What determines the progress of online information access to banking corporate governance practices? The case of Paraguay.

This paper contributes to the lack of longitudinal studies concerning online information access to corporate governance (CG) practices in the banking sector of Latin American countries. In particular, this study aims to analyze the factors that influence information transparency, both mandatory and voluntary, related to CG practices of banks that operate in Paraguay via their websites from 2016 to 2019. Findings indicate the need to improve the level of information available on websites, with disclosure of voluntary information on CG practices being more prevalent than the disclosure of mandatory information. Likewise, banks that operate in Paraguay have made scant "progress" regarding online access to their governance information over the years analyzed. Moreover, the factors "Bank size" and "listed status" positively influence the information transparency regarding CG practices of Paraguayan banks. In contrast, "leverage," "liquidity," "size of the audit firm," and "credit risk rating" are factors that have a negative relation with the extent of CG disclosure.

How High-Polluting Firms Suffer from Being Distracted form Intended Purpose: A Corporate Social Responsibility Perspective.

High-polluting industries are regarded as the main sources of air pollutant emissions and the major factors that significantly destroy the ecological environment. Corporate innovation in high-polluting industries improves the energy consumption efficiency and reduces the emission of air pollutant, which mitigates the conflict between environment and economy. Using the sample of China's listed firms from 2010 to 2017, this study examines the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and financialization on corporate innovation in high-polluting industries. The results show that there is a positive association between CSR and corporate innovation, while there is a negative association between financialization and corporate innovation. Furthermore, the financialization of high-polluting firms can alleviate the promotion role of CSR in the innovation process. The financialization of state-owned enterprises in high-polluting industries may not have a crowding-out effect on research and development (R&D), but it can limit the R&D promotion effect of CSR engagements. In contrast, the financialization of non-state-owned enterprises will hinder corporate innovation, but it will not affect the association between CSR and technology innovation. We also find that the financialization of high-polluting firms with low financial constraints can alleviate the promotion role of CSR engagements in innovation. Meanwhile, the CSR engagements of high-polluting firms with high financial constraints play a stronger role in corporate innovation. During the implementation of environmental policies, the negative association between financialization and corporate innovation has been strengthened. Our findings can encourage high-polluting firms to make more efforts in environmental protection and social stability.

Exploring the relationship between Big Food corporations and professional sports clubs: a scoping review.

OBJECTIVE: Professional sport occupies a prominent cultural position in societies across the globe and commercial organisations make use of this to promote their products. The present scoping review explores existing academic literature on the relationship between professional sports clubs and food and drink marketing and considers how this relationship may impact upon the public's health. DESIGN: The scoping review searched six databases. Experts were also consulted. Records written in languages other than English were excluded. We also excluded records relating to mega events (e.g. Olympics, Football World Cup) and alcohol marketing, because of the attention already given to these. SETTING: Professional sports clubs. RESULTS: We identified 18 166 titles, reviewed 163 abstracts and read twenty-six full texts. We included six papers in the review. Four were from Australia and New Zealand. The Australasian literature focused largely on the marketing of foods and beverages to children and the potential impact on consumption. Single papers from researchers in Turkey and the USA were identified. The Turkish paper analysed shirt sponsorship in football leagues internationally and showed food and beverage (including alcohol) companies were the most common sponsors. The US paper examined a mixed reaction to a football team named after an energy drink. CONCLUSIONS: Commercial relationships between professional sports clubs and Big Food corporations have largely eluded scrutiny in much of the world. The current review highlights the lack of public health research on these relationships. Research exploring the interdependent commercial practices of food and drink companies and professional sports clubs is urgently needed.

Dental corporates abroad and the UK dental market.

The UK government opened NHS dentistry to competition in 2006. By 2015-2016 just over three quarters of NHS contracts were held by non-corporate providers with corporate contracts, on average, having a lower £:UDA (unit of dental activity) value and higher UDA targets than non-corporate contracts. The corporate market share continues to expand through inorganic and organic growth and new financial backers are entering the arena. It is not known how these changes will affect the profession though inspiration can be drawn from overseas markets. In this article I aim to provide an overview of the dental corporate market in the USA and Australia as well as some insight as to how the sector stands in England.

