The Sound of Falling Trees: Integrating Environmental Justice Principles into the Climate Change Framework for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD)

Charitable giving is of great value to society. In particular, wealthy individuals and their families have the ability to make a significant impact on society. Many research papers and wealth briefings try to understand the multi-billion dollar global charitable giving market. These studies have provided valuable insights, but often miss the viewpoint of High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs). Our comparative research provides a unique perspective on wealthy individuals in France and in the Netherlands. It is the first research to use the same methods in two different countries, which allows us to make solid comparisons. We asked 961 High Net Worth Individuals about their charitable giving behaviour and their knowledge of and interest in impact investing. What causes do our clients value most? How much do they give annually? And how does charitable giving relate to impact investing for the clients? Does the financial return or social return drive individuals to invest with impact? Please join us in this study to explore charitable giving from the giver’s perspective

Use of Trusted Software Modules for Emergency-Integrity Display

This report provides summary of the interface, mechanisms and semantics for high integrity display of information in a secure computer system, based on the use of a high assurance separation kernel and trusted software modules in both the application domain and the trusted software domain.Grant number: CNS-0430566 and CNS-0430598.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

A guide on how to apply an uncertainty-based perspective in Enterprise Risk Management

Master's thesis in Risk ManagementThe purpose of managing and mitigating risks has long been a way of securing an entity's assets or values. Today, more and more businesses are opening their eyes to using risk management to create, preserve, and realise value by implementing enterprise risk management (ERM). One of the most recognised frameworks for ERM are COSO's Enterprise Risk Management – Integrating with Strategy and Performance. COSO's framework, however, is both very comprehensive, and requires the need for several risk professionals working in the entity. In addition to this, COSO (2017) mentions the importance of being aware of uncertainties regarding risks but fails to give methods in how to acquire sufficient knowledge to manage said risks. This thesis presents a guide for an entity in the beginner maturation state of implementing ERM, where they are demonstrated an activity plan based on COSO (2017), with extra emphasis on uncertainties. This thesis consists of six chapters, with the first chapter introducing the background and objectives of the work. Secondly, a review of COSO (2017) is presented with a discussion on the limitations of COSO (2017) as a framework. The guide is demonstrated in chapter three, following the same structure as COSO (2017) ending in an activity plan. Chapter four presents an application example based on the performance component of the guide. The discussion chapter compares COSO (2017) to the guide presented earlier with the help of the application example. Lastly, the thesis is concluded in chapter six. Discussions show that the guide is beneficial for smaller or medium sized entities who experience various degrees of uncertainties, and desire to implement an ERM process in order to help create, preserve, and realise their values by assessing risks that threaten the entity's objectives and strategy

Double Secret Protection: Bridging Federal and State Law To Protect Privacy Rights for Telemental and Mobile Health Users

Mental health care in the United States is plagued by stigma, cost, and access issues that prevent many people from seeking and continuing treatment for mental health conditions. Emergent technology, however, may offer a solution. Through telemental health, patients can connect with providers remotely—avoiding stigmatizing situations that can arise from traditional healthcare delivery, receiving more affordable care, and reaching providers across geographic boundaries. And with mobile health technology, people can use smart phone applications both to self-monitor their mental health and to communicate with their doctors. But people do not want to take advantage of telemental and mobile health unless their privacy is protected. After evaluating the applicability of current health information privacy law to these new forms of treatment, this Note proposes changes to the federal regime to protect privacy rights for telemental and mobile health users

Double Secret Protection: Bridging Federal and State Law To Protect Privacy Rights for Telemental and Mobile Health Users

Mental health care in the United States is plagued by stigma, cost, and access issues that prevent many people from seeking and continuing treatment for mental health conditions. Emergent technology, however, may offer a solution. Through telemental health, patients can connect with providers remotely—avoiding stigmatizing situations that can arise from traditional healthcare delivery, receiving more affordable care, and reaching providers across geographic boundaries. And with mobile health technology, people can use smart phone applications both to self-monitor their mental health and to communicate with their doctors. But people do not want to take advantage of telemental and mobile health unless their privacy is protected. After evaluating the applicability of current health information privacy law to these new forms of treatment, this Note proposes changes to the federal regime to protect privacy rights for telemental and mobile health users

