The organisation and practice of corporate planning in the U.K.: Some recent survey results

This article reports some relevant results from a recent survey of the corporate planning practices of a number of leading British organizations. The sample spanned turnovers from £2000m. Within this range, the functional areas involved show considerable variation: for example, 95% of companies perform financial planning, but only 52% production planning. Organization too, quite naturally, displays great variety: thus one company operates with only a single planner whereas another employs thirty. Ratings are quoted for the main advantages and disadvantages of corporate planning as assessed by the chief executives; in general, the benefits dominate.     

Starting age and subsequent birth intervals in cohabitational unions in current danish cohorts, 1975

This paper presents some main results of an investigation by life table methods of birth interval data in cohabitational unions (marriages as well as consensual unions) in current Danish cohorts. Our results confirm previous findings that an early age at the start of recorded exposure to childbearing risk is indicative of a rapid pace and high level of subsequent fertility. The analysis modifies previous results and adds several new details regarding cohort trends and the effect of parity at the start of reported cohabitation. For each parity within a period of cohabitation, fertility differentials by reported starting age seem to have diminished from our older cohorts (of age up to 49 years in 1975) to our younger ones (of age less than 30 years in 1975). There are indications of a dramatic change in childbearing behaviour following the arrival of novel attitudes to non-marital cohabitation and childbearing in Denmark about 1967.     

中国收入不平等:发展、转型和政策

描述了中国改革开放以来收入不平等变动的主要趋势,并将其归因于如下四种因素的相互影响:第一,由传统的发展理论所刻画,以结构转型、市场扩展、剩余劳动力吸收和收入差距的库兹涅茨“倒U型”路径等为主要影响的发展因素。第二,经济制度的转型变化因素。在经济体制从计划经济向市场经济的转型过程中经济活动决策过程的微观化,多种所有制经济的出现,以及收入分配机制的变化引起了收入分配格局的改变。第三,经济体制转型不彻底和不完善的因素。这导致了寻租、设租和隐性收入的产生,带来收入差距扩大和收入分配不平等。第四,社会保障制度和再分配政策的逐步完善因素。这在一定程度上起到了缓解收入分配不平等的作用。     

Transitions Within and From First Unions: Educational Effects in an Extended Winnowing Model

In this article, we study how different transitional phases from childless cohabitation relate to education and educational resemblance of the partners. Using longitudinal population register data from Finland, we extend analyses of previous research to suit the conditions in societies where almost all unions begin before marriage and much childbearing takes place outside marriage. Educationally heterogamous couples are found to have higher separation risks than homogamous ones and a somewhat smaller tendency to marry or become parents. Winnowing consequently takes place also after parenthood, but the strongest effect is recently after couples have entered a cohabiting union. Traditional family formation behavior in terms of marriage before children is nevertheless much more common among higher-educated people. The share of unmarried parents is notably higher among lower educated, and they are much more likely to remain as unmarried parents. Hence, if parenthood is taken into account, marital status remains an important device for categorizing couples.     

Midwives experiences of participating in a midwifery research project: A qualitative study

Problem and background

In an earlier research project midwives were asked to perform women-centered care focusing on the assumption that the physiological process in the second stage of labour could be trusted and that the midwives role should be encouraging and supportive rather than instructing. There is no knowledge about how midwives participating in such a research project, uses their skills and experience from the study in their daily work.