How mobile people are affects the accessibility which can lead to several benefits like better match in the labour market and economical gain in the labour market. How mobile people are and their accessibility are effected by several factors. The purpose with this study is to see what individual characteristics that influences the choice of mode of transport when commuting and the travelled distance. This was done with a quantitative method that analyzed the Travel Survey of Southern Sweden. The result was carried out from descriptive result and regressions that was analysed. Findings from the result shows that gender, income and origin of birth are the individual characteristic that affects the choice of mode and travelled distance the most. The result can indicate that the commuting is also effected by structures as well as the economical incitement. The most used mode for transport and the probability to go by car increases with the economical gain does as well.

The present study validates the Treadmill Rehabilitation Platform (TRP) protocol that assessed standing balance performance; spatial and temporal gait variability; stability measures and visual spatial cognitive task performances. Healthy individuals (mean age = 61.4± 4.4 years; n = 30) performed tasks from the TRP protocol while standing and while walking on treadmill. Moderate to High test retest reliability was observed for the TRP tool measures with a few exceptions. Standing balance decreased significantly as visual task load increased. Spatial and temporal gait variability increased whereas walking stability decreased significantly as visual task load increased. Visual task performance decreased significantly as physical load increased. In conclusion, the TRP protocol allows us to assess the ability to prioritize the division of attention when visual spatial cognitive tasks are performed while standing and during walking. Also, it allows reliable assessment of the effects of compromised attention during the tasks performances.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether perceived neighbourhood characteristics and personal characteristics in 2007/2008 predicted health-related outcomes: steps taken per day, life-space mobility, physical function, body mass index (BMI), and body composition-related health benefits in 2010/2011 among community-dwelling older adults. The total sample consisted of 341 men and women above the age of 62 years. Steps per day were measured using pedometers for a 3-day period and the change score was reported as a binary outcome: increased steps and decreased steps. Life-space mobility was assessed using the Life-Space Assessment and the outcome was the life-space score as a continuous variable. Physical function was assessed using the Late Life Function and Disability Instrument. The outcome was the total score as a continuous variable. BMI was assessed using the index of the participants’ self-reported weight divided by the height squared. Body composition-related health benefits were assessed using the participants’ BMI refined by the participants’ self-assessed waist circumference. The independent variable was the perception of the neighbourhood environment assessed using select items of the Neighbourhood Environment Walkability Scale in four categories: presence and maintenance of sidewalks; aesthetics; walkability safety; and traffic safety. Demographic and health information (sex, age, self-rated health, physical function limitations, number of chronic conditions and body mass index) were also collected. Regression analysis showed that although more positive perceptions of neighbourhood characteristics such as walkability safety, traffic safety and sidewalks were associated with health-related outcomes, overall, the perceived neighbourhood environment was not a strong predictor of health-related outcomes among community-dwelling older adults. These outcomes were mostly predicted by demographic and health status variables (i.e. chronic conditions, self-rated health, body mass index, physical function limitations). Initiatives targeted at the neighbourhood environment should consider the health-related outcome of interest (i.e. walking, mobility, physical function or obesity), the specific age group (i.e. old age or very old age and oldest old age), and the importance of demographic and health variables in shaping the relationship between the neighbourhood environment and these outcomes.

Employee retention, especially of the best, most desirable employees is a key challenge at Sasol Nitro. Employers are trying to find ways to motivate employees to stay with their organisations for a longer period, but the efforts seem not to be working as challenges with employee retention are complex to comprehend. Different employees have different needs within the work environment and in their social relations. In this study, the writer studied variables of career progression as it impacts on employee retention. Attachment was measured in terms of personal embedding: an employee is attached to the organisation due to opportunities available within the organisation as well as the climate and work conditions prevailing within the organisation. Career opportunities seem a threat at Sasol Nitro. Voluntary resignation due to career progression factors is on the increase, as observed from the previous separations and turnover intent of the pilot study. The reasons employees leave organisations can vary widely, and as noted throughout the study, career opportunities play a major role. Remuneration/pay has consistently cited the most important factor to employee satisfaction. Although salary increases are often perceived as the most valuable incentive for employees to stay with the organisation, these are difficult to provide due to the present world recession in 2008. It is also difficult to personalise individual incentives to cater for those individuals that companies cannot afford to lose. Salaries, like other conditions of employment are no longer confidential as it used to be before the enactment of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (Act 75 of 1997). / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

