Critical factors influencing employment: a study of small manufacturing firms in South-East Australia

Compliance with legislation has been highlighted as a factor influencing the reluctance of small and medium sized enterprises to take on new employees. With the objective of determining factors influencing smaller firms in their employment decisions, mailed questionnaires were used to survey small to medium manufacturing businesses in the Australian States of Victoria and New South Wales. Significant critical factors and deterrents to further employment were identified.

A conformity test of corporate financial disclosures in Asian and Middle East countries

This paper investigates the financial disclosure practices of corporate annual reports published in Asian countries including Bangladesh, Indonesian, Malaysia and the Middle East countries including Bahrain, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The purpose of the study is to measure the financial disclosure diversity in these countries, with a view to developing a classification of their similarities and differences in respect to their compliance with International Accounting Standards (IASs). Annual reports of 132 public companies listed on the relevant countries stock exchanges are the central data source, supplemented with other reliable information about financial disclosure practices in each country. A disclosure checklist adopted from all IASs and summarised in 306 individual items of financial disclosures is used as a means of extending an understanding of financial reporting literature. Additionally, it provides an indication of voluntary progress towards harmonisation of international accounting practices in several Asian and Middle Eastern countries. Results show the degree of conformity with IASs from less to high conformity is: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bangladesh, Iran, Bahrain, Jordan, Pakistan, Oman, Turkey, Malaysia, Kuwait and Indonesia.

Lifetime cost of stroke subtypes in Australia: findings from the North East Melbourne stroke incidence study (NEMESIS)

Background and Purpose-: Little is known about any variations in resource use and costs of care between stroke subtypes, especially nonhospital costs. The purpose of this study was to describe the patterns of resource use and to estimate the first-year and lifetime costs for stroke subtypes.

Methods-: A cost-of-illness model was used to estimate the total first-year costs and lifetime costs of stroke subtypes for all strokes (subarachnoid hemorrhages excluded) that occurred in Australia during 1997. For each subtype, average cost per case during the first year and the present value of average cost per case over a lifetime were calculated. Resource use data obtained in the North East Melbourne Stroke Incidence Study (NEMESIS) were used.

Results-: The present value of total lifetime costs for all strokes was Aus $1.3 billion (US $985 million). Total lifetime costs were greatest for ischemic stroke (72%; Aus $936.8 million; US $709.7 million), followed by intracerebral hemorrhage (26%; Aus $334.5 million; US $253.4 million) and unclassified stroke (2%; Aus $30 million; US $22.7 million). The average cost per case during the first year was greatest for total anterior circulation infarction (Aus $28 266). Over a lifetime, the present value of average costs was greatest for intracerebral hemorrhage (Aus $73 542), followed by total anterior circulation infarction (Aus $53 020), partial anterior circulation infarction (Aus $50 692), posterior circulation infarction (Aus $37 270), lacunar infarction (Aus $34 470), and unclassified stroke (Aus $12 031).

Conclusions-: First-year and lifetime costs vary considerably between stroke subtypes. Variation in average length of total hospital stay is the main explanation for differences in first-year costs.

Informal care for stroke survivors. Results from the North East Melbourne stroke incidence study (NEMESIS)

Background and Purpose-: Informal caregivers play an important role in the lives of stroke patients, but the cost of providing this care has not been estimated. The purpose of this study was to determine the nature and amount of informal care provided to stroke patients and to estimate the economic cost of that care.

Methods-: The primary caregivers of stroke patients registered in the North East Melbourne Stroke Incidence Study (NEMESIS) were interviewed at 3, 6, and 12 months after stroke, and the nature and amount of informal care provided were documented. The opportunity and replacement costs of informal care for all first-ever-in-a-lifetime strokes (excluding subarachnoid hemorrhages) that occurred in 1997 in Australia were estimated.

Results-: Among 3-month stroke survivors, 74% required assistance with activities of daily living and received informal care from family or friends. Two thirds of primary caregivers were women, and most primary caregivers (>90%) provided care during family or leisure time. Total first-year caregiver time costs for all first-ever-in-a-lifetime strokes were estimated to be A$21.7 million (opportunity cost approach) or A$42.5 million (replacement cost approach), and the present values of lifetime caregiver time costs were estimated to be A$171.4 million (opportunity cost approach) or A$331.8 million (replacement cost approach).

Conclusions-: Informal care for stroke survivors represents a significant hidden cost to Australian society. Because our community is rapidly aging, this informal care burden may increase significantly in the future.

Cost of stroke in Australia from a societal perspective: results from the north east Melbourne stroke incidence study (NEMESIS)

Background and Purpose—— Accurate information about resource use and costs of stroke is necessary for informed health service planning. The purpose of this study was to determine the patterns of resource use among stroke patients and to estimate the total costs (direct service use and indirect production losses) of stroke (excluding SAH) in Australia for 1997.

Methods—— An incidence-based cost-of-illness model was developed, incorporating data obtained from the North East Melbourne Stroke Incidence Study (NEMESIS). The costs of stroke during the first year after stroke and the present value of total lifetime costs of stroke were estimated.

Results—— The total first-year costs of all first-ever-in-a lifetime strokes (SAH excluded) that occurred in Australia during 1997 were estimated to be A$555 million (US$420 million), and the present value of lifetime costs was estimated to be A$1.3 billion (US$985 million). The average cost per case during the first 12 months and over a lifetime was A$18 956 (US$14 361) and A$44 428 (US$33 658), respectively. The most important categories of cost during the first year were acute hospitalization (A$154 million), inpatient rehabilitation (A$150 million), and nursing home care (A$63 million). The present value of lifetime indirect costs was estimated to be A$34 million.

Conclusions—— Similar to other studies, hospital and nursing home costs contributed most to the total cost of stroke (excluding SAH) in Australia. Inpatient rehabilitation accounts for {approx}27% of total first-year costs. Given the magnitude of these costs, investigation of the cost-effectiveness of rehabilitation services should become a priority in this community.

Regional variations in walking for different purposes : the south east Queensland quality of life study

Where people are located can influence behavioral choices and health outcomes through the effects of place on health. Walking is the most commonly reported form of nonoccupational and nonhousehold physical activity for adults. It is a behavior of particular interest to those in the transportation, urban planning, and public health fields. Researchers have examined patterns of walking from both an individual perspective (psychological and social factors) and from a broader community focus (location and built environment factors). The majority of studies have examined walking in the context of urban environments. Variations within regions (urban, periurban, and rural, for example) in walking have not been previously described. We use data from a regionally based quality of life survey to examine subregional variations in walking for particular purposes. Both the social and contextual variations that may underlie these differences are considered. This is useful in helping identify particular factors that may be further investigated in disaggregated analyses using GIS methods to identify specific differences in objective attributes between subregions that may influence peoples' choices to walk, such as walking infrastructure and the availability of destinations.

Unlocking Australia's relationship with the Middle East

Historically, Australia’s interests in the Middle East related primarily to its role in the Commonwealth imperial defence system which resulted in the deployment of Australian forces in the Middle East during both the First and Second World Wars. Similarly, the current involvement of Australian troops in Iraq and Afghanistan is driven by the country’s strategic alliance with the United States. However, Australia’s current involvement reflects a multifaceted relationship that spans economic, political and strategic spheres. Yet it is at the level of cultural and civilisational contacts that this relationship appears at its most vulnerable. This paper argues that a deeper understanding of this cultural dimension combined with a broader emphasis on good governance and human rights would be conducive to more robust ties in the longer term.