Do Board's Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy and Orientation Influence Environmental Sustainability Disclosure? UK Evidence

The environmental implications of corporate economic activities have led to growing demands for firms and their boards to adopt sustainable strategies and to disseminate more useful information about their activities and impacts on environment. This paper investigates the impact of board’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy and orientation on the quantity and quality of environmental sustainability disclosure in UK listed firms. We find that effective board CSR strategy and CSR-oriented directors have a positive and significant impact on the quality of environmental sustainability disclosure, but not on the quantity. Our findings also suggest that the existence of a CSR committee and issuance of a stand-alone CSR report are positively and significantly related to environmental sustainability disclosure. When we distinguish between firms with high and low environmental risk, we find that the board CSR/sustainability practices that affect the quantity (quality) of environmental sustainability disclosure appear to be driven more by highly (lowly) environmentally sensitive firms. These results suggest that the board CSR/sustainability practices play an important role in ensuring a firm’s legitimacy and accountability towards stakeholders. Our findings shed new light on this under-researched area and could be of interest to companies, policy-makers and other stakeholders

Management of multidrug resistant Gram-negative bacilli infections in solid organ transplant recipients: SET/GESITRA-SEIMC/REIPI recommendations

Solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients are especially at risk of developing infections by multidrug resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacilli (GNB), as they are frequently exposed to antibiotics and the healthcare setting, and are regulary subject to invasive procedures. Nevertheless, no recommendations concerning prevention and treatment are available. A panel of experts revised the available evidence; this document summarizes their recommendations: (1) it is important to characterize the isolate´s phenotypic and genotypic resistance profile; (2) overall, donor colonization should not constitute a contraindication to transplantation, although active infected kidney and lung grafts should be avoided; (3) recipient colonization is associated with an increased risk of infection, but is not a contraindication to transplantation; (4) different surgical prophylaxis regimens are not recommended for patients colonized with carbapenem-resistant GNB; (5) timely detection of carriers, contact isolation precautions, hand hygiene compliance and antibiotic control policies are important preventive measures; (6) there is not sufficient data to recommend intestinal decolonization; (7) colonized lung transplant recipients could benefit from prophylactic inhaled antibiotics, specially for Pseudomonas aeruginosa; (8) colonized SOT recipients should receive an empirical treatment which includes active antibiotics, and directed therapy should be adjusted according to susceptibility study results and the severity of the infection.J.T.S. holds a research contract from the Fundación para la Formación e Investigación de los Profesionales de la Salud de Extremadura (FundeSalud), Instituto de Salud Carlos III. M.F.R. holds a clinical research contract “Juan Rodés” (JR14/00036) from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Instituto de Salud Carlos III

Factors Associated with Revision Surgery after Internal Fixation of Hip Fractures

Background: Femoral neck fractures are associated with high rates of revision surgery after management with internal fixation. Using data from the Fixation using Alternative Implants for the Treatment of Hip fractures (FAITH) trial evaluating methods of internal fixation in patients with femoral neck fractures, we investigated associations between baseline and surgical factors and the need for revision surgery to promote healing, relieve pain, treat infection or improve function over 24 months postsurgery. Additionally, we investigated factors associated with (1) hardware removal and (2) implant exchange from cancellous screws (CS) or sliding hip screw (SHS) to total hip arthroplasty, hemiarthroplasty, or another internal fixation device. Methods: We identified 15 potential factors a priori that may be associated with revision surgery, 7 with hardware removal, and 14 with implant exchange. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards analyses in our investigation. Results: Factors associated with increased risk of revision surgery included: female sex, [hazard ratio (HR) 1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25-2.50; P = 0.001], higher body mass index (fo

Language and territorialization: Food consumption and the creation of urban Indigenous space

In this paper we analyze two March 2010 events in Ottawa, Canada involving the preparation and consumption of seal-meat: one an Inuit seal feast, held at a Inuit community center, in which raw seal was carved and eaten in accordance with traditional Inuit practices; the other a “seal lunch”, held in the Parliamentary Dining Room for Members of Parliament, in support of the Canadian seal-hunt. Methodologically, we make use of both participatory action research and detailed textual analysis of media reports, and frame our analysis in terms of moral geographies, social and cultural values associated with food, and meaning-making systems embedded in discourses, which serve to construct and constitute particular power relations. Doing so leads us to claim that the two seal-meal events drew on and conveyed radically different meanings. The Inuit meal, though not overtly political, represented an act of food sovereignty and a claim to Inuit territoriality in the city. The Parliamentary seal lunch, by contrast, had a clear political aim, as a form of protest against the European Union decision to ban seal meat and other products. Yet, while purporting to support Inuit seal-hunting, the Parliamentary meal effectively communicated the utter foreignness of seal meat and Inuit foodways with respect to Western tastes and discourses about food and environmentalism—a fact that emerges through our ethnographic and media analysis of the two seal lunch events

Transportation and temp agency work: Risks and opportunities for migrant workers

Access to transportation has long been recognized as key to people’s employment outcomes. Being able to get to work affordably, safely and on time makes all the difference in terms of job security and satisfaction. Recently, the rise of temporary placement agencies, especially as a gateway into the labour market for many newcomers to Canada, raises new questions. In this article, we present the findings of a 3-year longitudinal study that followed 42 (im)migrant temp agency workers in 5 sectors to explore the trajectory of their experiences. We analyze the role of transportation within their employment and make the argument that access to transportation—and especially the lack of it—is an important factor in temp agencies’ control and exploitation of workers. At the same time, those seeking to help workers can look into their work commute as a place of intervention.L’accès au transport est depuis longtemps reconnu comme un élément-clé dans l’expérience du travail. Pouvoir se rendre au boulot à bon prix, à l’heure et de façon sécuritaire fait toute la différence en termes de sécurité d’emploi et de satisfaction au travail. L’augmentation récente du nombre d’agences de placement temporaire, en particulier comme porte d’entrée sur le marché du travail pour les nouveaux arrivants au pays, soulève de nouvelles questions. Nous présentons ici les résultats d’une étude longitudinale sur 3 ans au cours de laquelle nous avons suivi 42 travailleurs (im)migrants placés par de telles agences dans 5 secteurs d’emploi, afin d’explorer la trajectoire de leurs expériences. Nous analysons le rôle qu’a joué le transport dans leur emploi et soumettons que l’accès au transport – particulièrement le manque d’accès – constitue un facteur important dans le contrôle et l’exploitation des travailleurs par les agences. En même temps, nous suggérons que le transport vers le lieu de travail et retour peut s’avérer une cible opportune d’intervention pour ceux qui souhaitent aider les travailleurs.Se admite, desde hace mucho tiempo, que la accesibilidad al transporte es un elemento clave en la experiencia laboral. Poder llegar a la obra fácilmente, a tiempo y en seguridad asienta la diferencia entre la seguridad de empleo y la satisfacción en el trabajo. El incremento reciente de agencias de empleo temporario, particular puerta de entrada al mercado de trabajo para los recién llegados al país, crea nuevos problemas. Presentamos aquí los resultados de tres años de un estudio longitudinal, donde hemos seguido la trayectoria de 42 trabajadores (in)migrantes contratados por dichas agencias, en cinco sectores de empleo, con el fin de explorar sus experiencias. Analizamos el rol que tuvo el transporte en el empleo y sostenemos que la accesibilidad al transporte – particularmente la inaccesibilidad – constituye un factor importante en el control de la explotación de los trabajadores por las agencias. Así mismo, sugerimos que el transporte para ir, como para volver del lugar de trabajo podría ser una ocasión oportuna para intervenir, si se desea ayudarles