Evaluation of effect of Air Disasters on Air Travelling Population - Research Paper Example

Evaluation of effect of Air Disasters on Air Travelling Population. Will People still fly? What are their worries and concerns? The Research Problem The Kegworth Air Disaster occurred on 8th January, 1989. It was British Midland Flight 92, a Boeing 737-400crashed onto the embankment of the M1 motorway near Kegworth, Leicestershire, England; just 900mtr away from the safety runway. There were 118 passengers 8 crew members in the plane. At the end only 79 members were survived. 43 died on impact and 4 more died in hospital. (Melnick, 2009) This air disaster had created the mystery of terror among the people which are usually done the travelling through air for their business purpose or any other purpose. The main concern was for the business class people as the people travel most across the world. The air disaster that happened in 1989 as stated above was terrible but its effects are there in the society till now. The people, who had lost their families or loved one, can never forget this incident. The air disaster made a mark on those families and their relatives forever in their life. Because this issue was at the world level and none had think about that such a disaster can happen. But Boeing 737 is still the world’s famous aircraft. Today Boeing 737 takeoff summer in the world every 5seconds. Its safety record is best in the aviation. (Latter, 1992) 9/11 attacks were a series of coordinated suicide attacks by al-quaeda up-on the United States. 4 planes were hijacked by the 19 terrorist. Hijackers crashed 2 of the airliners into the twin towers of the world trade centre in the New York City killing everyone on the board and also people working in that building. Hijackers crashed the 3rd airliner into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth plane crashed in to a field near Shanksville in rural Pennsylvania. Nearly 3000 victims and 19 hijackers were died in the attack. The overwhelming majority of casualties were civilians, including nationals of over 70 countries. (Melnick, 2009) 9/11 attacks were shameful act for the world and it puts a bad impression about the people living in Muslim countries. The Hijackers planed everything very well and work in slowly to convert this act into reality. Hijackers played with the lives of the innocent people which were not supposed to the target of them. North American air space was closed for several days after the attacks and air travel decreased upon its reopening, leading to nearly a 20% cutback in air travel capacity, and exacerbating financial problems in the struggling U.S. airline industry. (Latter, 1992) Before 9/11, according to Mullin, Delta's passenger traffic on an average 300,000 fliers a day. After the attacks, passenger load became 140,000 a day, less than half the pre-9/11 level. Through this essay an effort has been made to answer the following questions          is travelling in air is still have lot of questions?          Do people believe travelling air is safety, after these Air Disasters? This essay is prepared by using the concepts like Isomorphic Learning, Risk Communication and Social Learning. Theoretical Perspectives The proposed study is underpinned by research into Isomorphic Learning, Risk Communication and Social Learning. Isomorphic learning Qualitatively different systems that display similar modes of failure are said to be ‘isomorphic’. As per the Word Web Pro Dictionary Isomorphic means “having similar appearance but genetically different”, that means learning lessons from other people’ mistakes, crises and disasters. When these people use management practices, raw materials, components and/or production processes that are the same as our own, the opportunity exists to be proactive in the prevention of similar adverse events in our own sphere of operation. In short we can say eliminating of repeating the same mistakes again and again. (Toft & Reynolds, 1994) The types of isomorphism are: 1. ‘Event Isomorphism’: This is a situation where qualitatively different socio-technical failures produce the same end result - often a disaster. 2. ‘Cross-Organizational Isomorphism’ where organizations that exhibit different patterns of ownership, management, physical and financial organization, and even country or region of operation, are identical in terms of the goods and/or services they produce. 3. ‘Common Mode Isomorphism’ where public agencies or private companies that provide qualitatively different goods and/or services utilize the same raw materials and/or components. These identical raw materials and/or components, despite being employed in very different socio-technical systems in very different physical contexts, may fail in identical ways. 4. ‘Self Isomorphism’. In this form of isomorphism we are concerned not with similarities between organizations and/or the failure modes of the materials, components or goods they use or produce, but with similar processes, practices and failure modes within organizations. In relation to the proposed study this can be applied in two ways 1) what is the learning for the Aviation Industry as whole (This can be an example for Event Isomorphism) 2) what all measure an air traveler may need to take for example opting for the alternatives or if you and a single bread earner of the family how can you compensate you loss (Insurance) etc., (This can be an Example for Self Isomorphism) (Wilkinson, 1996) Risk communication It is a term coined by social scientists to describe how man-made risks may be managed through processes of consultation between scientists, technologists, business people, politicians and the general public. Put another way, risk communication allows everyone to have a say in who will be exposed to what risks, where and when. The risk communication approach to risk management is characterized by openness, consultation and dialogue. Officials and business people ask the public what they think, and modify their risk management strategies or decisions accordingly. Some social scientists call this ‘technological citizenship’ - giving people a say in the risk management process. (Mills, 1970) In this topic Risk communication means how well the Aviation Industry putting efforts to sort out the problems by consulting with travelers, Engineers, Pilots and others. This is more of kind taking the suggestion of people and irrespective of their severances of their involvement. Social Learning The concept of Social Learning was developed by social scientists as a way of revealing the biases and pre-commitments of decision-makers. Decision-makers, including scientists and technologists, often say that their individual decisions are completely value-free and made solely on the merits of the case in hand. (Wilkinson, 1996) This is also same like Risk Communication but in this the people involved in it are more of technical people or people who are really known about the things. All of the above are the methods to control the problems or to solve the problems. We are analyzing the methods to control the problems. If we search the root cause of these problems it is Security and Safety. So this situation can be expressed as H1= the alternative hypothesis is: these accidents are one among the other accidents for Aviation Industry and Govt. H0 = the null hypothesis is: these accidents are lead to major changes in the security system and safety measures in the Aviation Industry. Research Methodology The Research Sample population constitutes people who travel in air frequently. Few inputs are also taken from the people who are survived in the accident (Kegworth Air Disaster- review of coverage by National Geographical Channel) and this research is also constitutes how well Airline Industry and Governments took measures/precautions after these disasters to avoid the same in future; for this articles review has been done. (Jack, 1993) The research sample population is selected on the basis of frequency of travelling, purpose, the different age group opinions on these disasters. The main research methodologies used in this research are Survey, Focus-Group, Literature Review and Review of Documentaries on these instances. For the convenient purpose Two Research sample Population Group has been done. This categorisation is done not on any criteria but just for two methodologies followed in this Research (i.e., for survey and Focus Group discussion). The research population contains youngsters, business man and travellers. (Kay& Lewthwaite, 1993) After fixing the appointment with Group one, the questionnaire was provided and took their opinion. On the other hand focus group is also conducted, but this was done separately for Youngsters, Business people and Travellers. So that research can have clarity input and this will help in studying “why particular categories Research sample population fly frequently even after these disasters’?” The sample population totally consist of 74 people. The breakup of this sample is - 20 youngsters (10 each in Group One and Group Two), 16 business people (8 each in Group One and Group Two) and 40 Travellers (20 each in both the Groups). As expected the opinion from the young samples, business people samples and travellers’ samples differed but in all these the young samples’ opinion are some kind of wired, as this might be because of in experience and lack of responsibilities on them. The data collected was being analysed by using the computer statistical analysis such that data would need to be appropriately weighted during computer statistical analysis and excess data were discarded. Together, these sampling limitations will all reduce the generalisability of the research outcomes to the population. (Latter, 1992) Self-completion Questionnaire A self-completion questionnaire was distributed to the two set of sample population through internet. This method was used to remove the need to employ researchers and thereby minimising costs and responses could be easily extract from the whole of the study sample (up to 38 participants). It would be impossible to conduct interviews with this many participants so, Computer analysis of questionnaire data was used to complete speedily in contrast to transcribed interview data, as the format of the responses are already pre-ordered by the Likert scale. By personally distributing and collecting the questionnaires the potential problem of low response rate would be overcome. Gilbert suggests that “some postal surveys do not achieve more than 20% rate of return.” It is also anticipated that because the subject of study is directly relevant to the participants, this would increase participant response rate by improving their perception of the value of the research. A draft questionnaire based on