Designing the Concept of Good Corporate Governance in Family Company

This research aims to design the principles of Good Corporate Governance in the bottled mineral water manufacturing company CV. XYZ. This company is a purely family company, which is one hundred percent family owned. This study uses a qualitative method with a case study approach. Data collection using interviews and documentation. Researchers interviewed the passive committee, directors, deputy directors, and Ciputra University lecturers as experts. After getting the data through interviews, the data were analyzed by examining data from various sources, after which the data was reduced, categorized, data validity and drawing conclusions. Testing the validity of the data using source triangulation. The result of this research shows that the company has indirectly implemented the concept of Good Corporate Governance such as transparency, responsibility, independence, and fairness. However, only the principle of Accountability has not been implemented, because the company has so far not had a clear organizational structure and no formal written policies and SOPs.

Iodine determination in mineral water using ICP-MS: method development and analysis of brands available in Israeli stores

Reliable iodine determination in drinking water samples has gained importance in the last few decades, mostly due to intensive use of both desalinized water that lacks several important nutritional elements, and bottled mineral water. ICP-MS is a sensitive, high-throughput method for iodine determination that must be performed under alkaline conditions because of the volatile nature of some iodine species. However, in water samples with high pH (>10), slow precipitation of calcium (Ca) and/or magnesium (Mg) carbonates leads to clogging of the ICP-MS nebulizer. We propose preventing this precipitation by adding the chelating agent ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) at 0.1% to a 2% ammonium hydroxide matrix. This concentration of EDTA sufficed for most drinking water samples studied, as long as a 1:1 molar ratio of EDTA to Ca+Mg concentration in the water was maintained. The limit of quantitation of the developed method for iodine was <0.1 µg L-1. The average iodine concentration in various brands of bottled mineral water sold in Israel was relatively low (7.67 ± 6.38 µg I L-1). Regular consumption of either desalinated water or bottled mineral water may induce iodine deficiency in Israeli consumers. Therefore, continuous follow-up of the iodine status in both tap and bottled water is strongly recommended.

Iodine determination in mineral water using ICP-MS: method development and analysis of brands available in Israeli stores

Reliable iodine determination in drinking water samples has gained importance in the last few decades, mostly due to intensive use of both desalinized water that lacks several important nutritional elements, and bottled mineral water. ICP-MS is a sensitive, high-throughput method for iodine determination that must be performed under alkaline conditions because of the volatile nature of some iodine species. However, in water samples with high pH (>10), slow precipitation of calcium (Ca) and/or magnesium (Mg) carbonates leads to clogging of the ICP-MS nebulizer. We propose preventing this precipitation by adding the chelating agent ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) at 0.1% to a 2% ammonium hydroxide matrix. This concentration of EDTA sufficed for most drinking water samples studied, as long as a 1:1 molar ratio of EDTA to Ca+Mg concentration in the water was maintained. The limit of quantitation of the developed method for iodine was <0.1 µg L-1. The average iodine concentration in various brands of bottled mineral water sold in Israel was relatively low (7.67 ± 6.38 µg I L-1). Regular consumption of either desalinated water or bottled mineral water may induce iodine deficiency in Israeli consumers. Therefore, continuous follow-up of the iodine status in both tap and bottled water is strongly recommended.

The potential of filtered water in the restaurant industry: A case study in Barcelona

Bottled water entails an environmental sustainability challenge, and the restaurant industry is a large-scale contributor to this problem as it seems to be reluctant, at least in some countries, to substitute tap water for bottled water. There are two plausible reasons for this; one is that the industry might assume that customers prefer bottled water, mainly because of its taste, and the second is that restaurateurs may be unwilling to forgo the high economic margin from bottled water sales. In this context, filtered water may represent a solution as it is a greener option than bottled water and tastes better than tap water. However, does it represent a satisfying taste option for diners? Moreover, are restaurant consumers willing to pay for filtered water? Given the importance of the answers to these questions, this study proposes to examine whether there are differences between filtered and bottled mineral water regarding their expected and actual taste and customers’ willingness to pay. To this end, this study employed three different experimental groups in an actual fine-dining restaurant in Barcelona. The results show that consumers derive a positive payoff by drinking a more environmentally sustainable option and may even be willing to pay for filtered water. However, there is still room for improvement in filtering systems in regard to the taste of water. These results entail important managerial implications for the restaurant industry since it can become more environmentally sustainable without losing economic profits.

Geochemical Implication of Chemical Composition of Mineral Water (Bottled Water) Produced Near Mt. Baekdu (Changbai), Northeast China

Two kinds of bottled mineral water from wells located in the northern (Baeksansu, BSS) and southern (Baekdusansu, BDS) areas near Mt. Baekdu (Changbai) were collected in order to monitor the chemical compositions of the groundwater near a potential volcanic area. The bottled water was produced between August 2014 and June 2017, and corresponds to the Na-HCO3 water type. The trend in variation of each chemical component between the two bottled waters was different. The BDS bottled water from the southern area of Mt. Baekdu showed a dramatic change in chemical composition during the study period, whereas the BSS bottled water from the northern area did not show any significant change in chemical composition. In particular, the BDS bottled water showed either systematic increases or decreases of chemical components relative to the Cl concentrations. However, the BSS bottled water did not show such trends. It was confirmed that the chemical composition in the groundwater was constant, even though the monitoring period lasted for about two years. Our data indicate that it may be possible to use the chemical composition of the bottle water produced from the groundwater in the volcanic area as a proxy for monitoring the geochemical environmental change of the groundwater aquifer.

Improving decision-making through material flow cost accounting: the case of VietGreen bottled mineral water company

VietGreen, headquartered in the South of Vietnam, is a bottled mineral water company striving towards becoming a leading mineral water producer with a strong reputation for social responsibility and integrity. This case describes VietGreen’s decision to explore the potential of material flow cost accounting (MFCA) for enhanced eco-efficiency and achieving the company’s long-term goals. It introduces the students to the company’s major challenges in meeting existing and newly introduced environmental regulations and in dealing with various controversial perspectives of managers involved in a project to implement MFCA. The focal questions of the case are why and how the company’s management should invest in and apply MFCA to implement its major strategic objectives. In particular, it focuses on the tension between measures improving either environmental or economic performance as well as the search for solutions contributing to both types of goals.

Evaluation of Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) in the PET Bottled Mineral Water of Different Brands and Impact of Heat by GC-MS/MS

Phthalates are one of the ubiquitous contaminants in the environment due to the extensive use in the last few years. They are easily released because they are not chemically bonded to polymers. They migrate into the food during food packing while in water, they migrate during water filling or storage and bottle manufacturing. They are toxic to human health and known as carcinogen/ endocrine disruptors. A total of sixty PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottled mineral water samples of different six brands were purchased from the local market of Noida, India. These bottles were of two different batch numbers of each brand. Two bottles of each brand with a different batch number were analyzed immediately after purchase while the other eight bottles were analyzed after two and six months when they were stored in sunlight (~ 45 o C) and - 20 o C. The aim of the present study was to determine the migration of DEHP and its impact on storage conditions of PET bottled mineral water in retail stores or homes. We used a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) for the estimation of DEHP in these samples. We observed that the migration of DEHP was dependent on high temperature and storage time. DEHP was present only in those samples, which were stored in sunlight for two & six months and at - 20 o C for six months. While found below the detection limit in those samples which were analyzed immediately after purchase and stored at - 20 o C for two months.