Antecedents of Corporate Environmental Commitments: The Role of Customers.

The management of natural environments has become a fundamental issue for companies in recent years. A firm’s environmental commitment affects all levels of its operation. In this study, we investigated whether having an effective and constant relationship with customers over time (customer capital) makes a difference to firms with a high environmental commitment compared with less environmentally committed firms. We found support for our idea by using original survey data from 149 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Iran (2016⁻2017). Furthermore, we found that customer capital enhances environmental collaboration with customers which, in turn, has a positive impact on the firm’s environmental commitments. These findings provide empirical evidence for the important role of “getting closer to customers” as a way of enhancing corporate environmental responsibility in developing countries with weak institutional environments.

Assessing the health impact of transnational corporations: a case study on McDonald's Australia.

BACKGROUND: The practices of transnational corporations affect population health through production methods, shaping social determinants of health, or influencing the regulatory structures governing their activities. There has been limited research on community exposures to TNC policies and practices. Our pilot research used McDonald's Australia to test methods for assessing the health impacts of one TNC within Australia. METHODS: We adapted existing Health Impact Assessment methods to assess McDonald's activities. Data identifying potential impacts were sourced through document analysis, including McDonald's corporate literature; media analysis and semi-structured interviews. We commissioned a spatial and socioeconomic analysis of McDonald's restaurants in Australia through Geographic Information System technology. The data was mapped against a corporate health impact assessment framework which included McDonald's Australia's political and business practices; products and marketing; workforce, social, environmental and economic conditions; and consumers' health related behaviours. RESULTS: We identified both positive and detrimental aspects of McDonald's Australian operations across the scope of the CHIA framework. We found that McDonald's outlets were slightly more likely to be located in areas of lower socioeconomic status. McDonald's workplace conditions were found to be more favourable than those in many other countries which reflects compliance with Australian employment regulations. The breadth of findings revealed the need for governments to strengthen regulatory mechanisms that are conducive to health; the opportunity for McDonald's to augment their corporate social responsibility initiatives and bolster reputational endorsement; and civil society actors to inform their advocacy towards health and equity outcomes from TNC operations. CONCLUSION: Our study indicates that undertaking a corporate health impact assessment is possible, with the different methods revealing sufficient information to realise that strong regulatory frameworks are need to help to avoid or to mediate negative health impacts.

Health Applications for Corporate Health Management.

INTRODUCTION: Many corporate organizations around the world are looking at new ways to improve the health and well-being of their employees. Many have begun to use m-health approaches and unique applications (apps) to provide assistance. In Germany, both m-health and occupational health management (OHM) are growing quickly. Therefore, we hypothesized that the combination-apps usage in OHM-is growing as well. We studied the usage of health apps in large corporations for health management of employed individuals. METHODS: To understand the environment in Germany, a two-part study was conducted. First, an extensive literature search was done and second, interviews were conducted with 12 of the 20 biggest companies' health management representatives. RESULTS: Using key search terms, 5,445 peer-reviewed journal articles traced with German databases and on PubMed were reviewed. Interestingly and somewhat surprising to the authors, none of them covered our specific topic. Interviews were conducted with 60% of the companies indicated. Only 3 out of 12 companies use apps. Four companies are piloting apps. With one exception, apps cover well-known areas such as food coaching, physical motion, smoking cessation, stress prevention, and other health-related subjects. One app used sensors in work clothing to prevent unhealthy motion. With a few exceptions, there has been no evaluation of the utility and utilization of apps. DISCUSSION: Current app usage in corporate health management in Germany is surprisingly low. Apps need to be better evaluated. Main obstacles-which could be resolved in the future-are legal restrictions (especially on data security), the lack of company-owned smart phones, misfit of apps and corporate health strategy, a lack of app evaluation, and high app prices.

[Polonia Medyczna: struktura, wspólczesnosc i przyszlosc].