the researcher’s knowledge of both the subject and the study samples is provided in Appendix A. Questions 1 has been chosen as they cover the basic requirement of the research. The deliberate use of closed questions makes it easy and quick to complete which will increase response rate and the potential for illegible responses is reduced by the lack of free text responses. The instruction to write clearly has been included to reduce the potential for illegible responses which would otherwise be problematic during transfer of data for computer analysis. Hypothetical questions have been deliberately avoided given that people are poor at predicting future behaviour. In order to check the reliability of the questionnaire a pilot test was carried out to identify any ambiguous questions, check the layout is not confusing and find out how much time it takes to complete. This could be done by administering the questionnaire in person to frequent travellers. Any problems raised were then informing the revision of the questionnaire accordingly. The questionnaire utilises the Likert Scale in order to measure the attitudes of the participants towards the Air Disasters. Using this scale rather than the Thurstone scale has allowed the researcher to choose opinion statements without the need to involve other judges to do this. It would be important for the distribution of the pilot and real questionnaires to randomise the order of questions to eliminate any effect of question order on responses and this would be achieved using a computer programme. (Mills, 1970) The proposed research involves measurement of participant’s reaction towards the Air disasters in terms of frequency of their Travelling. As there is no external criteria to compare responses against there is a potential problem of ensuring the validity of the questions. In order to address this, reversals of the Likert scale questions have been used in order to attempt to establish their validity in line with the approach used by Campbell and Fiske. Participants should respond consistently across the questions that are asked twice but with reversed meanings. Their responses can then be compared to ensure they are responding consistently and therefore that the questions are valid. It would then be necessary to use a computer programme such as SPSS to work out frequency distribution tables for the number of respondents who answered each question in each of the possible ways. The data would then be subject to a Chi squared two sample test in order to calculate whether there is any statistical difference in participant opinions between the two groups. Despite having a lower power than other tests (increasing the risk of making Type I and Type II errors) this non-parametric test would be applicable because the original data are ordinal responses that have been converted to the pseudo-interval Likert scale. Despite having a lower power than other tests (increasing the risk of making Type I and Type II errors) this non-parametric test would be applicable because the original data are ordinal responses that have been converted to the pseudo-interval Likert scale. Focus Groups Following analysis of the questionnaire data three focus groups would be conducted in order to gain further insight to any findings already obtained. These would be conducted with youngster, business man and tourism-travellers consisting of a purposive sample of 38 response team constables from each of the two groups. The experience of these Travellers provides a contrast to those of the questionnaire sample allowing the researcher to extract a deeper understanding of travellers’ attitudes to the Air disasters. Open questions could disclose sensitivity about their opinion on reaction of Aviation industry and government on the safety issue not previously considered by the researcher. The non-random sampling method is used in this research. The time and labour constraints of the researcher dictate that all other ranks/roles would be excluded from the sample. This method is therefore preferable to the individual interview in studying expected safety requirement. The fact that participants would already be comfortable as a team would increase hand-outs as they would be more likely to comment on each other’s experience and attitudes, although there is always the risk that dominant members may silence dissent. This problem would be addressed by the researcher acting as facilitator conducting medium-level facilitation in order to ensure that the research aims were covered without stifling group interaction or range of discussion. The focus groups were conducted in the contemporary, comfortable conference rooms of the three sites with snacks provided. The facilitator would briefly introduce the research as being a study into safety measures Aviation industry and Government is taken after the air disasters and expected safety measures from the industry and government. Participants would then give their initial opinions about the Air Disaster in an open circle in order to reduce group’s confusions. From that point open questions would be used to gain insight into discernment of safety culture in general. Air disaster videos were made available in order to assist in generating initial discussion. A draft schedule of questions can be found in appendix B. A tape recorder was used to record the discussions which were then after transcribed. An