Journal of Contemporary Issues in Business and Government

This study provides preliminary analysis of the extent and quality of financial ratio disclosures in the 2007 annual reports of Australian listed companies. The extent of financial ratio disclosures is captured through a 43 item template. In addition a unique 16 item matrix, evolved from the International Accounting Standards Board’s conceptual framework to measure the quality of financial ratio disclosures, is developed. The extent of financial ratios by Australian firms is a surprisingly low 9.2 percent. Shareholders return and return on equity ratios were reported by at least half of the companies yet 16 other ratios had zero communication. The quality of the financial ratios is rated somewhat better with reliability tenets best presented and comparability issues the worst. Resource firms tended to have the lowest quality of disclosure. Consistent with agency theory, statistical analysis shows that larger firms—those with a higher proportion of independent directors and entities that have a higher proportion of independent auditors—are likely to disclose financial ratio information more extensively. The findings of this research have important implications for understanding managerial disclosure incentives as they relate to the extent and quality of financial ratio disclosures in Australia. Economic drivers seem to better explain extent than the inherent quality of such communication.

Despite continuing recovery from the global financial crisis and improving employment levels, there is widespread consensus that Australia faces challenges of talent retention and skills shortages in both the public and private sectors. Currently, Generation Z—a demographic representing approximately 1.3 million Australians—is entering into higher education and the workforce. An understanding of the values and mindset of this generation is critical to the future Australian workplace in terms of delivering relevant education for both Generation Z and the workplace for which they are being educated. This paper uses qualitative research to identify the career aspirations, perceptions of work and family, and preference readiness for employment (particularly within the public sector) of Generation Z. The research found an increasingly conservative generation seeking high levels of flexibility and autonomy within the workplace. Implications for the public sector marketing itself as an employer of choice are discussed

Performance auditing (PA) is a prominent feature of public administration in many countries and is, today, often characterised through words such as efficiency, effectiveness and economy. The PA literature, however, considers a far wider variety of characteristics to be relevant and, therefore, a broader definition to be appropriate. This paper reviews the history of definitions of PA and concludes that it has thus far been defined in ways that lack clarity and leave definitional difficulties unresolved. The paper adopts a heuristic approach in examining elements making up past PA definitions and concludes that it is time to reconceptualise PA. Hence a new definitional framework for PA is proposed which rejects the so-called three Es construct and instead offers the five elements of independence, authorisation, discovery, synthesis and publication. This framework, it is argued, is stronger than any previous definitions, relevant to both the public and private sectors and also helpful in interpreting the place of many alternatives to PA such as investigative journalism, open book policies, whistleblower legislation and Gateway Reviews

This paper examines interest rate spread in Kenya and seeks to address Eastern African region concerns on this subject by drawing on one country’s experience. This is a qualitative study that examines determinants of interest rate spread based on opinion surveys of staff from commercial banks in Kenya. Results of the data analysis indicate that the two most significant predictors of interest rate spread are provision for bad debts and administrative costs. Banks suggest various remedies for reducing interest rate spread, particularly an overhaul of the judicial review process to address cases relating to bad debts and the establishment of Credit Reference Bureaus. A number of policy recommendations are discussed

This paper investigates the extent of mandatory Fair Value Financial Instrument Disclosures and Fair Value Share-Based Payment Disclosures in the first full year annual report prepared in accordance with the International Financial Reporting Standards of the top 100 Australian listed companies. The results demonstrate that internationalisation is a factor which is significantly and positively associated with fair value share-based payment disclosure patterns and the strength of corporate governance structure and leverage are positively and significantly associated with fair value financial instrument disclosure patterns. This paper contributes to an understanding of the extent and rationale behind Australian listed firms’ fair value disclosure practices

Despite the growing awareness, in many studies of organisational performance, of the importance of corporate governance, the majority of these studies have been based upon archival data from developed countries with one-tier board systems and have focused on governance structures rather than their performance. This study develops a measure of internal corporate governance based on managers’ assessment of the extent to which governance processes are effectively enacted. Reporting the responses of a sample of 496 managers of companies in Indonesia, where two tier boards are the norm, the study reveals that effective internal corporate governance mechanisms are only weakly associated with improved organisational performance.

The word athletics is derived from the Greek word "athlos―, meaning "contest" or
"task.‖Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve
competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics
competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking.Track
and field is one of the oldest of sports.The simplicity of the competitions, and the lack of a
need for expensive equipment, makes athletics one of the most commonly competed sports in
the world.Track and Field as a modern sport started in England during the 19th century.

Despite its long history and global appeal, relatively little is known about the
physiological and other requirements of cricket. It has been suggested that the
physiological demands of cricket are relatively mild, except in fast bowlers during
prolonged bowling spells in warm conditions. However, the physiological demands
of cricket may be underestimated because of the intermittent nature of the activity
and the generally inadequate understanding of the physiological demands of
intermittent activity. Here, we review published studies of the physiology of cricket.
We propose that no current model used to analyse the nature of exercise fatigue (i.e.
the cardiovascular anaerobic model, the energy supply energy depletion model, the
muscle power muscle recruitment model) can adequately explain the fatigue
experienced during cricket.

The paper is an empirical attempt to explore the significant influence on the aggressive
behavior of the Socio Economic Condition. A sample of 100 players in the age group of 19 to
25 years studied by using semi- structured interview schedule. It is explored that the Socio
Economic of the players has something to do with the aggressive behavior.