Longitudinal study of Consumer Price Index (CPI) trends in core and non-core foods in Australia

Objective: This study examined trends in the price of healthy and less-healthy foods from 1989 to 2007 using the Australian Consumer Price Index (CPI).

Methods: CPI food expenditure classes were classified as 'core' or 'non-core'. Trends in the CPI were analysed to examine the rise in prices of core compared with non-core foods.

Results: On average, the CPI for core foods has risen at a slightly higher, though not statistically significant, rate than non-core foods. Furthermore, selected groupings reveal interesting patterns. 'Bread' has risen in price significantly more than 'cakes and biscuits', and 'milk' has risen in price significantly more than 'soft drinks, waters and juices'.

Conclusions and implications: This investigation of food price trends reveals notable differences between core and non-core foods. This should be investigated further to determine the extent to which this contributes to the higher prevalence of diet-related diseases in low socio-economic groups.

Common trends and common cycles in per capita GDP : the case of the G7 Countries, 1870-2001

In this paper we analyze per capita incomes of the G7 countries using the common cycles test developed by Vahid and Engle (Journal of Applied Econometrics, 8:341–360, 1993) and extended by Hecq et al. (Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, 62:511–532, 2000; Econometric Reviews, 21:273–307, 2002) and the common trend test developed by Johansen (Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, 12:231–254, 1988). Our main contribution is that we impose the common cycle and common trend restrictions in decomposing the innovations into permanent and transitory components. Our main finding is permanent shocks explain the bulk of the variations in incomes for the G7 countries over short time horizons, and is in sharp contrast to the bulk of the recent literature. We attribute this to the greater forecasting accuracy achieved, which we later confirm through performing a post sample forecasting exercise, from the variance decomposition analysis.

A practitioner's report on the interactive effects of socio-demographic barriers to travel

Researchers have viewed constraints as a subset of reasons for not engaging in a particular behavior. This study investigates the impact of two-way interactions between age, income, and life stage (forming groups of more and less constrained respondents) on dependent variables comprising intentions held by Australian residents to travel intrastate, interstate or overseas for a vacation. A representative sample of 49,105 Australian respondents is utilized. Binary logistic regression is used to profile respondents who intend to take a domestic or an overseas holiday of more than three days duration. This paper finds that the interactions between the constraint variables of age, income and life stage are important in explaining travel preferences. Constraint groups are then formed by combining the important constraint variables. There are significant levels of vacation travel by even the most constrained groups as well as significant amounts of non-travel by the least constrained sectors of our society. Marketing insights and recommendations are provided for the most constrained travel group and the least constrained travel group.

Corporate responsibility reports assurance trends and the role of management accountants

Over the past decade, corporate responsibility (CR) has moved from the fringes of the business world to being a significant boardroom agenda. What began largely as an extension of public relations reporting where organisations disclosed basic health and safety monitoring, and environmental impact results has now grown to a wider set of governance practices premised on the philosophy of sustainability.

This paper discusses some of the developing trends in the area of assurance of CR reports, and the emerging challenges faced by the assurance providers and managers alike. The paper also explores the role of management accountants in enhancing CR reporting and its assurance practices.