in-house facility was used. The transcripts were coded using the coding paradigm of Glaser and Strauss. Axial coding would then develop themes from this code and finally selective coding would pick out key quotes and themes that revealed what travellers think and expect in future from Aviation industry and government as whole. The disadvantages of this process are that it would be lengthy and would intrinsically bring in bias of the researcher as it comprises subjective qualitative analysis. However, by analysing data from questionnaires and focus groups the study will benefit from method triangulation such that the conclusions drawn from one method can be justified by those from the other, thereby enhancing their external validity. Additionally the focus group data would provide a naturalistic balance to the methodology as it has been argued that questionnaires do not “have much bearing on what respondents usually think, generally feel, normally experience, or really believe” Anticipated Problems The majority of anticipated practical problems and limitations of the research have been highlighted at the relevant points throughout this essay; however there were, as such no sever problem while conducting the research as the topic was more of general opinion and this is applicable to the mass and all are concerned about solving the issue; but, yes people were more aggressive on these event. So, blaming the security was as expected but as they all know, the measures taken by the industry and the government was extremely great to prevent these problems in future, it was easy to manage the situation. During the research, there was a common problem of authenticity. The people generally do not believe easily whether this research is for positive means or any negative mind behind all this. The reason is simple because people are very much conscious now and they want to take the risk of their lives by any means. APPENDIX A: Draft Questionnaire Please complete this questionnaire making your answers clearly legible and ticking the options provided. 1. Age Group 18-25 years 26-33 years 34-41 years 41-54 & above 2. Gender Male Female 3. How often you travel through Air? a) 4-5 times in a month b) twice in month c) very frequently d) never 4. Do you remember the Air Disaster and 9/11 attacks? a) Of course b) yes c) little bit 5. According to you, what was the basic reason for these incidents? a) Poor security control b) stain on Honesty c) increase in terrorism d) your view 6. How often you remember these incidents while travelling though Air? a) always b) sometime c) never d) forget 7. Do you think after these incidents, security control get increase? a) yes b) improved a lot c) little bit improving d) need to improve more 8. What do you think travelling through Air is safer? a) Yes b) No c) does not matter 9. What actions should government take to improve the safety system? a) Technology advancement b) security checks c) Systematic control on everything d) cannot be safer 10. Whether you travel in without any fear or always in fearfully condition? a) Yes I do have fear b) No, I never think negative c) never think d) does not matter Thank You for Your Valuable Time & Response APPENDIX B: Draft Schedule of Focus Group Questions Opening Circle Personal introductions to break the ice followed by a brief explanation of the aim of the focus group i.e. to canvas opinions the Air Disasters and its impact on their frequency of travelling. Introductory Questions/Topics Tell me what are your favourite tourist spots? What is the frequency of your travelling Key Questions/Topics What is your opinion about 9/11? Do you know about Kegworth Air Disaster? What you feel the reason for this disaster? Did you ever meet an accident/ your family members – what they feel about it? Whom you want to blame for this? Do you think any improvements happened in the security of Aviation? Ending Questions/Topics What you feel about travelling in air after these disasters? Closing circle “We have come to the end of the session but before we finish I would like to go around the group for any final thoughts…” Bibliography Toft, B. and Reynolds, S. (1994) Learning from Disasters: a Management Approach, Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann Anderson, B. (1992) (General Business Manager, Commercial Union, Europe) ‘Managing the crisis’, Customer and Media Relations Conference proceedings, Commercial Union, Belgium (December) Mills, C.W. (1970) The Sociological Imagination, Harmondsworth: Penguin Latter, R. (1992) ‘The Terrorist Threat to Business’, Wilton Park Paper No. 62, Conference report on the seminar on Terrorism and Business in the 1990s: Threats and Responses, Wilton Park (July), London: HMSO. Merrifield, R. (1993) Simplified Calculations of Blast Induced Injuries and Damage, Health and Safety Executive, Specialist Inspector Reports No. 37, London: HMSO Wilkinson, P. (1996) ‘How to combat the reign of terror’, New Statesman, 2 August Jack, A. (1993) ‘City Critical of Government after Bomb’, Financial Times, 1 May: 5 Kay, J. and Lewthwaite, J. (1993) ‘The costs of anti-terrorism precautions’, The Sun, 26 April: 4 National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, 2004, the 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Edition illustrated, Norton Melnick J., 2009, 9/11 culture: America under construction, John Wiley and Sons Read More

