BOOK REVIEW: Stuart Smyth, Peter W.B. Phillips, William A. Kerr, and George G. Khachatourians. Regulating the Liabilities of Agricultural Biotechnology.

Agribusiness,

Business Process Risk Management, Compliance and Internal Control: A Research Agenda

Integration of risk management and management control is emerging as an important area in the wake of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and with ongoing development of frameworks such as the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) framework from the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Based on an inductive methodological approach using literature review and interviews with managers engaged in risk management and internal control projects, this paper identifies three main areas that currently have management attention. These are business process risk management, compliance management and internal control development. This paper discusses these areas and identifies a series of research questions regarding these critical issuesRisk management; Internal control; Business processes; Compliance; Sarbanes-Oxley Act; ERP systems; COSO; COBIT

Can the Internet Be a Human Right?

A review of: Human Rights and the Internet edited by Steven Hick, Edward F. Halpin, and Eric Hoskins. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2000. 276pp

Physical Activity Levels and Health of Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township

This study focuses on reporting the occupational, household, transportation and leisure time physical activity of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township. This study also focuses on health measures and the presence of chronic disease and how they are affected by physical activity, risk factors, and other health related measures. An interview-administered questionnaire, developed by the CDC, was given to participants age 25-44 years old, with one small change. The original Intertribal Heart Project (ITHP) questionnaire used a shortened version of the WHO’s Monica Optional Study of Physical Activity (MOSPA), in order to reduce the time it takes to administer the questionnaire. However, since the results were “less than optimal” because of this, we decided to use the MOSPA questionnaire in its entirety. Interviews were conducted primarily at the Passamaquoddy Health Center or at the participant’s home. Participants who used “diet and exercise” to control their weight were 1.6 times as likely to rate their health as excellent, very good, or good, compared to participants who did not use “diet nor exercise”. Also, there was a negative correlational relationship between current smokers and high blood pressure. No correlational relationship was found between genders and participating in no leisure time physical activity (no-LTPA), most likely because of a low number of participants. However, more women than men participated in no-LTPA. And weight lifting was the most reported on LTPA for all participants. Compared to the general population in the United States, the Passamaquoddy Tribe participates in far less leisure time physical activity. Leisure time physical activity is associated with the most health benefits. Only 8.3% of participants, age 25-44, met American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommendations on a weekly basis all year round compared to 27.7% of the adults in the United States. Occupational and Household activity levels were relatively high; this is consistent with other AI groups around the country. For example, 83.3% of participants did at least 30 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous household chores

Assessing what are the optimum years of experience for highly effective recruit mentors in the Chesapeake Fire Department

The Chesapeake Fire Department will experience an unprecedented rate of retirements that will include a large number of senior firefighters and officers. The exodus of personnel will result in the loss of valuable experience. As a result Chesapeake Fire Department started a mentor program in 1999 between senior firefighters, and recruit firefighters. Recruit firefighters have been assigned a senior firefighter mentor for the duration of their 18-month probation period that occurs after graduation from the recruit academy. There has been no evaluation to determine optimum number of years experience required for a highly effective recruit mentor. The question was operationalized in a survey of recruits. They were asked how satisfied they were with their mentors and whether their mentors demonstrated perceived knowledge? Survey respondents reported the recruits surveyed were highly satisfied with their mentors and their perceived knowledge, however, no clear optimum age was revealed