Blurring boundaries : the role of sustainability reporting as a boundary object in FMCG supply chains

Purpose: The sustainability impacts of supply chain practices have become a topic of contention, and customers are demanding more information on the sustainable performance of corporate entities. Sustainability reporting has emerged in response to these concerns as a method to showcase the sustainability performance a company’s supply chain to relevant stakeholders. However, research on the topic is still limited in scope, with most studies carried out from a business standpoint, and not from a holistic perspective. This thesis aims to fill this knowledge gap by assessing the potential role of sustainability reports as boundary objects between supply chain stakeholders. The study reviewed the sustainability reports of a set of fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies. Methodology: The methodology for this thesis consisted of three different sections. A quantitative review of past literature was used to identify gaps in previous research. The content of the reports was assessed using a directed content analysis, which was based on previous theory on sustainable supply chains. Finally, a database search was used to determine the level of disclosure of each company, focusing on adherence to reporting standards and external assurance of the reports. Results: The results showed that there is a gap in theoretical knowledge regarding supply chains and sustainability reporting, with little research existing on the role of sustainability reports as boundary objects. The content of all reports consistently emphasized the environmental dimension of sustainability, but results varied in regards to the economic and social dimensions as well as in the use of performance indicators to address sustainability; with the economic dimension being the least considered by a large margin. The level of disclosure of the reports also varied, as some companies ensured the validity of their reports by seeking external assurance on their adherence to the reporting guidelines, while others presented a less rigorous approach. Discussion/Contribution: It was concluded that there is a demand for these reports, and thus potential gain for the business, but for them to serve as effective boundary objects they must offer a transparent and comprehensive view of the companies’ sustainability performance that reflects the needs of all stakeholders. A framework was proposed to improve the reporting process, which emphasizes integration of stakeholders into the reporting process and external assurance. Sustainability reporting presents great potential in blurring boundaries between the stakeholders of the supply chains of FMCG companies. However, that potential is yet to be fully developed

Politics, violence and totalitarianism. Hannah Arendt in the mirror

Este artículo, tomando como referencia la obra Los orígenes del totalitarismo, de H. Arendt, reflexiona sobre la política, situándola entre el poder y la violencia. Para ello, analiza el concepto de poder, y, partiendo de las premisas desarrolladas por autores como Weber, Jouvenal o Sorel, rastrea los mecanismos del totalitarismo para buscar un antídoto capaz de prevenirnos del virus totalitario. Como consecuencia de ello, retomando el pensamiento de Arendt, sitúa la violencia frente a la política, y distingue la liberación de la libertad, situando en la fundación de esta última la premisa ineludible para la construcción de la democracia.This article draws on the book by The Origins of Totalitarianism (H. Arendt) and reflects on politics, placing it between power and violence. It also discusses the concept of power, and, based on assumptions developed by authors such as Weber, Jouvenal or Sorel, we analyze the traces of the mechanisms of totalitarianism to find an antidote to prevent the totalitarian virus. As a result, following Arendt's thought, the article contrasts the violence and politics, and, distinguishing the release of freedom, believes that the foundation of freedom is the indispensable premise for the construction of democracy

Mean waiting time in the M/H2/s queue: application to mobile communications Systems

In this paper a procedure to approximately calculate the mean waiting time in the M/H2/s queue is presented. The approximation is heuristic although based in the intuitive symmetry between the deterministic and balanced hyperexponential-2 distributions. The three parameters which fully describe the H2 distribution are considered, so the approximation can also be used for the M/G/s queue when the first three moments are known. If only the first two moments of the holding time distribution are known, the estimation can also be applied accepting a lesser accuracy. The estimation proposed is a closed formula extremely easy to compute and the results are very accurate. This features makes it helpful in the design of mobile telecommunication systems with more than one channel and queueing allowed (like trunking Private Mobile Radio PMR systems), where holding time distributions with coefficients of variation higher than one may appear. As a second stage, the possibility of calls owning a certain level of priority is studied. Two service classes are considered according to a non-preemtive priority scheme (also known as Head Of the Line or HOL). This priority feature is often required in mobile telecommunications systems to improve the access delay of some special calls by degrading the delay suffered by the rest. If the proportion of calls owning priority is kept low, the degradation is shared by many calls and then kept small. In this paper a procedure to estimate the mean waiting time in queue for each priority class is presented. This procedure is also very easy to compute. The environment for which the results of this paper are intended suggests medium or heavy overall load and light priority load (priority proportion is kept low). This is the situation under which the accuracy of the proposed method is checked. Although simulations are necessary in the final phase of the design, the procedure presented here is helpful as a first quick insight into the system performance.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Worker persistence, hiring policies, and the Depression in the aluminum sector: the Saguenay region Quebec, 1925-1940

This article examines changes in some demographic characteristics of the workforce at the Alcan plant in Arvida, Québec, from 1925 to 1939, and links those changes to the reduction in turnover rates observed during the same period. The transformation of the workforce is seen as evidence of greater selectivity in hiring by the employer and of choices made by workers. Cet article traite de l'évolution de certaines caractéristiques démographiques des travailleurs des usines Alcan à Arvida, au Québec, de 1925 à 1939, reliant les changements observés a cet égard à la diminution du taux de roulement de la main-d'œuvre. Ce dernier phénomène témoigne à la fois de la réorientation de la politique d'embauche de l'entreprise et des choix des travailleurs

Republicanismo político y ciudadanía social

Este artículo centra su reflexión sobre los derechos sociales en el Estado de Bienestar, y plantea la pregunta de si su protección es indispensable para posibilitar la autonomía del ciudadano. Así, partiendo de que la exclusión del acceso efectivo a ciertThis article focuses on social rights within the Welfare State, and raises the question whether their protection is essential to allow citizen autonomy. Thus, assuming that the exclusion of effective access to certain basic services implies a reduction o

Debate en torno al multiculturalismo. Ciudadanía y pluralidad cultural

El multiculturalismo la convivencia en el mismo espacio social de distintos grupos provenientes de diferentes culturas cuando se aplica en las sociedades contemporáneas suele dar lugar a una serie de dificultades, en ocasiones problemáticas. El multicultuThe multiculturalism, the cohabitation in the same social scope of diverse groups coming from different cultures, when transferred to practise in contemporary societies use to generate a range of diffi culties, sometimes troubled. The multiculturalism cr

El universo identitario de Esteban de Garibay y Zamalloa

En este artículo se analiza la época y el universo identitario de Esteban de Garibay y Zamalloa (1553- 1600), cronista de Felipe II, que defiende la teoría del tubalismo para tratar de conectar el origen de los españoles con el personaje bíblico de Tubal. Según esta teoría, Tubal se asentaría en España, y lo que caracteriza a diversos autores vascos del XVI es que defienden que la entrada y primer asentamiento de Tubal fue en las montañas cantábricas. En este sentido, los autores vascos del siglo XVI como Zaldibia, Poza o Garibay, no se limitan a sumarse al tubalismo, sino que tienen especial interés en identificar el mundo cantábrico con el primer asentamiento de Tubal. El trabajo analiza esta posición identitaria, y se centra en Garibay, quien reiteradamente insiste en la “primigeneidad” de los vascos respecto a los otros pueblos de España, es decir, que son los españoles más originarios. Y en este sentido quiero reseñar la propia la condición de vasco de la que Garibay hace gala, que no es sino la forma más genuina y significativa de la autoctonía español