Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is on a Sustainable Trajectory

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is here to stay in its present or slightly modified format. CSR has been stable and growing since the 1960s. CSR has been defined in a multitude of ways over the years. In my ownframework, CSR is defined broadly to encompass the economic, legal, ethical andphilanthropic expectations placed on businesses by society. CSR’s progress in the 2000s may appear to be moderate in light of pressing economic pressures, but it also is contending with competing and complimentary frameworks and socially conscious nomenclature.

Some of the alternative concepts embracing CSR include corporate citizenship, corporate stewardship, business ethics, stakeholder management, conscious capitalism, creating shared value, and sustainability. These concepts represent the principal variations of CSR striving for worldwideattention and adoption. These frameworks are all interrelated and overlapping and are integral to some facet of CSR. Though there are slight nuances in the differing language of each, at heart they are all focusing on business firms helping to improve society and stakeholders while at the same time sustaining their own profitability.

An Analysis of Hominin Cranial Capacity Data Using Simulations

The hominin cranial capacity data was reanalyzed using simulations, which emulated the variability in the estimation of cranial capacity of hominin skulls. First, the data was explored using k-means clustering to establish the presence of two groups in the data. The groups werefurther confirmed by using Hamming distance on the simulated cluster outcomes. Then, the resulting two datasets arising from two groups were used to estimate the confidence limits for the parameter estimates of Henneberg’s double exponential model. 

Through these parameter estimates and their confidence limits it could be seen that two models for two time spans identified by cluster analysis were better than a single model for the full span of time, which the previous authors considered to be the best option. From an analyticalperspective, there are indications for a structural change in cranial capacitygrowth, which is expressed as a rapid increase after a slow growth period. This structural change scenario does not support the rejection of the concept of punctuated equilibrium on the basis of a gradual change based on the double exponential model.

Nico Carpentier (2011) Media and Participation-A site of ideologicaldemocratic struggle, Intellect: Bristol

This book is composed out of two parts. In the first one, citizens’ participation is discussed in the light of most interesting social theories by author’s choice. Therefore this part represents aninterdisciplinary background overview. As such, it is unavoidably focused on a reduced list of theoretical approaches. Carpetier analyzes participation in frameworks of: spatial planning, social development, arts and museums and communication. 

There is no explanation why these and not others – such as economic, social care, education…contexts aren’t revisited. However, it is true that going further the author could have extended the book endlessly. On the other hand, the impression is that this theoretical overview is adapted to the choice of case studies presented in the second part of the book. It brings toreaders a serial of case studies describing concrete peoples’ attempts toengage in participation. The author treats participation as a structurally unstable concept which, in order to be obtained, demands everyday ideological and political struggle. For, citizens’ participation is the normative token in all models of democracies. But, it is by no means warranted that participation will be exercised in democratic practices.

What Accounts for the Differences in Suicide Trends Across Countries of the Former Soviet Union?

Suicide is a major public health problem worldwide. The Slavic countries of the former Soviet Union Russia, Ukraine and Belarus retain one of the highest suicide rates in the world, despite a gradual decline over the past decade. Since the early 1980s, suicide mortality in these countrieshas undergone sharp fluctuations. In general, the temporal pattern of suicide mortality fluctuations was similar for three countries: sharp decrease in the mid of 1980s, dramatic increase in the first half of 1990s followed by a decline. 

While the trends in suicide mortality have been similar in three countries during the Soviet period, there was significant discrepancy after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. In particular, Russia experienced thesharpest suicide mortality fluctuations during anti-alcohol campaign andtransition. In Russia suicide rate jumped dramatically between 1991 and 1994. There was also a spike in suicide mortality between 1999 and 2001 in Russia, which might be explained by the financial crisis in 1998. In Ukraine and Belarus, suicide rates increased steadily up to 1996 and then started to decrease. 

Social Institutions, Groups, Relations within the Globalization Context and Society Virtualization

The research of social institutions, groups and relations in globalized world and virtual environments was undertaken in an effort to bring a better understanding and appreciation of modern opportunities to people from around the world. This issue is important because misconceptions and stereotypes about globalized society and virtualization still exist. Like scholars have always done, the authors of the current issue do research that reflect the contemporary human condition.

We asked researchers from around the world to respond to themes such as, violence in families as a result of society virtualization, ethnic minorities, national independence and its manifestation in modern arts, media texts and virtual galaxies. These themes provide us with a conceptualglimpse into the condition of modern society. The articles of the issue are ideal for the analysis of societies in transition, they are especially suitable for studying postmodern social relations. 

Hunters in a Farmers World: ADHD and Hunter Gatherers

The field of evolutionary psychology has grown significantly in the past two decades. According to Brinkman, evolutionary psychology is one of the fastest growing fields in psychology. It is a theoretical approach topsychology that attempts to explain useful mental and psychological traits—suchas memory, perception, or language—as adaptations, i.e., as the functional products of natural selection. 

