In aviation, safety is paramount. The human factor is widely recognised to be critical to aviation safety and effectiveness. Numerous studies have indicated that the human factor is absolutely vital in maintaining or improving safety. These realities suggest that there is a need for consistent, long-term support for research, development, analysis and application of information related to human performance throughout the aviation system .Because this need was recognised, a United States National Plan for Aviation Human Factors was developed and published in 1990. The strategic portion of the plan calls for research which leads to enhancements in (a) human centred design of controls, displays and advanced systems; (b) selection and training; (c) information transfer; (d) personal safety, well-being and survival and; (e) the measurement of performance and an understanding of variables that affect performance (FA A, 1990;Dismukes, 1994). This article supports objective (e) of this scientific programme in aviation human factor research.Since job satisfaction can be regarded as an important contributor to various aspects of work performance, an investigation of the level of job satisfaction of South African aircraft pilots and the variables that affect it can make a valuable scientific contribution.The importance of job satisfaction to human beings is a phenomenon that has been widely studied. The popularity of this field of study can be attributed to the relevance of job satisfaction to the physical and mental well-being of employees. Most of these studies focus on the humanitarian value of job satisfaction. They are based on the implicit assumption that job satisfaction (or lack thereof) is a major contributor to productivity, absenteeism, turnover, in-role job performance and extra-role behaviour and role stress, as well as the belief that management is able to influence the primary antecedents of job attitudes. Job satisfaction can be described as a person's affective attachment to his/her job, either in its entirety (global satisfaction) or with regard to particular aspects, seen as facet job satisfaction (Tett & Meyer, 1993).Several studies have explored the relationship between job satisfaction and variables such as age, gender, rank, length of service, job facets, job levels, intention to quit and commitment (Oshagbemi, 1999;Khaleque & Rahman, 1987;Robie, Ryan, Schmieder, Parra & Smith, 1998;Tett & Meyer, 1993). However, none of these studies has investigated the relationship between pilot-related factors and the job satisfaction levels of aviators. There are numerous publications (Wiener & Nagel, 1988;Besco, 1989;Hawkins, 1993;O'Hare & Roscoe, 1994;Hayward & Lowe, 1996Orlady & Orlady, 1999; that refer to research on the influence of specific factors (for example, automation, work overload, jet lag, irregular working hours, cockpit design and layout) on job performance and pilot error in flight operations. Very few of these publications refer to working conditions or their specific contribution to the intrins...
There are several stereotypes, prejudices and preconceptions regarding female aviators' abilities and the suitability of women for a career as professional aircraft pilots. This study reports on the development and validation of the Aviation Gender Attitude Questionnaire (AGAQ), which was designed to assess aviators' perceptions about gender-related pilot behavior. A total of 544 South African aircraft pilots participated in the validation of the questionnaire. A four-factor measurement model was established by using exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Confirmatory Factor Analysis confirmed a good fit between the multifactor solution for the AGAQ and the data. The four factors associated with perceptions about gender-related pilot behavior were Flying Proficiency, Safety Orientation, Flight Confidence and Flight Standards.Although women have been flying aircraft for almost as long as men have, aviation is still largely a male-dominated sphere. Stereotypically masculine traits are more often perceived to be desirable in pilots than stereotypically female characteristics are, and a career in aviation is not deemed as feasible for women as for men (Helmreich & Merrit, 1998; Sitler, Turney & Wulle, 1996). Although women pilots have proven their worth and ability, prejudices such as "women should not fly" and "a woman in the cockpit is one less in the kitchen" still survive. As soon as issues are raised such as whether women should take up flying in a professional capacity or whether they should take up combat aviation roles, many people,
This study investigated flight instructors’ perceptions with regard to gender-related pilot behaviour. The subjects fell into two sample groups. The first sample consisted of 93 flight instructors and the second sample was a control group of 93 commercial pilots. The Aviation Gender Attitude Questionnaire (AGAQ) was administered to measure the perceptions that both groups held about female pilots’ flying proficiency and safety orientation. Statistical analysis revealed that flight instructors and commercial pilots differed significantly in their perceptions of female pilots’ flying proficiency but that the two groups did not differ in their perceptions of female pilots’ safety orientation.
The purpose of this study was to identify the dimensions of affirmative action (AA) fairness in order to develop a valid and reliable questionnaire to assess employees’ perceptions of the fairness of AA decisions and practices, and to explore the relationship between employees’ biographical characteristics and their perceptions of the dimensions of AA fairness. The research sample consisted of 349 participants connected to a large financial institution in South Africa. Principal axis factor analysis with a varimax rotation was performed on the data in order to uncover the different factors that employees perceived to be important for the fair and just management of affirmative action practices. Four factors define AA fairness: namely interactional, procedural (input), procedural (criteria) and distributive justice. One-way MANOVAs and associated ANOVAs revealed that the importance of the justice factors in AA fairness differed significantly across ethnicity and staff category. This study enables a better understanding of the dimensionality of AA fairness. It should ultimately contribute to more effective management of AA in the workplace.
The impact of organisational downsizing on employees who remain has been the subject of intense research, particularly in the USA. The issue of so-called survivor syndrome is critically important in relation to productivity growth and the success of restructuring. However, current conceptualisation has been based largely on American research. There has been little data on downsizing in the South African context. The purpose of this article is to discuss the extent of survivor syndrome in organisations that have restructured and downsized in South Africa. We ask the questions: does downsizing inevitably result in high levels of survivor syndrome; which factors intensify and modify survivor syndrome; and is there a restructuring cycle? The database constitutes 421 South African organisations.
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