Substance Misuse Prevention as Corporate Social Responsibility. Substance Use & Misuse. 2013;(Early Online):1-12. Abstract
Substance Misuse Prevention as Corporate Social Responsibility
All sectors of society should be involved in reducing substance misuse, including businesses. However, the business sector is typically involved only to the extent that their products compel them to be (e.g., alcohol producers promoting responsible alcohol consumption). This article examines why business participation has been limited and how embedding prevention within a framework of health promotion could increase participation. It reviews both Hungarian and international cases, concluding that although corporate social responsibility (CSR) offers a framework to approach substance misuse reduction, a different perception of the role of the business sector is necessary to make it viable.
Corporate governance variables: lessons from a holistic approach to Central-Eastern European practice. Corporate Governance. 2012;12(1):101-17. Abstract
Corporate governance variables: lessons from a holistic approach to Central-Eastern European practice
The paper provides a comprehensive review of the literature on corporate governance practices and the factors influencing the emergence and impact of those codes in CEE. It argues for a holistic approach not applied before in the research of corporate governance in transition economies; and discusses the role of external and domestic macro-level factors in explaining the differences in the emerging national practices. It emphasizes the importance of the holistic analysis in future research.
Bellagio STAMP: Principles for sustainability assessment and measurement. Ecological Indicators. 2011;17:20-8. Abstract
Bellagio STAMP: Principles for sustainability assessment and measurement
Revisiting the way society defines and measures progress has been identified as one of the key levers in tackling the root causes of unsustainable development. The recent economic and food crises exposed a critical weakness in the ability of currently mainstream indicators of progress to provide early warning and take adequate preventive action. Since the early 1990s a growing number of organizations have been involved in the development of indicator systems around the key socio-economic and environmental concerns of sustainable development within their own context. In order to provide guidance and promote best practice, in 1997 a global group of leading measurement and assessment experts developed the Bellagio Principles. The Bellagio Principles have become a widely quoted reference point for measuring sustainable development, but new developments in policy, science, civil society and technology have made their update necessary. The Bellagio Sustainability Assessment and Measurement Principles (BellagioSTAMP) have been developed through a similar expert group process, using the original Principles as a starting point. Intended to be used as a complete set, the new BellagioSTAMP includes eight principles: (1) Guiding vision; (2) Essential considerations; (3) Adequate scope; (4) Framework and indicators; (5) Transparency; (6) Effective communications; (7) Broad participation; and (8) Continuity and capacity. The paper provides the rationale for the revision of the principles, their detailed description and guidance for their application.
Prospects for Sustainable Bioenergy Production in Selected Former Communist Countries. Ecological Indicators. 2011;11(5 ):1009-19. Abstract
Prospects for Sustainable Bioenergy Production in Selected Former Communist Countries
The renewed interest in biomass-derived energy, which was the main source of heat and power until the industrial revolution and still contributes a significant portion to energy consumption in the developing world, is based on the premises that bioenergy can serve to reduce dependence on foreign energy supplies, boost and reduce the volatility of farmers’ incomes, develop a sustainable renewable energy basis, and cut greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. Growing urgency to address these problems and the European Union's global leadership role motivate the baseline assessment of the potential for sustainable bioenergy production in the most recent two EU member states (Bulgaria and Romania) and the former Soviet republics in Central Asia and the Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) by reviewing the literature and drawing on available data. The paper integrates the monitoring and assessment of ecological and environmental indicators with management practices, and shows that there is still a lack of knowledge and approaches at this nexus. The main factors to be considered by the countries included in our study are: the type of energy carrier, the transportation and production processes, as well as the long-term environmental impacts associated with intensive biomass production. Specifically, the baseline assessment is using typical indicators to describe bioenergy carriers and their production and consumption in thermal or mass units as well as in percentage shares of total renewable energy produced or consumed. Our findings indicate that the potential for developing sustainable bioenergy production is generally small but with considerable cross-country variation. Only Bulgaria, Romania, and Kazakhstan are endowed with the necessary natural, climatic, and economic conditions to develop sustainable biomass productions and markets.