After the attacks, passenger load became 140,000 a day, less than half the pre-9/11 level. Through this essay an effort has been made to answer the following questions          is travelling in air is still have lot of questions?          Do people believe travelling air is safety, after these Air Disasters? This essay is prepared by using the concepts like Isomorphic Learning, Risk Communication and Social Learning. Theoretical Perspectives The proposed study is underpinned by research into Isomorphic Learning, Risk Communication and Social Learning.

Isomorphic learning Qualitatively different systems that display similar modes of failure are said to be ‘isomorphic’. As per the Word Web Pro Dictionary Isomorphic means “having similar appearance but genetically different”, that means learning lessons from other people’ mistakes, crises and disasters. When these people use management practices, raw materials, components and/or production processes that are the same as our own, the opportunity exists to be proactive in the prevention of similar adverse events in our own sphere of operation.

In short we can say eliminating of repeating the same mistakes again and again. (Toft & Reynolds, 1994) The types of isomorphism are: 1. ‘Event Isomorphism’: This is a situation where qualitatively different socio-technical failures produce the same end result - often a disaster. 2. ‘Cross-Organizational Isomorphism’ where organizations that exhibit different patterns of ownership, management, physical and financial organization, and even country or region of operation, are identical in terms of the goods and/or services they produce. 3. ‘Common Mode Isomorphism’ where public agencies or private companies that provide qualitatively different goods and/or services utilize the same raw materials and/or components.

These identical raw materials and/or components, despite being employed in very different socio-technical systems in very different physical contexts, may fail in identical ways. 4. ‘Self Isomorphism’. In this form of isomorphism we are concerned not with similarities between organizations and/or the failure modes of the materials, components or goods they use or produce, but with similar processes, practices and failure modes within organizations. In relation to the proposed study this can be applied in two ways 1) what is the learning for the Aviation Industry as whole (This can be an example for Event Isomorphism) 2) what all measure an air traveler may need to take for example opting for the alternatives or if you and a single bread earner of the family how can you compensate you loss (Insurance) etc.

, (This can be an Example for Self Isomorphism) (Wilkinson, 1996) Risk communication It is a term coined by social scientists to describe how man-made risks may be managed through processes of consultation between scientists, technologists, business people, politicians and the general public. Put another way, risk communication allows everyone to have a say in who will be exposed to what risks, where and when. The risk communication approach to risk management is characterized by openness, consultation and dialogue.

Officials and business people ask the public what they think, and modify their risk management strategies or decisions accordingly. Some social scientists call this ‘technological citizenship’ - giving people a say in the risk management process. (Mills, 1970) In this topic Risk communication means how well the Aviation Industry putting efforts to sort out the problems by consulting with travelers, Engineers, Pilots and others. This is more of kind taking the suggestion of people and irrespective of their severances of their involvement.

Social Learning The concept of Social Learning was developed by social scientists as a way of revealing the biases and pre-commitments of decision-makers. Decision-makers, including scientists and technologists, often say that their individual decisions are completely value-free and made solely on the merits of the case in hand.

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