum, changes over the years in management, technology and other external factors can be identified and assessed. The thesis identifies management quality (the organising element in the firm) as the preeminent factor in determining productivity change, and the role that new technology plays in its impact on failures in management. We establish the linkages between management and innovation, with TFP, pricing efficiency and economic resource use efficiency, to present a rich paradigm for assessing the economic performance of any business firm. Borrowing from systems theory and other management practices such as total quality management, we disaggregated the case firm into its component systems, sub-systems and processes, for separate study in relation to impact on TFP. The database for 41 years of rail behaviour is the richest ever compiled for any railway in Australia, and with enhanced modelling, enables a systematic treatment of the performance through time of State Rail's passenger services

Revisions and Update: Productivity of Australian Railways 1971/72 to 1991/92

This paper revises the findings of the Productivity of Australian Railways study released by ITS in 1992. The findings were released as Research Report ITS-RR-92-1, as Working Paper ITS-WP-92-7 and as a paper published in the proceedings of the 17th Australasian Transport Research Forum. The revisions include: the inclusion of South Australia’s urban passenger services, review of supply side measures of output, a revised measure of capital utilisation, and update of the database to include the latest available information for 1991/92. The paper is in two sections: Section 1 contains an explanation of the revisions and update; while Section 2 contains the results of the revisions and update including a revision of TFP figures and models presented in ITS-WP-92-7 and tables of revised data and TFP measures

A comparative assessment of the productivity of Australia’s rail systems 1971/72 - 1990/91

There is a recognition that Australia’s rail systems, as the major recipient of government subsidy, have to improve their performance and become more cost efficient. Any policy designed to reduce costs must consider the implications of resultant actions on the overall productivity of a business. In this paper we propose the use of the total factor productivity index as an appropriate reference benchmark, calculated annually for each rail system. As a reference benchmark, it enables each railway to evaluate the productivity implications of any change to the operating and managerial environment designed in part or in whole as a cost saving strategy. Total factor productivity indices are derived annually from 1971/72 to 1990/91 for the 5 major rail systems and sources of variation are identified

Performance Evaluation in Passenger Transportation: What Are Relevant Measures?

Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies. Business School. The University of Sydne

Factors associated with ABCDE bundle adherence in critically ill adults requiring mechanical ventilation: An observational design.

ObjectiveTo identify factors associated with the ABCDEF bundle (Assess, prevent, and manage pain, Both, spontaneous awakening and breathing trials, Choice of sedation/analgesia, Delirium assess, prevent and manage, Early mobility/exercise and Family engagement/empowerment) adherence, in critically ill patients during the first 96 hours of mechanical ventilation.DesignObservational study using electronic health record data.Setting15 intensive care units located in seven community hospitals in a western United States health system.Patients977 adult patients who were on mechanical ventilation for greater than 24 hours and admitted to an intensive care unit over six months.Measurements and main resultsMultiple regression analysis was used to examine factors contributing to bundle adherence while adjusting for severity of illness, days on mechanical ventilation, hospital site and time elapsed. ABCDEF bundle adherence was higher in patients on mechanical ventilation for less than 48 hours (p = 0.01), who received continuous sedation for less than 24 hours (p < 0.001), admitted from skilled nursing facilities (p < 0.05), and over the course of the six-month study period (p < 0.01). Bundle adherence was significantly lower for Hispanic patients (p < 0.01).ConclusionsOur study identified potentially modifiable factors that could improve the team's performance of the ABCDEF bundle in patients requiring mechanical ventilation