ITLS Working Papers 2002

Simulated Household Travel Survey Data: Synthetic Data in Australia

Thu, 01 Aug 2002 00:00:00 GMT

Simulated Household Travel Survey Data: Synthetic Data in Australia Stopher, Peter; Rose, John; Bullock, Philip method has been developed to synthesize household travel survey data from a combination of Census and national transport survey data sources. The procedure, described in other papers, involves creating distributions of pertinent variables (numbers of trips by purpose, mode of travel, time of day of travel, and trip length) that can be used to estimate travel-demand models. A sample of local residents is then drawn from disaggregate census data, providing detailed information on the socioeconomic characteristics of the sample. Using these socioeconomic characteristics, travel data are simulated from the transport data distributions using Monte Carlo simulation. This procedure was developed in the United States in the past four years. The paper describes the application of this procedure to Adelaide, South Australia, for which an actual household travel survey exists from 1999. The paper describes results obtained from applying the generic data as the basis of the simulation. Results are compared between the synthetic and real data to determine the closeness of the match between the data sets. The procedure uses data derived from a nationwide travel survey in the U.S., but uses census data for Adelaide from the 1996 ABS Census, using the one percent sample. The purpose of this research was to determine the extent to which the trip characteristics distributions from the U.S. could be used in Australia. It is concluded that the procedure performs about as well as the process was shown to perform in Dallas, Salt Lake City, and Baton Rouge in the U.S. This process holds out considerable promise as a means to increase available samples for local and corridor planning, as well as to provide data for regions that have typically not been able to undertake household travel surveys on the scale of those being conducted in the Melbourne and Sydney regions.

Leadership and HR Focus in TQM Research in Australia: An Assessment and Agenda

Fri, 01 Feb 2002 00:00:00 GMT

Leadership and HR Focus in TQM Research in Australia: An Assessment and Agenda Rahman, Shams-ur Empirical studies indicate that only a handful of the soft TQM elements contribute to organisational performance. The elements of soft TQM, such as executive commitment, loyalty, teamwork and empowerment, training and education, are essentially leadership and human resource (HR) aspects. The objective of this study is to examine the state of leadership and HR focus in TQM research in Australia from published literature and to determine the areas for future research. The literature search covered 31 reputable referred journals over the years 1985 –1999 and identified 90 articles which focused on aspects of total quality management (TQM). However, it was not possible to identify the primary focus of 23 articles which were either conceptual papers and did not address any specific criterion of the Australian Business Excellence (ABE) Framework, or addressed all criteria in general. Hence these articles were not considered for further analysis. The rest of the articles (67) were classified using the seven criteria of the ABE Framework and it was found that about 40% of the reviewed articles had leadership and HR as primary focus. The review shows that considerable attention has been devoted to research in strategic direction, organizational culture of the leadership category and, involvement and commitment, and effectiveness and development of the people category. Further research is necessary in areas such as top managements’ role in environmental issues and community contribution, health, safety and well-being of employee, and disseminating leadership throughout the organization.

Relationships Between Soft TQM, Hard TQM, and Organisational Performance

Sat, 01 Jun 2002 00:00:00 GMT

Relationships Between Soft TQM, Hard TQM, and Organisational Performance Rahman, Shams; Bullock, Philip Many empirical studies have demonstrated that only a handful of soft total quality management (TQM) elements contribute to organisational performance while elements of hard TQM have no relationship with performance. Despite these findings, a review of literature suggests that the elements of hard TQM in fact have a profound impact on organisational performance. The empirical studies which have investigated the relationship between hard TQM and performance have investigated the impact of each dimension of TQM on performance separately. We argue that it is more appropriate to investigate the direct impact of soft TQM on the diffusion of hard TQM in organisations and then assess the direct impact of hard TQM on performance. Besides direct effects, it is also important to investigate the indirect effect of soft TQM on performance through its effect on hard TQM elements. Analysis of 260 Australian manufacturing companies revealed that both soft TQM and hard TQM contribute directly to organisational performance. The results also indicate that there are significant positive relationships between the elements of soft TQM and those of hard TQM. Moreover, in addition to its direct affect, the elements of soft TQM also indirectly affects an organisation’s performance through its effect on hard TQM elements.

The Mixed Logit Model: The State of Practice

Tue, 01 Jan 2002 00:00:00 GMT

The Mixed Logit Model: The State of Practice Hensher, David A.; Greene, William H. The mixed logit model is considered to be the most promising state of the art discrete choice model currently available. Increasingly researchers and practitioners are estimating mixed logit models of various degrees of sophistication with mixtures of revealed preference and stated choice data. It is timely to review progress in model estimation since the learning curve is steep and the unwary are likely to fall into a chasm if not careful. These chasms are very deep indeed given the complexity of the mixed logit model. Although the theory is relatively clear, estimation and data issues are far from clear. Indeed there is a great deal of potential mis-inference consequent on trying to extract increased behavioural realism from data that are often not able to comply with the demands of mixed logit models. Possibly for the first time we now have an estimation method that requires extremely high quality data if the analyst wishes to take advantage of the extended behavioural capabilities of such models. This paper focuses on the new opportunities offered by mixed logit models and some issues to be aware of to avoid misuse of such advanced discrete choice methods by the practitioner.