Employee retention, especially of the best, most desirable employees is a key challenge at Sasol Nitro. Employers are trying to find ways to motivate employees to stay with their organisations for a longer period, but the efforts seem not to be working as challenges with employee retention are complex to comprehend. Different employees have different needs within the work environment and in their social relations. In this study, the writer studied variables of career progression as it impacts on employee retention. Attachment was measured in terms of personal embedding: an employee is attached to the organisation due to opportunities available within the organisation as well as the climate and work conditions prevailing within the organisation. Career opportunities seem a threat at Sasol Nitro. Voluntary resignation due to career progression factors is on the increase, as observed from the previous separations and turnover intent of the pilot study. The reasons employees leave organisations can vary widely, and as noted throughout the study, career opportunities play a major role. Remuneration/pay has consistently cited the most important factor to employee satisfaction. Although salary increases are often perceived as the most valuable incentive for employees to stay with the organisation, these are difficult to provide due to the present world recession in 2008. It is also difficult to personalise individual incentives to cater for those individuals that companies cannot afford to lose. Salaries, like other conditions of employment are no longer confidential as it used to be before the enactment of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (Act 75 of 1997). / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

Migration and mobility processes are thought to be important (yet complex) modulators of health related risk and vulnerability as experienced by people who use drugs. Few studies in Canada have examined this relationship, and there is no research available addressing this specific aspect of health and well-being in people who use drugs in Ottawa-Gatineau. While migration can be defined as a permanent (or near permanent) relocation process, mobility refers to a person's temporary or short-term movement between geographic locations (Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, 2001). Understanding how the reasons for mobility and migration, typically described as “push and pull” factors, and the processes itself impact on the local community is invaluable for informing intervention in terms of type, location and timing and identifying solutions to reduce the inequalities resulting in and from the migration process. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the prevalence and geography of mobility and migration among study participants, characterize the circumstances surrounding the mobility and migration process, and explore their impact on health related outcomes, among people who use drugs in Ottawa-Gatineau, Canada. Understanding the prevalence, patterns and characteristics of mobility and migration events may offer greater insight into the associated health risks, which in turn will assist in the development of targeted health and social services for this group. We hypothesized that the act of moving itself, as well as type of mobility and migration (i.e. specific push and pull factors), may be associated with health risk behaviours and health outcomes. People 18 years or older currently living in Ottawa-Gatineau, and who used illicit drugs in the past six months were recruited using respondent-driven sampling. Geography of lifetime migration was mapped, and health related outcomes and access to social support services were evaluated against lifetime and recent migration and travel. Quantitative analysis of health and social support related outcomes was carried out by comparison of means and proportions between groups, and complemented by qualitative exploration of push and pull factors and effects of the last mobility and migration events. Our study identified a heterogeneous inner-city population of people who use drugs where widespread homelessness, incarceration, low income and a high degree of mobility and migration placed individuals at varying levels of health-related vulnerability. Participants moved to Ottawa-Gatineau from all over Canada and other countries, but most arrived from within Ontario. Multiple factors were involved in the decision to migrate and in choosing Ottawa-Gatineau in particular. Escaping a negative environment and seeking out family connections were the most commonly cited “push and pull” factors, respectively. Maintaining family connections was also identified as a major reason for mobility or lack thereof among travelers and non-travelers alike. There was evidence to suggest that the mobility and migration processes affected health, drug use and access to resources among some of the participants and for a wide variety of reasons. Comparing the two groups using t-test for means and Chi-square (or Fisher’s exact) test for proportions, we found crack cocaine and injection drug users who migrated recently to be poorly connected to harm reduction services and thus at particularly high risk for blood-borne infections and other drug-related harms. Similarly, participants using crack cocaine or injection drugs and who traveled were significantly less likely to access social support services. In this study we have shown that within a broad cohort of people who use drugs in Ottawa-Gatineau, subjects are a highly mobile group, and face a considerable number of environmental challenges that predispose individuals to increasing risk behaviour even when using drugs only occasionally. This vulnerability is greatest in the period following migration. While push and pull factors may vary by place, a common theme identified in this study is the perceived and actual positive influence of family. Further research employing a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods using a socioecological, intersectionality and lifecourse approach (Egan, et al., 2011) may provide added insights into the role of family in modulating vulnerability through social connectedness and support among drug users as they navigate the mobility and migration process.