An adaptation is a trait that developed in the course of evolution as a result of the mechanism of natural or sexual selection. These adaptations are transmitted genetically and can be anatomicalor psychological. In the case of psychological adaptations, the selected genes help to form specific circuits in the brain. Thus the behaviours contributing to the most to successful reproduction will be selected. It is of interest that Darwin himself wrote about evolutionary psychology in that he suggested that like any other trait, human mental faculties are the outcome of evolution by natural and sexual selection and suggested these mental faculties should be understood in light of common descent.

Coffee, tea and its relationship with Depression and Anxiety

To check the role of beverages such as coffee, tea and nescafe on depression and anxiety, a survey was conducted in 1020 beverages consuming high school students in Shiraz, Iran. They were interviewed accordingto DSM-IV (Diagnostic and statistical Manual of mental disorder) and collectedthe data using demograph, further this data was subjected to analyse using SPSS version16, descriptive methods, person correlation and Chisquare tests. From the results it is clear that there is inverse significant relation between bevarages (coffee, tea and nescafe) and depression and anxiety.

Get PDF Link Here

Towards a Credible Forecasting Process for Sustainable User Innovation

The document presents a review of the challenges that arise when forecasting techniques are applied to predict the evolution of sustainable user innovation. It also provides an augmented list of variables that may be used in the process of envisioning the future of lifestyles in Europe. 

Forecasting any kind of individual and social behaviour requires assembling several elements from different disciplines: from mere technical methodological challenges (choice of model) to substantial theoretical discussions (prediction of outcomes); from data gathering strategies (combination of sources and their reliability) to measurement (Choice of variables used to represent the relevant ideas); from establishing the rules of micro-behaviour of individuals to usingwell established models for individual interactions. 

On the Reliability of the Findings of PISA Tests

Knowledge is a hidden variable, and we therefore require a test in order to rank subjects according to their level of knowledge. A test is a battery of questions of varying levels of difficulty. The test results constitute an ordinal variable, since one cannot measure knowledge quantitatively, as one would height or weight. 

A test can merely rank subjects according to their level of knowledge. It is common practice to rank the success of education systems in various countries according to the average score achieved by students who take a certain international test. An example ofsuch is the PISA test, on which Israel is ranked 29th out of the 33 OECDcountries. Averaging is a valid procedure for a quantitative variable, but not for an ordinal variable, the items of which can only be ranked. Since an ordinal variable can be ranked but not averaged, some of the rankings based on averages are unreliable, because one could have devised an alternative test with questions of a different degree of difficulty that would have altered the ranking of the mean scores. 

From Anorexia Nervosa to Anemia

Anorexia nervosa has been a matter of concern in the Western society for decades. Sometimes people talk about anorexia as a deeply perplexing illness and health experts acknowledge that it is a disorder of a very difficult treatment. Although, in addition to the biological and psychological dimension, people also speak about social factors as possible explanations of the disorder, the fact is that social explanations are generally treated in a very superficial manner.

The main thesis of this article is that we can hardly achieve a good understanding of anorexia nervosa without soundly taking into consideration its social and cultural foundations. They areprecisely the ones that make many of those who suffer from it understand theeating disorder not as a disease but also as a lifestyle. Thus, it can be of interest to put into contrast that conventional perspective, which conceptualizes anorexia as a disease, as an irrational behavior understood within the old mind/body dichotomy and centered on the individual patient with a view more focused on the social and cultural dimensions. 

Benefits of Outdoor Pursuits: From a Health Perspective

The term Recreation is derived from a Latin word “re-career” means the way of recharging or regenerating of self while Health is the quality of life to livelong and serve best throughout the life suture. The study explains the sports ideology especially in respect of wholesome health. 

The information collected will provide guidance to the development of policy in the areas of health, sport, education, transport and the environment all of which have important roles to play in getting Pakistanis’ people and children more active more often. The study aimed at that freely possessed natural spaces are an ideal tohuman sustenance and that Parks and outdoor recreation spots are exhale of thecommunity and summit is product. A reliable likert scale of 10 items with 5 choices has been used for responses on benefits of outdoor pursuits, on health perspective was constructed.

Interaction of Ethiopian and World Inflation: A Time Series Analysis; VECM Approach

The research had tried to identify co-integration of the domestic inflation of Ethiopia with the world level. Given this, the studyconsidered effect of world oil price increment on Ethiopian inflation byconsidering time series data from 1981-2012 sourced World Bank. Vector Error Correction Model was employed to model long run co-integration of variables and to identify the significant independent variables as well as speed of adjustment of the long run equilibrium. 

Different tests that are pre-conditions for this model were done by having respective methods. Based on the result obtained in the long run co-integration model world oil price, household level and government expenditure of the country, world level inflation and money supply growth of the country affect the domestic inflation positively as well as significantly. Given this, world oil price and government expenditure of thecountry affects the domestic inflation positively and in a significant leveleven in the short run. Speed of adjust of deviation from the equilibrium trend is not as such fast enough. Domestic inflation of Ethiopia is very responsive to each shock in the world level inflation and world oil price as depicted by the impulse response graphs.

