Day 181 - 01 Nov 95 - Page 57


     
     1        days, does that give any indications about what the average
     2        length of stay of people that leave -- what I am trying to
     3        say is, can these figures be seen as turnover figures?
     4        A.  They are -----
     5
     6   Q.   Is it possible for me to say: this means that basically
     7        seven per cent of people stayed less than one month?
     8
     9   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I do not see how it can possibly say that.
    10        It may be useful in various other examples.
    11
    12   MR. MORRIS:  It just strikes me as obvious.  Am I wrong there or
    13         -----
    14        A.  Well, the trouble is you cannot from these figures very
    15        readily -- you cannot be sure about annual turnover figures
    16        from this profile.  It just suggests, if you look at the
    17        half yearly figure, with a turnover of 35, 36 per cent, it
    18        points to me to achieving in half a year what the catering
    19        industry achieves in a full year.  So, I think it indicates
    20        a higher than average turnover for the industry, just from
    21        looking at the half year figures.  I am still not sure
    22        whether I am answering your question, however.  I most
    23        apologise for that.
    24
    25   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  If I may say so, I think Mr. Morris is just
    26        asking you to be his conduit for what is an argument, in
    27        fact, rather than your actual evidence.  I think I have to
    28        consider what you want to say should be deduced from this.
    29        I do not think Mr. Pearson can ---
    30
    31   MR. MORRIS:  Right.  OK, I will move on.
    32
    33   MR. JUSTICE BELL: -- get anything from it that you cannot take
    34        in argument.
    35
    36   THE WITNESS:  I mean, if it is being suggested to me that the
    37        annual turnover figure is potentially much higher from this
    38        table than that which is appearing in other statistics,
    39        yes, I mean, I would say that is an arguable point because
    40        you do not have -- I do not believe you have seen proper
    41        profiles.  These figures, these figures in their own right,
    42        and if you look at earlier quarters they do show hefty
    43        turnover figures at short lengths of service, that is
    44        without doubt, and these are very unusual profiles for the
    45        industry.
    46
    47        I must make that very clear.  It is most unusual in the
    48        catering industry, which has a high turnover profile, to
    49        see such a wastage at such short periods of service and
    50        that would, you know, that could potentially -- I am being 
    51        quite careful with the words I choose -- that could 
    52        potentially throw question marks over turnover rates 
    53        annually of, say, 120 or 150 per cent.  These figures are
    54        capable of generating quite high turnover figures, but
    55        without the proper generated turnover figure from this
    56        database, it is impossible to be sure, it just points in
    57        that direction.  It points a question mark at the turnover
    58        figure that was discussed yesterday.
    59
    60        It may well be, for example, that returnees are not

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