Search results

Amidst a growing interest in greenhouse gas (GHG) science-based target setting by businesses, it is becoming increasingly urgent to understand how these are set in theory and in practice.

Using a model framework for science-based methods, the authors compare four different science-based target-setting methods: sectoral decarbonization approach, linear emission reduction to target year, GHG emissions per unit of value added and corporate finance approach to climate stabilizing targets. Input and output variables, GHG scopes, allocation principles and mathematical formulations are described, followed by a discussion of the differences and similarities between methods.

The authors show GHG emission mitigation scenarios are as important in the determination of targets as the allocation principle.

For this reason, businesses should apply well-bellow 2ºC scenarios with robust sectoral and regional granularity and the science community should consider the needs of these groups of stakeholders.

Policymakers should actively support efforts by corporations to set science-based targets and ensure that the research they commission can be translated into practical action by non-party stakeholders.

This paper contributes to the understanding of the theory and practice of science-based targets.

The paper aims to present a solution which makes it possible to control and audit organizational transactions in real time, helping to determine the degree of reliability with which they are carried out, mitigating the organizational risk. This auditing is made at a very low level of organizational transactions executed and supported exclusively in a digital format, contrary to what happens in most monitoring of transactions, which occurs at a high level. Moreover, it describes the conceptual architecture of the solution, its components and functionalities as well as the development and technical issues which should be taken into consideration on the deployment and evaluation of the solution.

The work follows the design science methodology. It presents the problem and motivation of the investigation, the solution design and how it is being deployed. Furthermore, it presents the expected results based on the proposed architecture and on the results which are currently being achieved with the prototype implementation.

The prototype is being put into practice, thus the gathering of results and their evaluation is not yet complete. However, preliminary results are really satisfactory and very close to those expected and enumerated.

The research contributes to a new vision of organizational auditing focused on assurance services in transactions executed and supported in a digital format in compliance with the formalisms of a business ontological model of organizational transactions.

ANYBODY whoses daily work involves the planning and spending of money must at all times be concerned by efforts to ensure that value is being obtained for the money spent. Those of us who, as librarians, are spending the money of fellow tax‐payers, are naturally doubly concerned about this problem. In addition, the very phrase “value for money” to a Yorkshireman is a continual challenge, and a point on which he instinctively feels, rightly or wrongly, that he has some secret inborn knowledge.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (here in after referred to as the FLSA or Act, 1938) requires that most employees in the U.S. be paid at least the federal minimum wage for all hours worked and receive overtime pay at one and one‐half times the regular rate for all hours worked over 40 hours in a work‐week. Defined within the Act are certain types of employees who are exempt from both minimum wage and overtime pay, i.e., if a worker is employed as a bonafide executive, administrative, professional, outside sales, or computer employee. These exempt categories are cumulatively referred to as the white collar exemption and the workers are called white collar employees. To qualify for such exemptions the job description and/or employment contract must meet certain salary and job duties tests. The past thirty years have seen these tests become outdated resulting in uncertainty and ambiguity in their application. On April 24, 2004 the Wage and Hour Division of the U. S. Department of Labor responded to these decades‐old exemption descriptions with new regulations relating to white collar exemptions of the Act called the FairPay Over time Initiative (here in after referred to asFPOI). The purpose of the new FLSA regulations was to modernize, update, and clarify the criteria for these exemptions and to eliminate legal problems that the prior regulations caused.

The purpose of this paper is to present a case study around an approach to team performance management being deployed within the BELRON group of companies. The device being deployed is the climate measure (OCSII), which is being used within the organisation as an indicator of leadership capability. Although the results of climate surveys may be reported at both team and individual levels, this paper seeks to focus on team climate and how this may be linked to changes in business performance.

The performance management approach has been aligned to a strategic intent, as championed by the CEO, to focus on leadership development as a key enabler of BELRON's future success. The paper considers the deployment of the climate tool within the Top Teams of three different business units and this is linked to available information relating to performance.

The paper finds that, within BELRON, there is a belief that the emphasis on climate has been a major contributor to its enhanced business performance over recent years. The paper presents information from three BELRON contexts where changes in climate would appear to precede improvements in business performance. However, despite these examples, i.e. where “high performing climates” appear to be linked with profitability, or other measures of business performance, this is not seen to be universal within the company.

