Corporate influence on threshold limit values

Investigations into the historical development of specific Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) for many substances have revealed serious shortcomings in the process followed by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists. Unpublished corporate communications were important in developing TLVs for 104 substances; for 15 of these, the TLV documentation was based solely on such information. Efforts to obtain written copies of this unpublished material were mostly unsuccessful. Case studies on the TLV Committee's handling of lead and seven carcinogens illustrate various aspects of corporate influence and interaction with the committee. Corporate representatives listed officially as "consultants" since 1970 were given primary responsibility for developing TLVs on proprietary chemicals of the companies that employed them (Dow, DuPont). It is concluded that an ongoing international effort is needed to develop scientifically based guidelines to replace the TLVs in a climate of openness and without manipulation by vested interests.     

社交媒体时代企业社会责任实践的机遇与挑战

近年来兴起的社交媒体已经超出了“社交”功能,并逐渐在商业、行政、教育等领域得到越来越广泛的应用.企业社会责任的履行已被视为企业实现可持续发展的重要途径,认识社交媒体对企业社会责任活动的影响有助于企业提升社会责任活动的效果.该文探讨了社交媒体的应用给企业社会责任实践带来的机遇与挑战,以促进企业在社会责任实践中合理、高效地运用社交媒体,获取可持续竞争优势.     

African media coverage of tobacco industry corporate social responsibility initiatives

Guidelines for implementing the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) recommend prohibiting tobacco industry corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, but few African countries have done so. We examined African media coverage of tobacco industry CSR initiatives to understand whether and how such initiatives were presented to the public and policymakers. We searched two online media databases (Lexis Nexis and Access World News) for all news items published from 1998 to 2013, coding retrieved items through a collaborative, iterative process. We analysed the volume, type, provenance, slant and content of coverage, including the presence of tobacco control or tobacco interest themes. We found 288 news items; most were news stories published in print newspapers. The majority of news stories relied solely on tobacco industry representatives as news sources, and portrayed tobacco industry CSR positively. When public health voices and tobacco control themes were included, news items were less likely to have a positive slant. This suggests that there is a foundation on which to build media advocacy efforts. Drawing links between implementing the FCTC and prohibiting or curtailing tobacco industry CSR programmes may result in more public dialogue in the media about the negative impacts of tobacco company CSR initiatives.     

Commentary: IARC Monographs Program and public health under siege by corporate interests

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) evaluates causes of cancer with help from independent international experts in an open and transparent manner. Countries, research and regulatory agencies, and other organizations adopt IARC evaluations for communication of human cancer hazards, and for strategies to prevent cancer. Scientists worldwide endorse IARC cancer evaluations and process. Those with economic interests, however, challenge IARC's cancer evaluations, most recently for glyphosate and red and processed meats, and are conducting a campaign including intervention from US Congressional Representatives to discredit IARC's review process and to undermine financial support—a campaign intimidating to IARC and Working Group members. Challenges to scientific interpretations serve to advance science and should be resolved by scientific experts who do not have conflicts of interest. Such interference does not bode well for the free flow of scientific information that informs and protects the public from risks of cancer.     

Promotion to Change Lifestyle: Securing Participation and Success

Corporate wellness programs designed to promote employee health are becoming increasingly popular due to their improved productivity, lower health care costs, and reduced absenteeism. The success of the lifestyle intervention measures they promote depends on employees' participation, which is a key challenge. The study uses partial least squares (PLS) path modeling and logistic regression to (a) identify, based on the health belief model, the factors likely to influence employee participation in personal coaching and health challenges, and (b) study their impact on lifestyle and overall health among participants. Results show that participation is influenced by initial lifestyle, attendance in educational events, peer influence, and communication through different channels.     

Corporate law and corporate psychopaths

For more than three decades there has been a growing interest, and concern, in the role that psychopathy plays in corporate affairs. The literature in this field is essentially interdisciplinary, drawing heavily on advances in neuroscience, behavioural and organisational psychology and criminology. In this paper, the authors open a line of enquiry on the role that law can play in the regulation, and remedies, available to deal with dysfunctional and psychopathic management. In this paper we argue that the impact of corporate psychopaths – particularly the sub-clinical types – is sometimes potentially devastating for the organisation, its mission, its employees and, where they exist, shareholders. In this article we outline the nature of corporate psychopathy and its impact on corporate entities and outline a range of potential legal remedies.     

强化企业社会责任，杜绝污染事件再发生

2008年9月12日，云南省政府通报“禁止饮用阳宗海的水，禁止在阳宗海内游泳．禁止捕捞阳宗海的水生产品。”云南阳宗海由于周边环境污染，水中砷浓度超过国家卫生标准的2．5倍。云南澄江锦业工贸有限责任公司是造成阳宗海水体砷污染的主要原因，该公司在数年内曾屡次因污染被罚款，但并未引起企业相关责任人重视。同年9月15日，上海农药厂有限公司发生除草剂泄露事故，造成市内多城区出现刺激性气体蔓延，     

公立医院法人治理结构改革的原则及其外部约束机制

研究认为,我国公立医院改革应坚持五方面原则;同时探讨了公立医院法人治理结构的外部约束机制,包括资本市场、产品市场、管理者市场、监管、社会伦理与道德等方面。认为存在不足与缺失,对公立医院内部治理的作用是有限的。