It is estimated that approximately 20-25 000 polish physicians practice medicine in different countries outside of Poland, enriching medical workforces in their newly elected countries. The composition of this group, known as "Medical Polonia", has been changing from post Second World War emigration, resulting from the war and its political consequences, thru the next large wave of physicians leaving the communist country in 1980's. The last large group of Polish physicians has taken advantage of training opportunities or have started practices in the European Union, having departed Poland permanently or temporarily, after the country joined the European Union in 2004. The first organizations of Polish physicians outside of Poland were founded almost immediately after WWII in London, Chicago, New York, Paris, Lille, and later in Stockholm. Decades later, re-invigorated by their native country gaining independence after 1989, they organized the first World Congress of Medical Polonia in 1991 (in collaboration with physicians' organization from Poland). The World Federation of Polish Medical Organization Abroad was then established in 1994. Subsequently, many organizations joined the Federation, including several from newly liberated countries of former Soviet Union. The Federation of Polish Medical Organizations and its member societies actively promotes medical education, collaboration between polish doctors all over the world, and the exchange of ideas-sharing experiences with significant emphasis on the quality of care and patient safety.

Practice Location Characteristics of Non-Traditional Dental Practices.

Current and future dental school graduates are increasingly likely to choose a non-traditional dental practice-a group practice managed by a dental service organization or a corporate practice with employed dentists-for their initial practice experience. In addition, the growth of non-traditional practices, which are located primarily in major urban areas, could accelerate the movement of dentists to those areas and contribute to geographic disparities in the distribution of dental services. To help the profession understand the implications of these developments, the aim of this study was to compare the location characteristics of non-traditional practices and traditional dental practices. After identifying non-traditional practices across the United States, the authors located those practices and traditional dental practices geographically by zip code. Non-traditional dental practices were found to represent about 3.1% of all dental practices, but they had a greater impact on the marketplace with almost twice the average number of staff and annual revenue. Virtually all non-traditional dental practices were located in zip codes that also had a traditional dental practice. Zip codes with non-traditional practices had significant differences from zip codes with only a traditional dental practice: the populations in areas with non-traditional practices had higher income levels and higher education and were slightly younger and proportionally more Hispanic; those practices also had a much higher likelihood of being located in a major metropolitan area. Dental educators and leaders need to understand the impact of these trends in the practice environment in order to both prepare graduates for practice and make decisions about planning for the workforce of the future.

Conflict translates environmental and social risk into business costs.

Sustainability science has grown as a field of inquiry, but has said little about the role of large-scale private sector actors in socio-ecological systems change. However, the shaping of global trends and transitions depends greatly on the private sector and its development impact. Market-based and command-and-control policy instruments have, along with corporate citizenship, been the predominant means for bringing sustainable development priorities into private sector decision-making. This research identifies conflict as a further means through which environmental and social risks are translated into business costs and decision making. Through in-depth interviews with finance, legal, and sustainability professionals in the extractive industries, and empirical case analysis of 50 projects worldwide, this research reports on the financial value at stake when conflict erupts with local communities. Over the past decade, high commodity prices have fueled the expansion of mining and hydrocarbon extraction. These developments profoundly transform environments, communities, and economies, and frequently generate social conflict. Our analysis shows that mining and hydrocarbon companies fail to factor in the full scale of the costs of conflict. For example, as a result of conflict, a major, world-class mining project with capital expenditure of between US$3 and US$5 billion was reported to suffer roughly US$20 million per week of delayed production in net present value terms. Clear analysis of the costs of conflict provides sustainability professionals with a strengthened basis to influence corporate decision making, particularly when linked to corporate values. Perverse outcomes of overemphasizing a cost analysis are also discussed.

Spontaneous centralization of control in a network of company ownerships.

We introduce a model for the adaptive evolution of a network of company ownerships. In a recent work it has been shown that the empirical global network of corporate control is marked by a central, tightly connected "core" made of a small number of large companies which control a significant part of the global economy. Here we show how a simple, adaptive "rich get richer" dynamics can account for this characteristic, which incorporates the increased buying power of more influential companies, and in turn results in even higher control. We conclude that this kind of centralized structure can emerge without it being an explicit goal of these companies, or as a result of a well-organized strategy.

Curve fitting of the corporate recovery rates: the comparison of Beta distribution estimation and kernel density estimation.

