Parametric Manifolds II: Intrinsic Approach

A parametric manifold is a manifold on which all tensor fields depend on an additional parameter, such as time, together with a parametric structure, namely a given (parametric) 1-form field. Such a manifold admits natural generalizations of Lie differentiation, exterior differentiation, and covariant differentiation, all based on a nonstandard action of vector fields on functions. There is a new geometric object, called the deficiency, which behaves much like torsion, and which measures whether a parametric manifold can be viewed as a 1-parameter family of orthogonal hypersurfaces.Comment: Plain TeX, 13 pages, no figure

Connection, consumer, citizens - 27

Economics; European Unio

Building Sustainability: A Review Of Company Performance In The Commercial Real Estate And Property Sector

The commercial real estate and property sector is a vital part of the Australian economy. Compared to global peers, property companies in Australia and New Zealand are considered to be at the front of the pack in terms of acknowledging, measuring and managing Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) risks (also referred to as sustainability risks). This research report looks at performance of the sector, utilising several sustainability indicators developed by Catalyst Australia in 2013 to rate company reporting and performance. These cover gender equality, environmental impact, labour standards, supply chains, community investment and sustainability engagement. The results of this review are presented visually in the Catalyst Property Sector Sustainability Dashboard and discussed in this report

The Governance of Corporate Sustainability: Empirical Insights into the Development, Leadership and Implementation of Responsible Business Strategy

This article explores how corporate governance processes and structures are being used in large Australian companies to develop, lead and implement corporate responsibility strategies. It presents an empirical analysis of the governance of sustainability in fifty large listed companies based on each company's disclosures in annual and sustainability reports. We find that significant progress is being made by large listed Australian companies towards integrating sustainability into core business operations. There is evidence of leadership structures being put in place to ensure that board and senior management are involved in sustainability strategy development and are then incentivised to monitor and ensure implementation of that strategy through financial rewards. There is evidence of a willingness to engage and communicate clearly the results of these strategies to interested stakeholders. Overall, there appears to be a developing acceptance amongst large corporations that efforts towards improved corporate sustainability are not only expected but are of value to the business. We suggest that this is evidence of a managerial shift away from an orthodox shareholder primacy understanding of the corporation towards a more enlightened shareholder value approach, often encompassing a stakeholder-orientated view of business strategy. However, strong underlying tensions remain due to the insistent market emphasis on shareholder value. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

Governance Challenges for Not-for-Profit Organisations: Empirical Evidence in Support of A Contingency Approach

ABSTRACT: This article presents evidence of the governance challenges faced by Australian not-for-profit (NFP) organisations. We find a key challenge for NFPs is recruiting individuals with appropriate skills, as directors are volunteers often elected by the membership and frequently lack relevant experience. Another issue is balancing the needs of a diverse constituency with competing demands. We find that the often proposed solution to this challenge – stakeholder representation on boards – can further hinder the recruitment of suitable directors and create tensions detrimental to board effectiveness. We argue to shift focus away from normative governance models towards a contingency approach and posit a role for a national NFP sector regulator in assisting to develop appropriate governance systems according to contextual factors