Investing in Hospitality Operations in the People\u27s Republic of China: The Legal Framework

In the late 1970s, the People\u27s Republic of China announced its Open Door Policy. After being closed to the outside world for decades, the Western world was not certain what to make of this turnaround. The author looks at a number of questions: Was China sincere in its statements that it wanted foreign investment on its soil? Was it willing to provide the economic and legal framework within which foreign investors could feel secure about placing their investment dollars? What concerns or issues still remain with regard to such investment decisions today

Lender Liability: The Legal and Management Effects on the Hospitality Industry

With the savings and loan crisis and the tail end of a recession at hand, the \u2790s are bound to be a difficult decade for the financing of hospitality operations through borrowing from commercial lenders. The authors discuss one of the least known dangers associated with borrowing, lender liability. The issue is discussed from both a legal and managerial perspective

Reincarnation, Goodbye: 1992

Constance Urdang is the author of a number of books, including Alternative Lives, poems (Pittsburgh), and The Woman Who Reads Novels and Peacetime, novellas (Coffee House Press). She lives in St. Louis

Alternative Lives; Benjamin Robert Haydon (1786-1846) and the Two Blue Glasses

Constance Urdang\u27s most recent book of poems is Only the World. The University of Pittsburgh Press will bring out her new and selected poems in 1986. She teaches at Washington University in St. Louis and was a visiting lecturer at Princeton in 1985

An assessment of the environmental sustainability guidelines and requirements set by international stock exchanges

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. Johannesburg, 5 June 2017.Environmental reporting is largely voluntary for companies, unlike financial reporting which has well set standards for measurement, reporting, auditing and governing laws based on IFRS and GAAP. A driver such as a stock exchange is able to act as a “regulating body” that requires a minimum reporting standard for companies listed on the stock exchange. Stock exchanges have an ethical responsibility to encourage companies listed with them to be environmental stewards to provide investors with responsible investment opportunities. This study provides an understanding of the quality of environmental guidelines presented by international stock exchanges compared to key global environmental concerns. The aim of this dissertation was to assess and compare sustainability guidelines provided by selected stock exchanges, with specific focus on key global environmental concerns. The objectives were (1) to assess the existing environmental reporting requirements of 19 stock exchanges across all continents, (2) to determine how the JSE environmental reporting guidelines compared to those of other stock exchanges, (3) to compare 20 JSE listed companies’ environmental reports based on the presence and quality of data, (4) to compare what companies reported to what the JSE required and (5) to identify possible differences in reporting between the impact levels and industries of companies. A Sustainability Balanced Scorecard (SBSC) was developed by identifying seven key global environmental concerns (resources; biodiversity; water; energy; emissions, pollution and waste; products and services; and supply chain management) that were common themes from the MEA (2005) and UNEP Ecosystem Management policy (2010). A five tier scoring system specific to assessing reporting guidelines and another five tier scoring system specific to assessing company environmental reports were used. Nineteen stock exchange guidelines were assessed to represent both developing and developed countries and all regions (Africa, America, Australasia and Europe). Overall, the stock exchange guidelines addressed the key global environmental concerns rather poorly. There were no differences in the quality of guidelines for stock exchanges that recommended guidelines in developing or developed countries. There were no differences found in the guidelines of stock exchanges operating in different regions. There were differences in the focus on key global environmental concerns by the guidelines. The environmental information reported by twenty companies spanning three impact levels and seven industries was also assessed. The companies in the high and medium impact levels iv reported similarly and better than the companies in the low impact levels. There were differences found in the way companies reported according to the different industries as well as differences in the way companies addressed the key global environmental concerns. Even though the JSE’s developed guidelines did not account for resources and biodiversity, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) reporting guidelines that the JSE recommended to their listed companies covered these categories. Companies reported voluntarily on the categories because they may understand the importance of managing resources and biodiversity for the sustainability of their business. Stock exchanges are faced with a variety of companies at different impact levels representing different industries, making it difficult to provide a minimum set of environmental reporting guidelines. Stock exchanges should require companies to report on all key global environmental concerns identified in this study, but should not dictate how the companies report on them. Global environmental reporting standards may be better suited with a global sustainability body like the Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB) that is able to provide global standards for all companies. Companies need to change the way that they do business, the benefits of reporting on environmental performance outweigh the risks of not reporting and managing these impacts. Sustainability reporting and best practise today may be the compliance of the future. Stakeholders are increasingly expecting companies to contribute more to environmental sustainability. Companies are essential in building a resilient planet that will be able to feed a growing population that will increase from seven to nine billion people by 2050. Key words: Environmental Sustainability; Johannesburg Stock Exchange; Millennium Ecosystem Assessment; Sustainability Balanced Score Card Approach; United Nations Environment Programme Ecosystem Management PolicyGR201

