True play attitudes and behaviors in intercollegiate athletes : a thesis ...

This thesis investigated the attitudes and the behaviors in the main sport environment of 53 intercollegiate athletes. Two instruments were developed, administered, and combined to give three measures of the true play characteristics of the subjects who were members of the men\u27s golf, men\u27s basketball, men\u27s tennis, women\u27s basketball, women\u27s tennis and women\u27s volleyball teams at the University of the Pacific. Results were determined by using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences: Update 7-9. ANOVA and Scheffe\u27s post hoc test revealed, at the .05 level, that female athletes scored higher in true play characteristics than did male athletes; that star athletes scored higher in true play characteristics than did regular and substitute athletes; and that the sport of volleyball scored higher in true play characteristics than did the sport of golf

Effective ways to grow urban bus markets – a synthesis of evidence

Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies. Faculty of Economics and Business. The University of Sydne

Exploring Priorities in Transit Scheduling Between Small and Large Bus Companies

This research paper explores the relative importance of strategic and tactical objectives during the crew scheduling and rostering process between smaller and larger bus companies via a survey of bus companies in Victoria, Australia. Results indicate that larger bus companies emphasise reduced labour cost through maximising their operational efficiency. They acknowledge the importance of keeping their customers satisfied and to a lesser extent their drivers, however, doing so is not as important as it is to smaller organisations. Whilst reducing labour cost plays an important role to small bus companies their main focus is maximising customer service levels. To a lesser extent keeping their drivers satisfied is also important, however, in both cases smaller companies are willing to sacrifice labour cost and operational efficiencies to ensure these two objectives are met.A modelling exercise was undertaken to determine the impacts of applying large company priorities to small bus operators. The key strategic objective applied during this process was reducing labour cost whilst at an operational level maximising the use of on-road meal break locations and reducing meal breaks during peak periods were the focus. As anticipated in both cases the labour costs were reduced (by between 1.5% and 13.3%). Dead running distances increased in both cases, however, these would have a minor impact on overall operating costs savings.The results of both this survey and subsequent modelling have implications for both research and practice. Research in the area of crew scheduling and rostering for smaller companies has been quite limited. Most literature has focussed primarily on the objectives of larger companies. Implications for future research and practice are identified.1. Introductio

The Relative Priority of Personal Safety Concerns for Young People on Public Transport

This paper presents the results of a survey of young people concerning personal safety and public transport. Previous research suggests concerns amongst public transport users in general with regarding personal safety issues. Young people are highly dependent on public transport and tend to travel at times (evenings) and locations (fringe areas) where personal safety issues are more prevalent. Research on young people shows that young women, migrant teenagers and homosexual youth have more concerns about personal safety then other groups. Concerns about use of rail and waiting at stations is also highlighted in the literature.A web based survey of 239 young people aged 18-25 explored experience of personal safety issues on public transport in Melbourne, Australia. Analysis explored the relative priorities which young people have about personal safety compared to other public transport issues. Results suggest that personal safety issues are not as highly rated as concerns about service levels (frequency and availability). Nevertheless personal safety in general and personal safety at night in particular was considered to be very important to young people but to have only medium to high performance.Using public transport at night and waiting at rail stations was considered to be the most dangerous aspects of public transport use amongst the sample. Interestingly travelling on train was not rated as a significantly high issue which contrasts somewhat with results from previous research. The survey also found high concerns about passengers influenced by alcohol. The highest ratings for measures to address personal safety concerns involved the presence of security guards on stations and trains. Emergency/panic buttons, better lighting and measures to ban intoxicated passengers were also highly rated

Modelling the causes and consequences of perceptions of personal safety on public transport ridership

Fears about personal safety on public transport can have an important impact on ridership. A range of studies have examined different factors that influence perceptions of crime risk. This study uses structural equation modelling to explore the influences on perceptions of safety on public transport and the impact these perceptions have on ridership using a survey sample from Melbourne, Australia. The largest direct influences on feelings of safety on public transport were trust in others and feeling safe in one’s home or on the street at night. Gender and age are commonly-cited influences in the literature but in this model their influence on feelings of safety was indirect. The total indirect effect of age was larger than the indirect effect of gender. Feelings of safety had a small but significant positive influence on how frequently people used public transport. This was slightly smaller than the negative effect of cars in the household but larger than the negative effect of distance from the city centre