The practicum project addresses the ongoing relationship between interior space and the urban environment. Despite a common perception of the interior and the exterior as being distinct and separate, a study of these spaces reflects a similar spatial continuum to the one that exists between public and private space. These realms are linked to each other spatially and socially. Through the development of an active transportation hub in Winnipeg, the project seeks to explore the potential of interior design to influence the wider urban environment. Placemaking and scale linking will be used to create places of meaning and identity in a mobile environment. The hub will create a place for sustainable transportation, community connection and improved quality of life for the people of Winnipeg. In this way, interiors can have a direct impact on the dynamics of the city.

This thesis reports on a secondary analysis of individual and focus group interviews from the Aboriginal Two-Spirit and LGBTQ Migration, Mobility and Health research project (Ristock, Zoccole, and Passante, 2010; Ristock, Zoccole, & Potskin, 2011). This was a community-based qualitative research project following Indigenous and feminist methods, involving two community Advisory Committees, and adopting research principles of Ownership Control Access and Possession (OCAP) (First Nations Centre, 2007). This analysis reviews data from 50 participants in Winnipeg and Vancouver and answers: How do Aboriginal Two-Spirit and LGBTQ people describe home, community and belonging in the context of migration, multiple identities, and in a positive framework focusing on wellbeing, strengths and resilience? Findings demonstrate how participants experience marginalization in both Aboriginal and gay communities. Their words illustrate factors such as safety required to facilitate positive identities, community building, belonging, and sense of home. For participants in this study home is a place where they can bring multiple identities, a geographical place, a physical or metaphorical space (with desired tone, feeling), and a quality of relationships. Community is about places, relationships, participation, and shared interests. Belonging is relational and interactive, feeling safe, accepted, and welcome to be yourself. Detractors interfere with positive meaning making and are identified in examples of contemporary effects of historical trauma. Also included are participant recommendations for community building, descriptions of holistic wellbeing, and examples of many ways urban Aboriginal Two-Spirit and LGBTQ people are creating communities of Two-Spirit vitality and resurgence (Simpson, 2011).

Mobility in all of its forms is highly commodified in a globalised system. Much focus on mobility theory has offered a new ‘mobilities turn’. Largely absent from this ‘mobility turn’ is an examination of the relationship between mobility and health. This case study focuses on the Canadian televised and print media attention given to a medically contested procedure: liberation therapy (LT), which emerged as the possible treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS). As a non-insured service, Canadian MS patients wanting access to the procedure must travel to other geographical locations in what is termed as medical tourism. A comprehensive media analysis reveals an overwhelming patient mobility in the hopes of positive outcomes mainly from anecdotal stories. Patients’ advocacy for LT intensified and this pressured governments’ to fund clinical trials. This highlights the influence of the media in mobilizing patients and directing resources for research in the Canadian health care system.