The Theory of Constraints’ Thinking Process Approach to Developing Growth Strategies in Supply Chain

Wed, 01 May 2002 00:00:00 GMT

The Theory of Constraints’ Thinking Process Approach to Developing Growth Strategies in Supply Chain Rahman, Shams Many attempts have been made to study factors influencing the performance of supply chains. These studies are generally quantitative and involve rigorous statistical analyses. This paper describes an application of a system approach known as the thinking process (TP) of the theory of constraints (TOC) not only to identify critical success factors in supply chain management, but also to understand causal relationships between these factors. The study was conducted in a group-based model building environment with a group of students who specialised either in logistics management or e-commerce. The results suggest that understanding the dynamic nature of supply chain through cause and effect relationships is critical to the formulation of supply chain growth strategies.

Exploring the Use of Passive GPS Devices to Measure Travel

Tue, 01 Jan 2002 00:00:00 GMT

Exploring the Use of Passive GPS Devices to Measure Travel Stopher, Peter; Bullock, Philip; Horst, Frederic Global Positioning System devices are emerging as a potential means to collect improved data on the spatial aspects of personal travel. In many applications, the GPS device is coupled with a Personal Data Assistant of some type and the respondent who is using the GPS device is required to enter various data items at the start of each trip made with the device. This procedure has the disadvantage that it relies on the memory of the respondent to use the PDA, and also is subject to being missed if the respondent is in a hurry. This paper builds on earlier work by Stopher and others to develop a passive GPS device, for which additional non- GPS data may be added either through inference or through a subsequent prompted recall survey. The paper describes the use of both in-vehicle and personal versions of a GPS device that logs position in one- or five-second intervals and has a number of other capabilities, such as turning off automatically when speed drops below 1 knot. Experiments have been performed in which the devices are tested for a range of different situations, including collecting data for one month, collecting data on trains, buses, and ferries, and experimenting with automatic on/off procedures. The paper reports on a number of experiments, describes the procedures undertaken to download and analyse the data, and processing of the data for the prompted recall surveys. Initial results are included on experiments with the prompted recall, and options to develop this as an internet survey are explored. In addition, analysis of the data is conducted to investigate congestion and the amount of time spent under congested travel conditions. Potential applications of this analysis to a variety of purposes is described in the paper.

Urban Public Transport Delivery in Australia: Issues and Challenges in Retaining and Growing Patronage

Tue, 01 Oct 2002 00:00:00 GMT

Urban Public Transport Delivery in Australia: Issues and Challenges in Retaining and Growing Patronage Hensher, David A. Urban public transport continues to be a high priority social obligation of governments throughout the world. In some jurisdictions it is the prime responsibility of national governments, while in other localities it is a state or local responsibility. To varying degrees, public and private organizations deliver the services within a regulatory framework that has responsibility for the performance of suppliers in a wide range of market settings. Increasingly government subsidy support is being aligned to the patronage levels and market share of public transport. This paper focuses on the challenges involved in retaining and growing patronage in the presence of the dominant automobile. We focus primarily on bus and rail services but recognise the valuable role of ferries and taxis in the delivery of public transport.

A Latent Class Model for Discrete Choice Analysis: Contrasts with Mixed Logit

Sun, 01 Sep 2002 00:00:00 GMT

A Latent Class Model for Discrete Choice Analysis: Contrasts with Mixed Logit Greene, William H; Hensher, David A. The multinomial logit model (MNL) has for many years provided the fundamental platform for the analysis of discrete choice. The basic model’s several shortcomings, most notably its inherent assumption of independence from irrelevant alternatives (IIA) have motivated researchers to develop a variety of alternative formulations. The mixed logit model stands as one of the most significant of these extensions. This paper proposes a semi-parametric extension of the MNL, based on the latent class formulation, which resembles the mixed logit model but which relaxes its requirement that the analyst makes specific assumptions about the distributions of parameters across individuals. An application of the model to the choice of long distance travel by three road types (2-lane, 4-lane without a median and 4-lane with a median) by car in New Zealand is used to compare the MNL latent class model with mixed logit.