City Wide Bus Network Restructuring Using An Inclusive Planning Approach

Despite an overwhelming case for the redevelopment of historically based bus networks, reviews are difficult to implement because of limited funding, equity concerns, complex technical challenges, difficulty communicating technical issues to stakeholders and the potential displacement of existing users. This paper describes a bus network review process designed in Melbourne, Australia to address these issues. The process adopts evidence based planning and achieves a consensus of outcomes using an inclusive design process adopting advanced analysis tools to communicate technical issues effectively to a non-technical audience.Previous research does not directly address the practical implementation of bus review processes and tends to either focus on short term bus planning approaches or consider theoretical applications with limited practical value.The bus network review process developed is based on strategic studies aimed at opportunities to grow bus markets. The process is highly consultative to build stakeholder ‗buy-in‘ and adopts a two stage program (1. problem identification inputs and 2. draft network review inputs) using nominal group techniques to ensure inclusive participation and quantification of outputs. The review process uses a simple to understand hierarchy approach to review services including assessment of Access, Time Factors, Ease of Use, Safety and Awareness. Graphical techniques including GIS are adopted for clear and simple presentation of technical outputs.The process has been powerful in building ‗buy-in‘ and has resulted in $A1.4B of investment in improved services with high ridership growth outcomes. Experience and impacts are outlined including areas for future research

Understanding ridership drivers for bus rapid transit systems in Australia

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems are an increasingly popular public transport option in Australia and internationally. They provide rail-like quality for bus services for a fraction of the cost of fixed rail. Many claims of high and increasing ridership have resulted from BRT system development; however it is unclear exactly which aspects of BRT system design drive this.This paper undertakes an empirical analysis of factors influencing ridership on 77 BRT and non-BRT bus routes in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane. Explanatory variables considered included service level, frequency, speed, stop spacing, separate right of way share, vehicle accessibility, employment and residential density, car ownership levels and BRT infrastructure quality.The paper reviews previous research associated with transit ridership at a route level and then presents the methodology and results.Two multiple regression analyses were undertaken to explore the influence of the explanatory variables on ridership. The first considers overall ridership (boardings per route km, BRK) and identified a statistically significant model (R2=.81). The largest influence on BRK was vehicle trips per annum (β = .82), consistent with past research, followed by vehicle accessibility (low floor buses, β = .16) and population density (β = .14). The second considered patronage per vehicle kms (PVK) which explores ridership drivers after accounting for service levels. Results for this were statistically significant but with a less powerful model, adjusted R2 = .44. There were four explanatory variables including average speed (β = -.42), weekday frequency (β = .41), BRT infrastructure ranking (β = .29) and vehicle accessibility (β = .25). An alternative form of BRT infrastructure quality was also tested but did not improve the explanatory power of the modelling.The paper concludes with a discussion of the various influences on ridership and recommendations for existing policy and future research associated with this field

Bringing genetics into primary care: findings from a national evaluation of pilots in England

Objectives: Developments in genetic knowledge and clinical applications are seen as rendering traditional modes of organizing genetics provision increasingly inappropriate. In common with a number of developed world countries the UK has sought to increase the role of primary care in delivering such services. However, efforts to reconfigure service delivery face multiple challenges associated with divergent policy objectives, organizational boundaries and professional cultures. This paper presents findings from an evaluation of an English initiative to integrate genetics into 'mainstream' clinical provision in the National Health Service. Methods: Qualitative research in 11 case-study sites focusing on attempts by pilots funded by the initiative to embed knowledge and provision within primary care illustrating barriers faced and the ways in which these were surmounted. Results: Lack of intrinsic interest in clinical genetics among primary care staff was compounded by national targets that focused their attention elsewhere and by service structures that rendered genetics a peripheral concern demanding minimal engagement. Established divisions between the commissioning of mainstream and specialist services, along with the pressures of shorter-term targets, impeded ongoing funding. Conclusions: More wide-ranging policy and organizational support is required if the aim of entrenching genetics knowledge and practice across the Health Service is to be realized

Perceptions and Realities of Personal Safety on Public Transport for Young People in Melbourne

This paper aims to explore how perceptions of safety relate to actual experience in the context of urban public transport. It presents the results of an empirical analysis of links between perceptions of personal safety on public transport and compares these with actual experience of travellers. The focus of the work is a survey of young people using public transport in Melbourne Australia.The research literature demonstrates contrasting views with regard to perceptions of personal safety and actual risks. Positive links have been found in some contexts while others have found fears to be unrelated to risk. Some crime surveys and empirical studies suggest perceptions of personal safety are not justified by crime rates. However a series of surveys have shown that those with direct experience of safety incidents have greater concerns with safety. Other research suggests that feelings of anxiety and psychological factors act to make some people feel uncomfortable on public transport and that this acts to increase perceptions of poor personal safety. The paper aims to explore which factors are more important in explaining perceptions of safety.The analysis has identified a series of three statistically significant models which predict personal feelings of safety on public transport using different measures of safety perceptions. In each model psychological influences i.e. „feeling comfortable with people you don‟t know‟ had the biggest individual influence on perceptions of safety with a medium effect size. Gender and the actual experience of a personal safety incident were also found to influence perceptions of personal safety but these variables only had a small effect on perceptions of safety.The paper discusses policy and research implications of the findings including suggestions for future research