The present study is an analysis of inter-industry labour flows between 1959 and 1968. The data were provided by the Department of Employment (DE) and are derived from an annual one per cent sample survey of employees holding national insurance cards. Their reliability is subject to several limitations but on the whole they provide good approximations of the actual figures. The study begins with an introductory chapter in which the findings of macro analyses of labour supply and micro investigations into local labour markets are examined in order to demonstrate the need for the inter-industry approach taken here. The manpower flow data are introduced at the end of this chapter where their limitations are discussed. The main body of the thesis is contained in the next six chapters. These can be divided into two parts. Chapters II-IV analyze the role of non-cyclical forces in determining manpower flows between industries. Chapter II examines net flows between manufacturing and non-manufacturing. It analyzes the contribution these net flows make to overall changes in industrial employment levels and demonstrates that manufacturing relies heavily on net recruitment from certain non-manufacturing industries which, in turn, experience large net intakes of persons outside employment. The chapter also shows that there is a tendency for young persons to enter and leave the labour force through the service sector and to spend the prime of their working lives in manufacturing where wages are higher. Chapter III analyzes gross manpower movements in and out of industries. The first half examines each industry's total inflows and outflows as a proportion of its employment level. This provides a measure of the industry's labour turnover rate. Industries with high turnover rates were found with two exceptions either to have high rates of employment growth or to pay low average wages. The second half examines the relative sizes of labour flows between industries and demonstrates that manpower movements between certain pairs of industries are much greater than would occur if flows were randomly determined. In other words, the industry a mobile worker enters is to some extent a function of his previous industry of employment. Chapter IV analyzes the causes of these neighbourhood relationships between industries. The first half constructs a measure of locational and occupational similarities between industries. The resulting formula provides estimates of the degree of neighbourliness between industries that are remarkably close to those derived from the inter-industry mobility data. The chapter also considers the importance of relative wages in determining neighbourhood relationships and reports that these play a subordinate role. Chapter V begins the discussion of the trade cycle's impact The first half examines net movements of manpower between manufacturing and non-manufacturing and finds that they are positive in upswings and negative in downswings. Moreover, net flows increase as a proportion of total manufacturing employment changes in the late stages of each upswing. This reflects the favourable manufacturing wage differential and the intensification of competition for manpower already in employment as the number of persons without jobs and seeking work dwindles. Net manufacturing inflows were, however, found to decline in absolute terms in the late stages of each upswing. The second half of the chapter examines gross manpower flows between manufacturing and non-manufacturing. It shows that the decline in net male flows during the late stages of each upswing is due both to a fall in gross inflows and a rise in outflows. The lower inflow is due to a decline in the number of persons in non-manufacturing suitable for recruitment into manufacturing while the higher outflow reflects increasing competition from the non-manufacturing sector. Net female flows fall by much less in the late stages of an upswing. Gross inflows continue to increase but outflows rise faster. This is because the female labour supply is more elastic and movements of women between manufacturing and non-manufacturing respond more readily to relative demand changes. Chapter 6 analyzes in greater depth the effects of a tightening labour market on the inter-industry mobility process It shows that the manufacturing sector suffers most from manpower shortages at the peak of the cycle even though its plants pay the highest wages. This is attributable to greater cyclical fluctuations in manufacturing labour demand, greater skill requirements, and increasing competition from non-manufacturingo The relative importance of each of the last two factors can be expected to vary between individual manufacturing industries Engineering and metals plants should experience greater recruitment difficulties owing to skill differences, while plants in industries that are close neighbours to non-manufacturing industries could be expected to suffer from increasing competition from the non-manufacturing sector. These theories are tested econometrically on manpower flow data for movements between non-manufacturing and individual manufacturing industries and are supported by the results. Chapter 7 analyzes manpower flows between the engineering and metals industries. These are shown to be affected strongly by changes in the composition of final product demand. Post war cycles in Britain have been led by the swings in consumer expenditure on durable goods and lagged by fluctuations in plant and machinery investment. Plants producing both types of goods are found in engineering and metals industries. In some cases both types of goods may be produced in the same factoryo Consequently there is considerable competition for scarce manpower between these two sectors of final demand. The effect of the lag in the timing of demand recovery between them is, however, to provide consumer durables producers with a competitive advantage. Since their manpower requirements start to expand at a time when the labour market is relatively slack, they have the opportunity to pre-empt the labour supply. Capital goods producers must then wait until the start of the downswing before they can recruit all the manpower they require This suggests that capital goods producers face the most serious manpower shortages at the peak of the boom and an investigation of cyclical fluctuations in the time customers have to wait for deliveries of plant and machinery provides qualified support for this view. Chapter 8, the conclusion,contains a summary of the findings of the study and a discussion of its implications for future research and policy making. It considers various methods of achieving a change in the industrial distribution of employment and argues that the introduction of relative wage changes to achieve this objective is best regarded as a policy of last resort implemented only after its likely impact on flow patterns and comparability claims have been carefully analyzed. The advantages of discriminatory taxes on labour - such as the Selective Employment Tax - over relative wage changes is that they do not induce comparability claims from workers who lose their position in the earnings structure. More research into interindustry mobility patterns is recommended to provide a basis for future manpower planning and the possible introduction of new types of discriminatory employment taxes to assist in the implementation of such plans.