Blended Value Investing: Capital Opportunities for Social and Environmental Impact

This paper is offered not as a fully comprehensive survey of the emerging area of blended value investing, but rather as a set of examples of how such investing practices are being developed and applied around the world. The paper's intent is not to provide a single answer for all investment challenges, but to demonstrate how groups of investors are mobilizing capital on new terms to meet the challenges of emerging investment opportunities, as well as the demands of investors seeking out new asset classes in which to place their capital.This paper presents innovations in capital finance that promise to bridge market-rate interests with strategic opportunities to create blended value that benefits shareholder and stakeholder alike. The following examples speak to an evolving capital convergence wherein mainstream capital markets and investing will increasingly become drivers of new solutions to historic problems. Blended value investing funds and instruments offer financing strategies a set of tools that go beyond traditional philanthropy or market rate investing and which complement the vision we all share of a world with greater equity and opportunity for its members.This paper also identifies several areas of research that would help advance the field of blended value investing. Finally, the paper concludes with words of caution that suggest a prudent approach to developing blended value capital markets. It offers a critique of the state of the markets, presents a strategic vision for the blended value capital markets, and suggests specific steps that participants might take in moving toward the ideal

A comparative analysis of security risk management in Norwegian oil and gas and renewable energy companies.

With the recognised urgent need to combat climate change globally, the renewables industry has witnessed significant growth to meet ambitious net zero targets. This thesis aims to emphasize the importance of improving security risk governance to adapt to the evolving energy sector. The increasing adoption of renewable solutions and the expansion of renewable production presents a landscape characterized by uncertain and complex market dynamics. Additionally, these developments contribute to a more adverse threat environment driven by innovation in research and development (R&D), technology, and digitalization. Considering these advancements, criminal actors now have greater opportunity, motive, and increased capabilities, regardless of whether the company is focused on oil and gas, or renewable production. While damages to a renewables asset result in lower costs and less detrimental environmental impacts when compared to an offshore oil and gas asset, they can still have adverse implications on company values. Impacts to critical renewable assets have the potential to increase reliance on traditional fossil fuels, negatively impact local communities, and detrimentally impact company margins. Furthermore, due to market volatility and energy politics, nations aim to safeguard energy supply and reduce dependence on external sources. This is particularly relevant when considering the sanctions imposed on Russian oil and gas following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. As a result, energy independence and energy security have become increasingly more critical. This thesis has identified with certainty that there is a significant lack of maturity within security risk governance in renewables companies. Therefore, by comparing how both the oil and gas, and renewables sector acknowledge security and therein approach security risk management, a platform is created to offer fit-for-purpose recommendations to the renewables sector. Furthermore, this thesis acknowledges the lower margin nature of renewable production and ultimately emphasises fostering a sustainable and dynamic security culture that allows industry to strategically expand into higher security threat environments. Key words: Renewable production, Security risk, Risk Governance, Security Risk Assessments, risk tolerabilit

Cyber-threats against the Norwegian financial sector

Technological development affects most of the industries in the world, and the Norwegian financial sector is no exception. We use our digital tools every day, and these tools make footsteps of personal information. Norway is one of the most digitalized countries, and digitalization has brought new ways of thinking and made the sector more effective. However, this also brings new challenges with new vulnerabilities and risks. All this has made a need for understanding and managing cyber-risk. This thesis investigates how the Norwegian financial sector handles the risk of losing personal information when drawing on cyber-attacks by performing a content analysis based on relevant documents and articles. Discussion and analysis of the dominant documents and articles contribute to achieving the thesis goal of answering the research question. We do this intending to generate awareness of the cyber-risk in the sector when it comes to handling personal information. Additionally, we aim to create an understanding and knowledge base of the topic to understand the development better and be capable of being resilient to this type of risk. The content analysis of cyber-risk and cyber-threat in this thesis reveals that the risk of losing personal information is in constant flux. The reason is compound, but the analysis shows that our main findings can summarize it; Implementation and enactment of complexity in existing material, Speedy development and an arduous environment, and Endorsement of robustness, relicense, and redundancy. We were especially boggled over the neglection of integrating complexity as a risk in both the current NIST-framework and the ISO27001 standard. Also, the rapid development of technology and different types of actors may force the sector to take measures, but the long value chains increase the complexity