The Suffering Middle: Trends in Income Inequality in Australia, 1982 to 1993–94

This article analyses labour force trends, household composition and income inequality between 1982 and 1993–94, principally using unit record tapes for the two years produced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The results suggest that earnings and private income inequality increased during these 11 years. However, increasing progressivity in the income tax and, in particular, the government cash transfer system fully offset this growing market-based inequality. Summary inequality measures thus suggest that the distribution of disposable (post-tax/transfer) and equivalent disposable income was much the same in 1993–94 as in 1982. However, this apparent stability disguised real income gains at the top and bottom of the income spectrum and losses for the middle 50 per cent of Australians.     

Values and Beliefs Related to Ethical Decisions

Although there is reason to suspect thatpeople's values and beliefs influenceintegrity-related decisions, few studies haveexamined the values and beliefs related tomanagerial integrity. In the present study,197 students were asked to complete measures ofvalues and beliefs as manifest in theirpreferred courses of action when confrontedwith ambiguous situations. Subsequently, theywere asked to work on a managerial ``in-basket'task where the decisions made might result inharm to others or harm to the organization. Itwas found that values and beliefs were relatedto both types of decisions producing multiplecorrelations in the 0.40s. People whose valuesstressed growth and contributions to others, asopposed to personal gain, and believed actionswere under their control, as opposed toexternal control, exhibited greater integrity. The implications of these findings forunderstanding leader integrity are discussed.     

Donation dilemmas: A consumer behaviour perspective

With the aim of developing a better understanding of an individual's donation decision process this paper focuses on the information search undertaken by a prospective donor. It discusses the level of problem solving that characterises various donations, using the body of consumer decision-making literature to provide a theoretical framework for the investigation. From the results it appears that donor decision making follows a similar pattern to consumer buying decisions. There appears to be a low incidence of extended problem solving, even where relatively large donations are concerned. Examples of limited problem solving and routine response behaviour, by contrast, were more prevalent.     

The family and medical leave act of 1993: Employee rights and responsibilities,employer rights and responsibilities

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was signed into law on February 5, 1993 after approximately eight years of controversial discussion in Congress. The FMLA provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for eligible employees for the birth or placement for adoption or foster care of a child, to care for a child, spouse, or parent with a serious health condition, or for the employee’s own serious health condition. The Act is intended to help individuals balance their home obligations with their work obligations. This article highlights both employee rights and responsibilities afforded by the FMLA and employer rights and responsibilities under the Act.     

Are market pioneers intrinsically stronger than later entrants?

Are market pioneers more successful because they started with superior skills and resources? The absolute pioneer advantage hypothesis is that because market pioneering is desirable, firms with superior skills and resources naturally choose to pioneer new markets. The comparative advantage hypothesis is that market evolution changes success requirements. Market pioneer skills and resources differ from, but are not superior to later entrants. Empirical results across 171 diversification entrants tend to support the comparative advantage hypothesis. Skill and resource profiles are provided for market pioneers, early followers, and late entrants.     

Evaluating policy changes on council waste generation and diversion: Evidence from South Australia

Australia, like most countries worldwide, faces increasing issues with burgeoning waste generation and its appropriate disposal. Hence, effective policies and programmes are needed to change household waste generation and recycling behaviour, thereby reducing waste into landfill. To date, however, there has been little academic research on the potential effects of various policies on waste generation. We employ a rare data set and the fixed-effects linear regression model with autoregressive disturbances to investigate how a variety of public policies (namely education campaigns, roll-out of food diversion systems and provision of food caddies) influence monthly waste generation and diversion in Adelaide, South Australia, from 2006 to 2020. The results show that the introduction of food waste caddies and diversion systems was associated with increased diversion rates, saving local councils the gross equivalent of AUD$4.67 million in reduced solid waste landfill levies. However, education campaigns regarding food waste and recycling alone were found to have no significant association with reduced waste or increased recycling.     

Reach for Generation Y: using celebrity endorsement to communicate about nonprofit causes with young people in Australia

• The popular contemporary global practice of using celebrities to endorse nonprofit causes can be a constructive means of stakeholder communication that offers the potential to increase awareness of, grow resources for and focus attention on these causes. However, if this communication practice is poorly executed, it risks devaluing complex social problems while more broadly challenging the nonprofit sector's role as a site of social change. This paper offers an analysis of the possibilities and pitfalls of using celebrities to communicate about nonprofit causes to Generation Y stakeholders. Based on findings from interviews with nonprofit leaders who have utilized this communication strategy, it offers an Australian perspective to the growing body of research into the increasingly popular strategy of celebrity endorsement of nonprofit causes.

Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The policy delphi method: contribution to policy and strategy within energy organisations: a 2013 Malaysian case study with global implications

The policy delphi method is a process that seeks to generate the strongest possible opposing views on the potential resolutions of a major policy issue, such as strategy and policy for infrastructure and engineering asset management within asset-intensive organisations. The objectives of the policy delphi method are to: ensure that all possible options have been tabled for consideration, estimate the impact and consequences of any particular option, and to examine and estimate the acceptability of all the individual options. The committee process is commonly used to address a wide range of issues and decisions within organisations at management and operational levels. Committees dominate governance and management within nearly all types of organisations, however, it has been argued that the committee approach no longer functions as effectively in the realm of policy formulation as it once may have due to a lack of adequate structure for discussion. Due to the disadvantages of the Committee process, this research investigated the relevance and effectiveness of the policy delphi method in 2013 within the leading Malaysian energy organisation, with the provision of this practical case study of a policy delphi to elaborate the efficacy of this method for asset intensive organisations to develop strategy and policy.