313. Socially Responsible Investing: Green for the Planet and Your Wallet

This study analyzed whether or not investment in socially responsible companies generated abnormal returns in comparison to the S&P 500. An Environmental, Social, and Governance Index consisting of 33 companies was created based on four different ESG rating agencies. In order to perform a meaningful comparison between said ESG Index and the S&P benchmark, the researcher used Eventus software to conduct an event study. Eventus analyzed stock price data of ESG and S&P companies at a specific point in time over a period of five years. It was determined that the ESG companies performed significantly stronger in comparison to the S&P in a bullish market. There are many economic factors that impact stock prices which cannot be held constant. However, in order to mitigate some market volatility, the researcher chose a five- year period ranging from 2013 which is well after the recovery from the Great Recession to 2017, before the most recent market downturns. This leaves room for future research in less favorable economic conditions to determine if companies continue investing in their ESG initiatives during a recession, as it becomes more costly to be ethical, and if investor attitudes and priorities shift during a downward economic trajectory

Euro, subject or instrument of marketing

Euro is the most concrete realization of the European construction and, also, the most discussed one, in academic or political circles. Controversy or pride, euro debate is far to be done, even if it is already a reality. We shall try to analyze, in this paper, euro in relationship with sovereignty, national identity, in order to draw the fundamental lines of the unique money as a tool or a fundamental background, in Romanian's marketing context.euro; marketing; national identity; sovereignty.

”Eye tracking” the method and psychology of consumer behaviour on the market

Niniejsza publikacja przedstawia rolę, jaką odgrywa nowoczesna metoda „Eye tracking” w psychologii zachowań konsumenta na rynku. Metoda ta jest szczególnie wykorzystywana w medycynie i psychologii. W ostatnich latach znalazła ona również szerokie zastosowanie w naukach ekonomicznych, szczególnie w marketingu.This publication presents the role which the modern method called "Eye tracking" plays in the psychology of consumer behaviour on the market. This method is particularly used in medicine and psychology. In recent years, it has been also widely used in economic sciences, especially in marketing

Value of Caesarian Section in HIV-Positive Women

The international main goal is to reduce mother-to-child HIV transmission. The appropriate birth delivery for seropositive woman has been analyzed since the beginning of the twenty-first century. Although at the beginning of HIV pandemic delivery by caesarian section (C-section) was considered mandatory in many studies and meta-analyses, recent information reveal limited benefits. Mother-to-child transmission is higher when mothers are diagnosed late during pregnancy, in advanced stages with a high HIV viral load, and labor with membranes ruptured for more than 4 h, especially when the antiretroviral treatment is not respected. During vaginal delivery, the risk of HIV transmitting to infant is due to microtransfusions during uterine contractions or by newborn exposure to cervicovaginal secretions or blood. Although the indication of C-section in HIV-positive women is controversial, there are some situations in which C-section remains mandatory. In mothers diagnosed late during pregnancy, in situation in which HIV viral load is not affordable in real time in the last trimester of pregnancy, and in mothers with poor adherence to antiretroviral treatment, C-section remains one of the most important measures of prevention for HIV mother-to-child transmission

Drinking water quality as a health factor of meat processing workers

Introduction. Drinking water quality is a key issue due to the impact of chemical and microbiological parameters on the population health, and, in particular, on the health of employees of meat, poultry and egg safety branch (MPES). MPEs must be provided with a sufficient amount of water of a guaranteed quality for technological, hygienic and drinking water needs and comply with the Law no. 182 of 19.12.2019 on drinking water quality. The adverse effects of chemical or microbiological indicators of the water quite vary and depend not only on the biological characteristics of the human body, but also on the values and the period of action. Material and methods. The purpose of the study was to assess the laboratory test findings of drinking water quality from the MPEs during 2018-2021. Results. Currently, the drinking water for the four studied MPEs (Anenii Noi district – no. 1 and 4, Soroca – no. 2, and Bălți – no. 3) is provided from their own wells, thus not supplying drinking water to the population of the above-mentioned localities. The evaluation of the laboratory results of the water quality from the MPEs showed that the underground sources under study revealed various values of the chemical indicators. The average concentrations of iron content found in the sample from MPE no.4 ranged between 0.3±0.2 mg/L, compared to 0.2±0.03 mg/Lin the sample from MPE nr.1. At the same time, while comparing the mean iron content in water from MPE no. 1, it was 2 times higher compared to MPE no. 2(95%, CI – 0.1-0.05; p=0.0008). At the same time, there was an excess of iron concentration at MPE no.4, viz. about 3 times higher compared to MPE no.2 or (95%, CI – 0.4-0.008; p=0.05). The ammonium content in water exceeded the maximum permissible limits in MPE no. 2 and MPE no.4, being of 0.46±0.04 mg/Land 1.6±1.5 mg/L, respectively. While comparing the mean values of the ammonium concentration between these MPEs, MPE no. 4 exceeded the average ammonium concentration by 3.5 times compared to MPE no. 2 (95%, CI – 2.6-0.4; p=0.12).The values of hydrogen sulfide were as following: at MPE no. 1–146.4±106.6 mg/L, MPE no. 2 – 97.6±2.1 mg/L, MPE no.3 –96.6±2.7mg/Land MPE no.4 – 96.4±3.4 mg/L. While comparing the mean values of hydrogen sulfide concentration, a 1.5-time fold increase was found at MPE no.1 compared to the enterprise no.4 (95%, CI –159.9-59.9; p=0.3). Higher values of iron, ammonium and hydrogen sulphide content in the water from the wells of the studied meat processing enterprises did not affect the health status of the workers, thus no health manifestations were attested and hence the employees did not seek medical care. Conclusions. The results of the study of the water quality from the wells of the meat processing enterprises showed that the average values of the iron content were 3 times higher at the MPE no.4 compared to MPE no.2, while the ammonium content was 3.5 times higher compared to the same MPE no. 2, and the concentration of hydrogen sulfide at MPE no.1 was 1.5 times higher compared to MPE no.4. Multi-sectoral coordination, including the involvement of economic operators, are needed to ensure the meat processing enterprises with drinking quality water

Marka jako ważny element marketingu

In highly competitive markets and fast changing business landscapes a strong brand allows a business to float and navigate stormy waters. Strong, high equity brand communicates values of quality, positive association, customer loyalty and mutual trust. Having a strong brand is important in markets with competitors offering similar products at similar prices. Brand equity comprises several financial and marketing factors that determine brand equity and its share in the process of adding to the overall business and customer equity.W warunkach zmiennego i konkurencyjnego rynku posiadanie przez przedsiębiorstwo silnej marki umożliwia osiągnięcie i utrzymanie przewagi konkurencyjnej. Silną markę, o wysokim kapitale, wyróżnia lojalność wobec marki, świadomość i pozytywne skojarzenia związane z marką oraz postrzegana jakość. Posiadanie przez przedsiębiorstwo silnej marki jest szczególnie istotne w sytuacji, gdy uczestnicy rynku oferują podobne produkty o zbliżonych cechach. Kapitał marki obejmuje czynniki wpływające na wartość marki i jej udział w tworzeniu wartości. Rozpatrywany jest on z finansowego i marketingowego punktu widzenia. Wysoki kapitał marki przynosi wymierne korzyści przedsiębiorstwu i klientowi i stanowi dla nich wartość

Tailoring CSR Strategy to Company Size?

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is one of the most debated topics in the academic and professional business literature, being analyzed in a myriad of perspectives, from philosophy, to marketing, management practice, managerial strategies or financial impact. The very term of CSR implies that involving with society in a structural way that is part of a business DNA is or should be understood as a characteristic of big size companies (e.g. ‘corporations’). Academic literature and financial reports show a direct relationship between a company size and its CSR budget, therefore some conclusions have been taken that CSR is effective mostly in cases of big budgets and, consequently, of big companies. Academic research also tends to favor large corporations. Most of the literature on CSR is dedicated to large companies. Nevertheless, in the past decade, increasingly more studies have investigated the social responsibility assumed by other types of companies (such as SMEs), by public institutions or by nonprofit organizations. Our present empirical analysis based on structured academic literature review (comprehensive selection of relevant international papers and content analysis) demonstrates that CSR should go beyond the classical understanding of the ‘corporation’ concept and that it should be tailored to SMEs as well. Innovation and top management support are the drivers of effective CSR adoption by SMEs, for positive results meeting specific business model requirements, as well as for society. Going beyond social responsibility as a philosophical duty, correctly tailored CSR strategies can be efficient for small and medium enterprises in meeting strategic business objectives.

Investigations on the Luminescence Properties of Quartz and Feldspars Extracted from Loess in the Canterbury Plains, New Zealand South Island

The applicability of the single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) protocol, by using the optically stimulated lumi-nescence (OSL) signal of quartz as well as the post-infrared–infrared (pIRIR) signals of polymineral fine grains, namely pIRIR225 and pIRIR290, was assessed for dating loess in New Zealand South Island. OSL signals of quartz grains displayed low sensitivity. However, the application of repeated irradiation/bleaching cycles did not result in an increase in sensitivity; annealing in the 300–500°C temperature range generated the sensitisation of both the 110°C thermoluminescence (TL) peak as well as the OSL signal, likely by activation of yet unidentified luminescence centres. After heating, the quartz signal is comparable to that of ideal samples, but the annealing is precluding successful dating. On the other hand, feldspar infrared-stimulated signals displayed satisfactory properties, al-lowing estimation of ages ranging from 14 ± 1–29 ± 3 ka for the investigated deposit. It was shown that pIRIR225 and pIRIR290 methods have potential for dating loess in the South Island of New Zealand, based on the following observations: (i) Dose recovery tests were successful with recovered-to-given dose ratios with a <10% deviation from unity, (ii) constant residual values of about 4 Gy and about 10 Gy were obtained after exposures for 48 h in the case of pIRIR225 signals and 96 h in the case of pIRIR290 signals, respectively, (iii) while a slight dose-dependence of the residual was reported, and for a dose as large as 1600 Gy the residual values are ≅9 Gy and ≅19 Gy for pIRIR225 and pIRIR290 signals, respectively