The work reported has limitations in that it focuses on only three positive examples of a possible climate/performance link at BELRON.

The paper makes a key contribution for practitioners, particularly HR, OD professionals and consultants as well as any senior manager concerned with managing performance. The climate survey being deployed in this context (the OCSII) is a tool which has been in use since the 1960s, with many claims made about its links to performance. However, the vast majority of the work has been conducted in a consultancy setting without much coverage in academic literatures.

The paper describes for the reader how the OSCII tool may be deployed to support team performance management. It then describes how the instrument has been deployed within the Top Teams of three business units within BELRON.

This study examines compensation changes among top executives of formerly privately held stock insurers and mutual insurers at the time around an initial public offering. This study explains how CEO compensation changes following an IPO differ between these two types of insurers owing to their differing agency characteristics. The results also show that CEOs’ benefits increase materially following an IPO. The authors find evidence that reduced ownership retention by managers increases agency costs and CEOs of mutual insurers exploit their positions and increase their reward at the expense of policyholders.

Indicators of economic and social phenomena can be useful descriptive and analytical inputs for public policy. The “social indicators movement” has emerged in the last decade and is devoted to the measurement of widely‐ranging dimensions of human welfare. For the most part, questions of systematic measurement for public policy are explored here. Drawing initially on some traditions of measurement in economics, the principal aim is to provide a broad theoretical frame of reference for policy indicator design. Questions of indicator development necessarily involve ideas of suitability or validity of indicators designed for a purpose. Approaches to indicator design for the purpose of enhancing collective decision‐making—including formal model building approaches—are subsumed as special cases once a more general theory is espoused in sections II and III.

DURING much of the Second World War, the affairs of the Library Association were conducted for the Council by an Emergency Committee. The record of its meeting on 10th June 1941, includes the following: “A resolution having been received suggesting that a committee be formed to consider post‐war reconstruction, it was resolved that by means of a notice in the LIBRARY ASSOCIATION RECORD, Branches and Sections should be invited to formulate suggestions for the consideration of the committee. A draft questionnaire for the purpose of an enquiry into the effects of the war on the public library service was approved”. In July, the Committee reported “further arrangements … for carrying out an exhaustive survey designed to give the necessary data for full and detailed consideration and ultimate recommendation as to the future of public libraries, their administration and their place in the social services”. The promised notice appeared as an editorial in September.

Strategic Management, Entrepreneurship, Business Management.

This case is of medium level of difficulty and is designed for students in School of Economics and Business Management, also an optional course for students in other majors who have strong interest in strategic management and entrepreneurship. Students from all disciplines are welcomed and encouraged to take this course; however, it will be better if registered students have already gained basic ideas about industry, company analysis and marketing.

In 2010, Hangzhou Wahaha Group (The Group), a leading Chinese beverage company launched its new brand – Edison milk powder. Meanwhile, people were concerned about food security because of several scandals and Wahaha had to convince the mass public during the high time. The decision makers had to balance various options besides Edison. In this case, we would mainly discuss several possible long–term strategies of this eye–catching private enterprise. The Group intended to carry out diversification strategy in several industries domestically and internationally to maximize its profit.

Have an insight into China's beverage industry and dairy sector, with the representative Hangzhou Wahaha Group., Know how to develop analytical and decision skills facing multi–choices. SWOT model is recommended here., Have a comprehensive understanding of diversification strategy and how to make priorities.

Teaching notes.

ALTHOUGH the first Public Libraries (Scotland) Act was placed on the Statute Book in 1853, it was not until 1899 that the Corporation of the City of Glasgow was empowered to establish and maintain public libraries throughout the city. Between 1876 and 1897 four attempts were made to secure public approval for the adoption of the Public Libraries (Scotland) Acts, but when all these efforts proved unsuccessful, the Corporation decided in June, 1888 to include in a Local Bill for submission to Parliament, certain clauses conferring upon themselves the power to become a library authority. Promoted in 1899, the Bill became known as the Glasgow Corporation (Tramways, Libraries, etc.) Act 1899, and the library clauses passed through Parliament without opposition and received Royal Assent on 1st August, 1899. The powers conferred by this Local Act empowered the Corporation: