scholarly journals Review of Methodological Choices in LCA-Based Textile and Apparel Rating Tools: Key Issues and Recommendations Relating to Assessment of Fabrics Made From Natural Fibre Types

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (14) ◽  
pp. 3846 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. J. Watson ◽  
S. G. Wiedemann

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a key tool for determining environmental impacts for textiles and apparel and is the basis for the publicly available Higg Material Sustainability Index (MSI) developed by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC). This paper reviews and evaluates the Higg MSI with respect to rating of fabrics made from natural fibre types, with the aim of providing a constructive analysis of methodological issues identified by comparison with the International Standards and LCA guidelines. The major issues identified by the review were: (1) lack of sufficient guidance for comparative analysis and public disclosure; (2) incomplete system boundaries and the choice of functional unit; (3) the choice of attributional LCA methods and variable methods applied for handling multi-functionality; (4) use of generalised data and small datasets, without reported sensitivity or uncertainty; (5) exclusion of important impact categories, choice of LCIA methods and lack of coverage of non-LCA assessed issues; and (6) the choice of the weighting and normalisation approach. This review found that the provision of, and adherence to the appropriate standards and best practice in LCA would rectify most of these issues. To achieve the laudable aims of the Higg MSI, further development and refinement is needed to ensure robust information is provided to improve the sustainability of textiles.

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 186-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebekah Luff ◽  
Anne Laybourne ◽  
Zara Ferreira ◽  
Julienne Meyer

Purpose – A growing older population with complex care needs, including dementia, are living in care homes. It is important to support researchers in conducting ethical and appropriate work in this complex research environment. The purpose of this paper is to discuss key issues in care homes research including examples of best practice. The intention is to inform researchers across disciplines, leading to more sensitive and meaningful care home research practice. Design/methodology/approach – Experienced care homes researchers were invited to provide methodological insights and details not already reported in their publications. These have been analysed, creating key themes and linked to project publications. Findings – The need for reflexivity was a key finding. In particular, researchers need to: appreciate that the work is complex; see participants as potential research partners; and consider how cognitive and physical frailty of residents, staffing pressures and the unique environments of care homes might impact upon their research. Other challenges include recruitment and consenting people who lack mental capacity. Research limitations/implications – As the care homes research landscape continues to develop and grow, there still remains limited reflection and discussion of methodological issues with a need for a “safe space” for researchers to discuss challenges. Originality/value – This review is an updated methodological guide for care homes researchers, also highlighting current gaps in the mechanisms for continuing to share best research practice.


Author(s):  
Wang Xianlin

Since the Anti-Monopoly Law was enforced in China more than eight years ago, important achievements have occurred, as well as challenges for further development. In addition to challenges relating to amending legislation, strengthening enforcement, improving the judicial process, and ensuring strict compliance, etc, there are four issues that will be focused on here, namely: taking monopoly industries as a breakthrough to further promote the enforcement of China’s Anti-Monopoly Law (both administrative and civil antitrust enforcement should focus on prominent monopolistic conducts in typical monopoly industries); properly handling the coordination between industrial policy and competition policy; promoting the cooperation between the Anti-Monopoly Law and intellectual property law; and cultivating China’s competition culture.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2(14)) ◽  
pp. 78-82
Author(s):  
Iryna Kyzmivna Drozd ◽  
Mariia Serhiivna Pysmenna ◽  
Nataliia Volodymyrivna Pohribna

Urgency of the research. Ensuring the proper level of controllability of procurement contributes to effective action of legislated procedures of financial control, and increases the level of responsibility of participants of the public procurement process. Target setting. Putting forward the provisions of international standards ISSAI, which provide for the implementation of results of financial control in society, is the relevant issue of increasing the effectiveness of control measures. Actual scientific researches and issues analysis. Evolution of the views of scientists on the tasks of financial control in the field of procurement creates the framework for its further development in terms of increasing effectiveness. Uninvestigated parts of general matters defining. The study of the instruments for control actions to assess the implementation of the principle of responsibility in the field of procurement requires theoretical and practical justification. The research objective. The article aims to develop instruments for financial control of public procurement in order to implement the principle of responsibility in this area in accordance with the international standards of financial control ISSAI. The statement of basic materials. On the basis of the implementation of the ISSAI standards, the instruments for control actions to verify compliance with the principle of responsibility under the public procurement is proposed. Assessment of compliance with procurement criteria will provide evidence for substantiated findings and the effectiveness of control measures. Conclusions. As a result of the study, it was concluded that the combination of ISSAI norms and public procurement criteria at the level of financial control instruments will ensure its effectiveness.


Author(s):  
Иван Александрович Гринько

Проблема определения социальных функций различных институтов является одной из важнейших для понимания их роли и пути дальнейшего развития. Данная дискуссия отнюдь не носит чисто теоретический характер, наоборот, вопрос о социальном функционале музея является одним из ключевых для их дальнейшего развития. Некоторые исследователи честно признают, что непонимание социальных функций ведет к резкому снижению эффективности работы музеев. В статье анализируются функции музея как социокультурного института на основе такого историко-антропологического источника как анекдот. Эта проблематика, несмотря на свою принципиальную важность, редко анализировалось в антропологическом ключе. Кроме того, взаимосвязь музея и смеховой культуры практически не пользуется вниманием исследователей, хотя данная тема явно имеет большой потенциал. В качестве основного источника для работы был взят массив современных российских анекдотов, к которому для компаративного анализа привлекался массив советских анекдотов. В общей сложности исследовалось более 500 текстов. По итогам исследования можно сделать вывод, что социальные функции музея не ограничиваются традиционными для музеологии вариантами: сохранение наследия, образование и коммуникация. Музей в фольклорных текстах обладает гораздо более широким кругом социальных функций от инструмента символического потребления и валоризации объектов искусства, до пространства эротической игры. Анализ анекдотов, связанных с музеем, показывает, что, несмотря на не самую высокую популярность этого института, в массовой культуре и сознании, в смеховой культуре четко фиксируются его ключевые функции и проблемы. Это еще раз подтверждает важность анализа фольклорных текстов для оценки роли музея в сообществах любого уровня. Данный материал может быть использован для решения самых различных задач музейного менеджмента от оценки эффективности социокультурной деятельности музея до проведения маркетинговых кампаний. The determination of social functions of institute is one of the most difficult issues in social anthropology. This discussion isn’t absolutely theoretical; on the contrary, the issue of the social functionality of the museum is one of the key issues for their further development. Some researchers honestly admit that a lack of understanding of social functions leads to a sharp decline in the effectiveness of museums. The article analyzes the functions of the museum as a sociocultural institution on the basis of such a historical and anthropological source as anecdote. This issue, despite its fundamental importance, has rarely been analyzed in an anthropological vein. In addition, the interconnection between the museum and the culture of laughter has received little attention from researchers, although this topic clearly has great potential. For this research we used block of contemporary Russian anecdotes and the anecdotes of the soviet period (1917–1991) for comparative analysis. Totally more than 500 texts were analyzed. The analysis of the anecdotes associated with the museum shows that, despite the low popularity of this institution, in mass culture and consciousness, in the culture of laughter, its key functions and problems are clearly recorded. This once again confirms the importance of analyzing folklore texts for assessing the role of the museum in communities of any level. This material can be used to solve a variety of problems of museum management, from assessing the effectiveness of the socio-cultural activities of the museum to marketing campaigns.


2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 591-601 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nermeen F. Shehata ◽  
Khaled M. Dahawy

This report is a case study of corporate governance disclosure in Egypt. The study employs the benchmark of good practices in corporate governance disclosure developed by the Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting (ISAR). This benchmark consists of fifty two disclosure items covering five subject areas and is based on a sample of the top 29 listed companies in Egypt. This study is complimentary to an earlier study conducted in 2007: 2007 Review of the implementation status of corporate governance disclosures: case study Egypt. This report compares the results of the current study to the 2007 study. This study finds the average disclosure level is less than half of the items in the ISAR benchmark. While nine items in the ISAR benchmark were disclosed by more than two-thirds of the companies in the study, forty items were disclosed by less than half. The absolute number of disclosure items found for each company ranged from 5 to 43, indicating a high level of variability between ‘best practice’ companies and companies with minimal disclosure practices. The study concludes that while the sample has relatively high rates of disclosure for few items, and the average disclosures in 2010 almost doubled the 2005 average disclosures in Egypt for several categories, they are still low levels compared to the average emerging markets levels. Policy options discussed include penalizing companies for undisclosed items, and providing education and training for executives and directors to enhance the awareness of the rapidly evolving regulatory environment, as well as the underlying importance of corporate governance disclosure


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
James Richards ◽  
Vaughan Ellis

PurposeA retrospective action-research case study of one branch of the University and College Union (UCU) is used to show how threshold requirements of the Act can be systematically beaten.Design/methodology/approachThe paper responds to calls for “best practice” on how trade unions may react to member voting threshold requirements of the Trade Union Act 2016 (the Act). A broader aim is to make a theoretical contribution related to trade union organising and tactics in “get the vote out” (GTVO) industrial action organising campaigns.FindingsFindings are presented as a lead organiser's first-hand account of a successful GTVO campaign contextualised in relation to theories of organising. The findings offer “best practice” for union organisers required to beat the Act's voting thresholds and also contribute to theories surrounding trade union organising tactics.Research limitations/implicationsFurther development and adaptation of the proposed model may be required when applied to larger bargaining units and different organising contexts.Practical implicationsThe findings can inform the organising practices/tactics of trade unions in relation to statutory ballots. The findings also allow Human Resource (HR) practitioners to reflect on their approach to dealing with unions capable of mounting successful GTVO campaigns.Social implicationsThe findings have the potential to collectively empower workers, via their trade unions, to defend and further their interests in a post-financial crisis context and in the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic.Originality/valueThis is the first known empirical account of organising to exceed voting thresholds of the Act, providing practical steps for union organisers in planning for statutory ballots. Further value lies in the paper's use of a novel first-hand account of a GTVO campaign, offering a new and first, theoretical model of organising tactics to beat the Act.


2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 221-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Schneider ◽  
S. Andronopoulos ◽  
J. Camps ◽  
T. Duranova ◽  
E. Gallego ◽  
...  

NERIS is the European platform on preparedness for nuclear and radiological emergency response and recovery. Created in 2010 with 57 organisations from 28 different countries, the objectives of the platform are to: improve the effectiveness and coherency of current approaches to preparedness; identify further development needs; improve ‘know how’ and technical expertise; and establish a forum for dialogue and methodological development. The NERIS Strategic Research Agenda is now structured with three main challenges: (i) radiological impact assessments during all phases of nuclear and radiological events; (ii) countermeasures and countermeasure strategies in emergency and recovery, decision support, and disaster informatics; and (iii) setting up a multi-faceted framework for preparedness for emergency response and recovery. The Fukushima accident has highlighted some key issues for further consideration in NERIS research activities, including: the importance of transparency of decision-making processes at local, regional, and national levels; the key role of access to environmental monitoring; the importance of dealing with uncertainties in assessment and management of the different phases of the accident; the use of modern social media in the exchange of information; the role of stakeholder involvement processes in both emergency and recovery situations; considerations of societal, ethical, and economic aspects; and the reinforcement of education and training for various actors. This paper emphasises the main issues at stake for NERIS for post-accident management.


2021 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-119
Author(s):  
S. Imanbayev ◽  
◽  
D. Tel’zhanova ◽  
◽  
◽  
...  

The article examines the origins of the creation of the probation service in Kazakhstan, its introduction into the sphere of criminal executive law, goals and objectives. The measures for the implementation of probation control, its role in the provision of qualified psychological assistance to juvenile offenders are considered. The ways of implementing probation control at the present stage are also indicated, the main tasks of the state are presented, program documents aimed at further development and improvement of the probation service are studied. Studied and presented statistical data on the dynamics of juvenile delinquency in the republic. The psychological characteristics of minors are analyzed, in respect of whom it is necessary to carry out a comprehensive and regular analysis of their specific needs. The creation of a specialized staff of trained employees to provide social and legal assistance to minors is emphasized and argued. This paper also raises the question of the need to introduce specialization of the penitentiary psychologist in the universities of the Republic of Kazakhstan in order to achieve high results in the prevention of juvenile delinquency. To comply with international standards in the field of protecting the rights and freedoms of minors, crime prevention, attention is focused on complementing national legislation with the norms of UN international documents.


2018 ◽  
pp. 769-799
Author(s):  
Shefali Virkar

Most recently, the world has witnessed a spectacular increase in the size and number of Transnational Corporations (TNCs); an explosion that has resulted in the overseas practices of such companies coming under intense scrutiny, and in the realisation that governments often lack the resources necessary to ensure TNC compliance to international standards in key areas such as labour rights, environmental pollution, and social justice. Against the backdrop of significant failure in national- and international-level attempts to administer Transnational Corporations, this research chapter will examine the effectiveness of codes of ethical corporate conduct devised to enhance the regulation of corporate behaviour. The research presented herein focuses on the conceptualisation of such regulatory mechanisms, and their relationship to the larger corpus of corporate social, commercial, and ethical strategic interactions; evaluating their effectiveness as instruments of privatised governance through the particular examination of corporate stakeholder behaviour and recent examples of global best practice.


Author(s):  
Michael Way ◽  

The genetic diversity found in populations of crop wild relatives is an essential resource for future crop breeding, but populations are at risk of loss before germplasm has been fully conserved in genebanks. This chapter describes best practice for targeting and identifying species, and review knowledge about the variation in wild plant populations to guide the timing of collecting and approaches for genetic sampling. Indicators are presented for seed quality, ripeness and dispersal. Techniques for collection of seed, herbarium vouchers and associated data are reviewed with examples drawn from the Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change (Crop Wild Relative) project. Further research is needed to find optimal approaches for handling of seed to ensure high longevity of seed collections, and improved tools are needed to guide sampling of genetic diversity of crop wild relatives.


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