Some Selected Solutions for Ukraine

The humankind needs unification to face the challenges of global overpopulation and gender shifts in a most humane way. Great projects can be planned and accomplished only if people trust each other. Ukraine canbecome a testing ground for international trust and cooperation. Accordingly, the following solutions for the current conflict can be proposed. For the Crimea: international administration under the guidance of the USA and the UK, in view of their constructive and humane action in Iraq. 

Note that on the contrary to Grozny there was almost no destruction of residential buildings in Baghdad (observations May-July 2003), although military operations both in Iraq and Chechnya were, in the author’s opinion, unavoidable. Five years later, a referendum would be held in the Crimea, where three possibilities would be proposed to the citizens: unification with Russia or Ukraine, or independencewith optional membership in the British Commonwealth. For Lugansk and Donetsk: Russo- Ukrainian condominium with an obligatory cooperation between both administrations in the interests of the residents, on the basis of the principles of mutual trust and benevolence.

The Educational Change Process in Ghana and Nigeria: An Evaluation of the Junior Secondary School Innovation

The decision to undertake this research was a pragmatic response to the debates which followed the introduction of a new secondary system in Ghana and Nigeria and it is intended to investigate the reform during its life cycle in Ghana between 1974 and 1987 and in Nigeria between 1982 and 1985 to see how much foundation there was for the doubts being expressed. The reform was designed asa complex package offering an integrated approach to change educational values,orientation and learning outcomes. The changes subsumed in each aspect of the reform have far-reaching implications for the entire education system. Especially one element, the vocationalised curriculum, caused immediate concern at the time because of the discouraging evidence of similar previous attempts in both Ghana and Nigeria and other countries. Further concern was on the changes in the examination system and the introduction of guidance and counselling.

The Impact of Social Networking Sites on the Youth

Social Networking sites are termed to as web based services that give an opportunity to individuals to create their own personal profile with the choice of their own list of users and thereby connect with them in an altogether public forum that provides them with features such as chatting, blogging, video calling, mobile connectivity and video/photo sharing. 

People spend more than usual hours on social networking sites to download pictures, browse through updates seek entertainment and chat around with friends to keep themselves connected to one another. These sites have held an addiction to theyouth wherein they find it difficult to concentrate on their work and preferlogging in and jumping across one site to another. Some have derived benefit out of these sites whereas some have become academically challenged by the use of these websites. Individuals have set their own limits as to when and when not to access these websites but we witness very few out of the lot who does not access or make use of these sites at all.

Get PDF Link Here

Reasons for not promoting economic growth in China

Chinese economists have contradictory views regarding the relationships between corruption and economic growth of the country. The communist party of china launched a fierce anti-corruption campaign in order to investigate corruption at various levels of the economic system. To furtherexplain this framework government has regulated the mixed oligopoly of certaineconomic conditions. Thus such movements contribute to the development of the state owned enterprises at the cost of private sectors growth. As a result, the whole economic growth has been dragged down.

Get PDF Link Here

Education practices to promote sustainable textile and fashion designs

New jobs intended to create a greener planet have been designed with a view to promote ethical and sustainable textile practices in the market. Series of projects with a sustainable design has been planned to develop the capabilities of students in textile and design industry train and produce the best future generators of sustainable value for the business and society.

In the past few years, sustainable design has gained more and more importance. Our clothing consumption has reached an all-time high, and in response, advocates for mindful, eco-friendlier design are screaming their message louder than ever. And it seems the fashion industry is finally listening: More and more fashion brands have committed to going toxic-free.

Thus as the demand for more sustainable and ethically designed clothing increases among consumers, so too does the demand for designers trained in those fields.

Bangladesh's Potential as a Regional Economic Corridor

Emergence of Bangladesh as a regional economic strip Bangladesh is one of the connecting countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations states. It is easy to reach the doorstepof half of the world population within 24 hours in a motor vehicle fromBangladesh to any of the South Asian nations. This indicates that anyone can have direct access to the half of the world market here by building up channels of distribution especially for consumer goods. The ASEAN highway and the inter SAARC connectivity has highlighted Bangladesh’s prospect in tomorrow’s business world as a hub between SAARC and ASEAN member states.

Get PDF Link Here

Influence of leverage on the productivity of the companies

The modern competitive business strategies cause subsequent increase in the ability of firm that depends on efficient use of leverage in the capital structure. Leverage can be defined as long term debt financing that improves the permanent financial performance as well as the success of the organization. It explains the use of borrowed funds for the investment andreturn on that investment. For this reason the determination of the proportion of debt and equity is considered as one of the most essential decisions that decide the future of the organization.

Get PDF Link Here

Amicus curiae and investment treaty arbitration

Significant increments in the disputes for non-commercial activities such as environmental protection, public health, human rights and labour standards  were noticed in the recent years. The greaterparticipation of civil society of non-disputing parties gained access to theseforums such as amicus curiae. Therefore, Amicus curiae refused to provide access to the documents and to attend hearings of disputing parties. This practice raised serious doubts on greater transparency on the whole process of investment treaty arbitration.

Get PDF Link Here