Learning and development journeys towards effective communications with children

There are continuing concerns about the quality of social workers' communication and engagement with children. This has led to a focus in England on whether qualifying courses prepare students sufficiently for practice. Although research has uncovered the capabilities social workers need to engage and communicate effectively with children, there has continued to be limited evidence in relation to which pedagogical approaches might best enable students to develop capability. This paper attempts to address some of this deficit by reporting in-depth case study findings from a larger longitudinal study into the factors that supported a cohort of students in England in learning to communicate with children. Case analyses are presented in respect of two participants whose learning journeys were emblematic of many in the cohort. Their trajectories draw attention to the significant role that pre-course experience with children can play in the development of students' self-efficacy and in providing a rich source of experiential learning that can be built upon. Suggestions are made for how qualifying courses might provide alternative experiential learning opportunities, including role play, child observation and opportunities for reflection on pre-course experience with adults to help students establish the transferability of their learning

On the discovery of tetrapod trackways from Permo-Carboniferous redbeds of Prince Edward Island and their biostratigraphic significance

The first fossil tetrapod footprints that were discovered on Prince Edward Island, and which were previously undescribed, are small reptilian trackways assignable to the ichnogenera Notalacerta andGilmoreichnus. Their closest zoological correlatives are small, Permo-Carboniferous "stem-reptiles" of the families Protorothyrididae and Captorhinidae in the suborder Captorhinomorpha, and pelycosauran reptiles, possibly of the Ophiacodontidae. Reptiles of this type are rare to unrepresented in the skeletal fauna of the province. The biochronology of the track-bearing bed, combined with terrestrial vertebrate, palynological and macrofloral records, suggest that the host Pictou Group redbeds on Prince Edward Island young from late Stephanian (Pennsylvanian) at Malpeque Bay to early Permian in the north. The combined discoveries of tetrapod footprints and trackways from these Permo-Carboniferous redbeds suggests that the record is potentially extensive. Now included in this record is the youngest known occurrence of the ichno-genus Notalacerta. RÉSUMÉ Les premières empreintes de fossiles de tétrapodes découvertes sur l'Île-du-Prince-Édouard, et précédemment non décrites, sont des traces d'un petit reptile qu'on peut rattacher aux ichnogenres Notalacerta et Gilmoreichnus. Leurs parents géologiques les plus proches sont les petits " reptiles-tiges » permocarbonifères des familles des protorothyridides et des captorhinides du sous-ordre des captorhinomorphes, ainsi que les reptiles pélicosauriens, possiblement les ophiacodontides. Les reptiles de ce type sont rares sinon absents au sein de la faune squelettique de la province. La biochronologie des strates renfermant des traces conjuguée aux relevés de vertébrés terrestres et aux relevés palynologiques et macrofloraux laisse supposer que les couches rouges hôtes du groupe de Pictou, sur l'Île-du-Prince-Édouard, remontent à la période du Stéphanien tardif (Pennsylvanien), dans la baie Malpeque, au Permien précoce, dans le nord. Les découvertes combinées d'empreintes et de traces de tétrapodes des couches rouges permocarbonifères semblent indiquer que la quantité d'enregistrements pourrait être vaste. Ces enregistrements comprennent désormais la manifestation la plus récente connue de l'ichnogenre Notalacerta [Traduit par la rédaction.

Hidden talents : identifying the knowledge, skills and resources of our employees

The goal of this paper is to develop a process to identify "hidden talents," those unknown employee knowledge, skills and resources and design a plan to share the information regarding these untapped resources that exist within the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services by the end of December, 2001

Doing politics in the recent Arab uprisings: Towards a political discourse analysis of the Arab Spring slogans

The present paper aims to analyse a number of those slogans collected from the sit-in quarters in Egypt, Libya and Yemen. Using political discourse analysis, it unravels various typical discourse structures and strategies that are used in slogans in the construction of a sub-genre of political discourse in the Arab world. Drawing data from several mediums, including banners, wall graffiti, audio-visual instruments, chanting, speeches and songs, this paper tries to show the extent to which the slogans serve as a medium by which political complaints and comments are dispensed and consumed. This paper draws on a rhetorical analysis to find out their persuasive effect on shaping the Arab intellect and on the change of the political atmosphere in the region. Lastly, this paper attempts to show to what extent the slogans meet the standards of political discourse and whether they can be considered as a sub-genre of political discourse or not.IS

Tattoos and Piercings: A Review for the Emergency Physician

Tattoos and piercings are increasingly part of everyday life for large sections of the population, and more emergency physicians are seeing these body modifications (BM) adorn their patients. In this review we elucidate the most common forms of these BMs, we describe how they may affect both the physical and psychological health of the patient undergoing treatment, and also try to educate around any potential pitfalls in treating associated complications