Declining fertility and policy intervention in Europe: Some lessons for Australia?

The contemporary fertility situation in Europe is outlined with emphasis on trends in the late 1990s. It is shown that while most European countries have lower fertility levels than Australia there is wide variation between countries with respect to both their levels of fertility and their rate of fertility decline. While almost all countries are experiencing fertility decline the rate of decline is higher and the fertility is lower in countries where the male-breadwinner model is strongest. Attempts to influence fertility in European nations are discussed, particularly those involving the introduction of family-friendly policies. It is clear that despite popular beliefs to the contrary, societies where male-breadwinner models influence policy most are those with lowest fertility. The lesson for Australia is that family-friendly policies not only are desirable from the perspective of moving toward gender equality but are likely to stabilize or perhaps even marginally increase fertility.     

What population studies can do for business

Demographers have a fundamental role to play in planning for the future. They possess a wide range of skills concerning the number, diversity and spatial distribution of the population, which are of value to business concerns. The role of demographers in analysis of census data is of special value. This paper discusses the specific skills acquired by demographers and provides examples of how these skills can be very useful and important in planning in both the private and public sectors. Finally the future of demographic training in Australia is considered by contrasting the APA membership with that of the PAA and considering the need for developing more teaching in demography at Australian tertiary institutions. The role of the APA in improving the status of demography as an important tool for corporate planning for the future is also emphasized.     

The resource recovery level decision for end-of-life products

Resource recovery from end-of-life (EOL) products is becoming increasingly engaged in by companies as a response to customer, consumer, government and social pressures, the electronics industry cites competitor pressures as being the main driver of EOL product take-back and recovery. Recovery can occur at three levels; i.e. product, part and material. Each of these options has economic and environmental advantages and disadvantages depending on the product type and a host of other influencing factors. The work described in this paper supports the decision as to the most favourable route from a cost and value perspective, a software model that provides such support is also described.     

Modelling end-of-life product recovery chains - a case study

European Union legislation, and existing national legislation of many European countries, mandates that manufacturers take back and recover their electronic and electrical equipment. If manufacturers are to comply with legislation, models need to be developed for these activities. Whilst infrastructural and technological deficits exist and must be addressed, so too must the organization of recovery, from a business perspective. In this paper, models of resource recovery are presented and a case study described.     

Making sense of social pretense: The effect of the dyad,sex, and language ability in a large observational study of children’s behaviors in a social pretend play context

Pretend play with peers is purportedly an important driver of social development in the preschool period; however, fundamental questions regarding the features of children's pretend play with a peer, and the effect of the dyad for pretend play, have been overlooked. The current study undertook detailed behavioral coding of social pretend play in 134 pairs of 5‐year‐old children (54% boys) in order to address three main aims: (a) describe the duration and proportion of children engaging in key social pretend play behaviors, namely calls for attention, negotiation (comprising role assignment and joint proposals) and enactment of pretend play, (b) examine the effect of the dyad in influencing the occurrence of different social pretend play behaviors, and (c) assess the independent and combined effect of individual child characteristics (i.e., language ability and sex) that may influence social pretend play behaviors beyond the influence of the dyad. Results demonstrated the overwhelming effect of the dyad in shaping children's social pretend play behaviors, with language ability and sex explaining relatively little of the total variability in play behaviors. Results are discussed considering the contribution that this type of study can make to theories of associations between children's social development and social pretend play.