Recovery rate is essential to the estimation of the portfolio's loss and economic capital. Neglecting the randomness of the distribution of recovery rate may underestimate the risk. The study introduces two kinds of models of distribution, Beta distribution estimation and kernel density distribution estimation, to simulate the distribution of recovery rates of corporate loans and bonds. As is known, models based on Beta distribution are common in daily usage, such as CreditMetrics by J.P. Morgan, Portfolio Manager by KMV and Losscalc by Moody's. However, it has a fatal defect that it can't fit the bimodal or multimodal distributions such as recovery rates of corporate loans and bonds as Moody's new data show. In order to overcome this flaw, the kernel density estimation is introduced and we compare the simulation results by histogram, Beta distribution estimation and kernel density estimation to reach the conclusion that the Gaussian kernel density distribution really better imitates the distribution of the bimodal or multimodal data samples of corporate loans and bonds. Finally, a Chi-square test of the Gaussian kernel density estimation proves that it can fit the curve of recovery rates of loans and bonds. So using the kernel density distribution to precisely delineate the bimodal recovery rates of bonds is optimal in credit risk management.

The performance of the leveraged buyout of the Hospital Corporation of America, Inc.

BACKGROUND: A leveraged buyout (LBO) is a type of corporate reorganization and acquisition practice whereby private investors borrow a substantial amount of debt to acquire a firm by buying back its publicly held stock to go private. The Hospital Corporation of America, Inc. (HCA), went through its second LBO in July of 2006. A prior study on the performance changes of the first LBO found no significant changes in revenues, expenses, or profitability. PURPOSES: In this study, we evaluated the changes in performance measures for HCA hospitals during the second LBO period. We looked at the effect of the LBO on financial and operational performance indicators, controlling for market and hospital characteristics. METHODOLOGY: We identified 121 urban HCA hospitals that consistently reported data over a 4-year window from 1 year pre-LBO to 3 years post-LBO and evaluated their study performance changes during the period. Primary data for operational and financial measures are derived from Health Care Cost Report Information System data sets. FINDINGS: On the basis of this study, the LBO led to significant increases in cash flow margin, net patient revenues, and total asset turnover ratio. It also increased operating expenses significantly. However, it was not associated with changes in labor costs, staffing, and capital investment. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The management of publicly traded hospitals that consider an LBO should develop operating strategies to maintain a strong cash flow performance and find ways to boost patient volume. It also needs to determine if it would be able to continue investing in its facilities to keep physicians and patients loyal and to keep investing in the training and retention of employees, which ultimately improves the quality of care and enhances operational efficiency.

[The range of cooperation between psychiatrist and psychologist during the medical-military certification]. / Zakres wspólpracy psychiatry i psychologa w orzecznictwie wojskowo-lekarskim.

The aim of certification is to determine the ability to be in the Military Service and to determine the connection between disorders and military service. Military Medical Board that gives certification is obligated to consulate a psychiatrist or a psychologist about soldiers' physical connections. Nowadays the rules that are used in candidates' selection to the military service are not obligatory enough. Regarding the present conditions of health, some changes are needed to be made. It is postulated to estimate candidates' mental health by using a larger frame of psychological examination.

Corporate cost of occupational accidents: an activity-based analysis.

The systematic accident cost analysis (SACA) project was carried out during 2001 by The Aarhus School of Business and PricewaterhouseCoopers Denmark with financial support from The Danish National Working Environment Authority. Its focused on developing and testing a method for evaluating occupational costs of companies for use by occupational health and safety professionals. The method was tested in nine Danish companies within three different industry sectors and the costs of 27 selected occupational accidents in these companies were calculated. One of the main conclusions is that the SACA method could be used in all of the companies without revisions. The evaluation of accident cost showed that 2/3 of the costs of occupational accidents are visible in the Danish corporate accounting systems reviewed while 1/3 is hidden from management view. The highest cost of occupational accidents for a company with 3.600 employees was estimated to approximately US$ 682.000. The paper includes an introduction regarding accident cost analysis in companies, a presentation of the SACA project methodology and the SACA method itself, a short overview of some of the results of the SACA project and a conclusion. Further information about the project is available at http://www.asb.dk/saca.

Dental bodies corporate--a trip through the legislation.

A review of the legislation and regulation impacting upon Dental Bodies Corporate. This includes consideration of the Dentists Act 1984; the GDC Rules and Regulations made there under; and current ethical guidance issued by the GDC.