The use of codes of ethics in the corporate marketplace: the case of Australia and Sweden

Business ethics is a subject that recently has been thrust again into prominence in industrialised economies around the world, due to the revelations of the practices of some of the major corporations operating within the USA. In Australia, corporate collapses such as HIH and Onetel and in Sweden, the scandals with the top executives of Skandia and also Systembolaget have brought in to sharp focus that these practices are not confined to the USA. Since the early 1960s, codes of ethics have been in evidence in many organisations in the USA, whilst in Australia, as in Britain, the interest in codes of ethics was piqued by the stock market crash of 1987. In Sweden, however, this concept of the use of codes of ethics in the corporate sector had not been investigated prior to this study. This paper examines the use of codes of ethics in the marketplace by the top companies operating in corporate Australia and corporate Sweden. The outcome of this research shows that in both Australia and Sweden that large organisations indicate a substantial interest in codes of ethics and value the use of their codes in the marketplace. There are, however, differences in the ways that the companies in each country implement their codes of ethics in the marketplace and the benefits that they see as being derived from them.

Housing price diffusion pattern of Australia's state capital cities

The ripple effect of house prices within metropolitan areas has recently been recognised by researchers. However, it is very difficult to formulate and measure this effect using conventional house price theories particularly in consideration of the spatial locations of cities. Based on econometrics principles of the cointegration test and the error correction model, this research develops an innovative approach to quantitatively examine the diffusion patterns of house prices in mega-cities of a country. Taking Australia's eight capital cities as an example, the proposed approach is validated in terms of an empirical study. The results show that a 1-1-2-4 diffusion pattern exists within these cities. Sydney is on the top tier with Melbourne in the second; Perth and Adelaide are in the third level and the other four cities lie on the bottom. This research may be applied to predict the regional housing market behavior in a country.

Travelling north : the differing research cultures of Australia and Germany

Summary: This invited paper discusses the discipline of Information Systems in Australia and German. Initially it describes the wide differences between the two academic cultures, endeavouring to identify the causes of these differences, as well as their implications. It then discusses the ways in which these two cultures handle the teaching of Information Systems and finally discusses the similarities and differences of the I.S. research cultures in Australia and Germany.

Trialing new assessment tools to identify women at risk of PND

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to trial the Postpartum Depression Predictors Inventory (PDPI) as a checklist to assist nurses in identifying women at risk of postnatal depression at 28 weeks of pregnancy, with repeated assessment at 6-8 weeks postpartum.

Methods: A prospective cohort design was used to include a population of women >20 years of age who were attending an antenatal clinic at a Victorian regional hospital. All women who attended the clinic for their 28 week visit were invited to participate over an 8-week period. Five data collection measures were included, two in the antenatal period and three at 6-8 weeks postpartum. Based on nurse consultation at both times, clinical judgement, and use of the PDPI, nurses recorded three outcomes: no identifiable risk, non-directive counselling or referral to a psychiatric nurse. The Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS), Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and Kanzas Marital Satisfaction Scales were used at 6-8 weeks postpartum to assess depression and marital satisfaction.

Results: 107 women were recruited in the antenatal period with 84 being followed up 8 weeks postpartum. Information will be presented on the proportion of women who were found to be depressed at both data collection periods, the intervention outcomes as determined by nurses. The use of the PDPI and PDSS as tools to assist nurses in identifying women at risk of postnatal depression will be discussed.

Conclusion: The PDPI is a useful checklist to identify women at risk of postnatal depression. The PDSS and the EPDS identified a similar number of women, although the PDSS is a much longer and more intensive scale.