Performance-Based Quality Contracts in Bus Service Provision

Sat, 01 Jun 2002 00:00:00 GMT

Performance-Based Quality Contracts in Bus Service Provision Hensher, David A.; Stanley, John Institutional reform of the bus sector is a topical discussion item in a number of countries at present. A specific focus is on ensuring a value for money (VM) regime to identify the benefits to society associated with each dollar of subsidy support from government. This paper argues that a Performance-Based Contracting (PBC) regime offers the best prospects of achieving a systemwide value for money outcome. It proposes a reward system for bus operators that combines payment for delivering a minimum level of service (MSL), that meets government community service obligations, plus an incentive regime that rewards operators for patronage increases (above MSL patronage levels). The patronage incentive is based on expected user and external benefits deriving from service improvements and patronage increases. Cost benchmarking at relevant best practice levels is proposed to ensure remuneration is based on efficient cost levels. The paper argues that a PBC approach is consistent with maximising social surplus from public transport provision across a geographic area, for any given budget constraint and regulatory imposed minimum service levels. The main alternative, Competitive Tendering, is argued to be less attractive than PBC’s in terms of securing the maximum social surplus to the community, given the total amount of subsidy support available.

Understanding Underlying Constraints Affecting Decision-Making by Morning Car Commuters

Thu, 01 Aug 2002 00:00:00 GMT

Understanding Underlying Constraints Affecting Decision-Making by Morning Car Commuters O’Fallon, Carolyn; Sullivan, Charles; Hensher, David A. In New Zealand as elsewhere, there is an increasing interest in alleviating congestion on the road transport network to improve economic productivity, reduce pollution, and to use the transport network more effectively. Governments enact various policies to encourage car drivers to change their behaviour, but often find that the full impact is not reached. We propose that car drivers have constraints influencing their mode choice for the morning peak period trip. A stated preference experiment conducted in the three largest New Zealand urban areas identifies these constraints and their impact on a series of policy initiatives designed to influence car driver behaviour.

Performance-Based Quality Contracts for the Bus Sector: Delivering Social and Commercial Value for Money

Sun, 01 Sep 2002 00:00:00 GMT

Performance-Based Quality Contracts for the Bus Sector: Delivering Social and Commercial Value for Money Hensher, David A.; Houghton, Erne Reform of the bus sector has been occurring in many countries. One matter central to these reform initiatives is the establishment of a value for money (VM) regime to ensure that operators deliver to the market the best possible service levels consistent with stakeholder needs and especially the objectives of government. A key underlying feature of ‘value for money’ (VM) is identifying the benefit to society associated with each dollar of subsidy support from government. This paper reviews the elements of a VM regime within the setting of an incentivebased performance contract and develops a formal framework for establishing optimum subsidy based on system-wide maximisation of social surplus. The maximisation of social surplus is subject to a number of constraints including the commercial imperative of the operator, minimum service levels under community service obligations and a fare and subsidy budget cap. An important feature of the performance-based contract (PBC) regime is a passenger trip-based incentive payment scheme linked to user and environmental externality benefits incorporating a subsidy per additional passenger trip above the patronage delivered under minimum service and fare levels. In this way, rewards to operators are revealed through the fare box, through increased consumer surplus and through reductions in negative externalities associated with car use. PBCs can be designed to accommodate both transition from an existing regime and post-transition growth strategies. The implementation of performance-based contracts is illustrated using data from private operators in the Sydney Metropolitan Area.

A Spatial and Statistical Approach for Imputing Origin-Destination Matrices from Household Travel Survey Data: A Sydney Case Study

Tue, 01 Oct 2002 00:00:00 GMT

A Spatial and Statistical Approach for Imputing Origin-Destination Matrices from Household Travel Survey Data: A Sydney Case Study Ton, Tu T.; Hensher, David A. A Household Travel Survey (HTS) is a valuable instrument for collecting data suitable for studying the travel behaviour of a sample of households in a specific geographical context. One important output from the trip data after expansion to the population is a set of origin-destination (O-D) trip matrices for combinations of trip purpose, time of day and mode of transport. However, the O-D matrices generally take the form of sparse matrices (ie cell values are mostly zero). The degree of sparseness of these matrices is a function of sample size (a consequence of cost constraints), segmentation requirements and the spatial resolution of a geographical zoning system. Another factor contributing to the sparseness is the non-revelation of information in some cells in order to protect the privacy of households who live in those cells where their total amount of travel in a cell is less than a cut-off criterion (eg < 200 trips). Establishing an appropriate value to assign to a ‘zero value’ cell is a non-trivial task. There are two key issues to work through. The first is how to set up a classification rule to determine either if zero value cells have no travel related activity at all (ie genuine zeroes) or the travel values are truly missing. The second issue is the development of a trip allocation rule to assign the number of trips to each missing value cell within the constraint of a given total number of trips to be allocated to each missing value cell (given knowledge of marginals). This paper shows how spatial and statistical techniques can be implemented to estimate the number of missing value cells and the number of trips associated with each missing value cell. The classification rule is a spatial one in locating missing value cells for any travel activities between each origin and destination. It is driven by the mean trip length distribution of the origin and destination distance among traffic zones. The trip allocation rule is constructed to allocate the number of trips to missing value cells using a distribution assumption (such as the uniform). The two rules are then combined in a process based on the proportion of trip purposes and modes of travel for a whole sample of household travel records. We implement the method for Sydney for the period 1998- 2000 to obtain total passenger trip movements for linked trips by five purposes, six modes and six times of day.