The Modern Corporation Statement on Accounting

A number of regulatory initiatives on the national, international and EU levels both foster and fortify the principle of Maximizing Shareholder Value (MSV) in corporate governance. This tendency can be clearly seen in such areas as financial accounting standards and various soft and hard law initiatives pertaining to corporate governance that have flourished in recent decades. These have created a new type of accountability for managers of listed corporations as will be exemplified below. One of the most important regulatory changes over this period was when the EU opted for International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as a basis for financial reporting for the accounts of all listed, EU-based corporations in 2005. These accounting standards, amounting to quasi legislation, are issued by a private sector body – the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). Other important regulatory changes include the various national ‘corporate governance codes’ that have mushroomed since the early 1990s. Although such codes pertain to member states, the EU remains the main body prescribing most new hard-law corporate governance regulation within the union, for example, by means of the 13 company law directives issued so far

Home care in Europe: a systematic literature review

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Health and social services provided at home are becoming increasingly important. Hence, there is a need for information on home care in Europe. The objective of this literature review was to respond to this need by systematically describing what has been reported on home care in Europe in the scientific literature over the past decade.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A systematic literature search was performed for papers on home care published in English, using the following data bases: Cinahl, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts, Social Services Abstracts, and Social Care Online. Studies were only included if they complied with the definition of home care, were published between January 1998 and October 2009, and dealt with at least one of the 31 specified countries. Clinical interventions, instrument developments, local projects and reviews were excluded. The data extracted included: the characteristics of the study and aspects of home care 'policy & regulation', 'financing', 'organisation & service delivery', and 'clients & informal carers'.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Seventy-four out of 5,133 potentially relevant studies met the inclusion criteria, providing information on 18 countries. Many focused on the characteristics of home care recipients and on the organisation of home care. Geographical inequalities, market forces, quality and integration of services were also among the issues frequently discussed.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Home care systems appeared to differ both between and within countries. The papers included, however, provided only a limited picture of home care. Many studies only focused on one aspect of the home care system and international comparative studies were rare. Furthermore, little information emerged on home care financing and on home care in general in Eastern Europe. This review clearly shows the need for more scientific publications on home care, especially studies comparing countries. A comprehensive and more complete insight into the state of home care in Europe requires the gathering of information using a uniform framework and methodology.</p

Corporate governance for sustainability : Statement

The current model of corporate governance needs reform. There is mounting evidence that the practices of shareholder primacy drive company directors and executives to adopt the same short time horizon as financial markets. Pressure to meet the demands of the financial markets drives stock buybacks, excessive dividends and a failure to invest in productive capabilities. The result is a ‘tragedy of the horizon’, with corporations and their shareholders failing to consider environmental, social or even their own, long-term, economic sustainability. With less than a decade left to address the threat of climate change, and with consensus emerging that businesses need to be held accountable for their contribution, it is time to act and reform corporate governance in the EU. The statement puts forward specific recommendations to clarify the obligations of company boards and directors and make corporate governance practice significantly more sustainable and focused on the long term

Corporate Governance for Sustainability

The current model of corporate governance needs reform. There is mounting evidence that the practices of shareholder primacy drive company directors and executives to adopt the same short time horizon as financial markets. Pressure to meet the demands of the financial markets drives stock buybacks, excessive dividends and a failure to invest in productive capabilities. The result is a ‘tragedy of the horizon’, with corporations and their shareholders failing to consider environmental, social or even their own, long-term, economic sustainability. With less than a decade left to address the threat of climate change, and with consensus emerging that businesses need to be held accountable for their contribution, it is time to act and reform corporate governance in the EU. The statement puts forward specific recommendations to clarify the obligations of company boards and directors and make corporate governance practice significantly more sustainable and focused on the long term

‘I don’t want to go back into the closet just because I need care’: recognition of older LGBTQ adults in relation to future care needs

There is increasing awareness in research about the social service needs of older LGBTQ adults. However, there are few studies that deal with differences in this community regarding elder care services. As a rule, transgender individuals are not included in these studies. This study focuses on how older Swedish LGBTQ adults reason about openness in an elder care context concerning their future needs for services and adopts Nancy Fraser’s theoretical framework of recognition. The material consists of fifteen semi-structured interviews with older LGBTQ adults. The results indicate that the main concern for older LGBTQ individuals is being accepted for their preferred sexual orientation and/or gender identity in elder care. However, there were differences regarding that concern in this LGBTQ group. There were also a variety of approaches in the group as to preferences for equal versus special treatment with respect to their LGBTQ identity. In addition, there were differences as to whether they prefer to live in LGBTQ housing or not. The findings contribute to existing knowledge by highlighting the diverse views on elder care services in both this group of interviewees and its subgroups. These findings emphasise the importance of the social work practice recognising different preferences and having an accepting approach. The results can further provide guidance on how to design elder care services for older LGBTQ adults