Investigating corporate social responsibility in supply chains: a SME perspective

This paper analyzes the practices adopted and difficulties experienced by Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to transfer socially responsible behaviors to suppliers that operate in developing countries. In particular, a multiple case study was conducted on five Italian socially responsible SMEs. It was found that companies use different strategies as well as diverse management systems and tools to address Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) issues along their supply chains (SCs). The paper is innovative mainly since few are the existing studies that investigate the CSR practices adopted by SMEs in the SC. Furthermore, it is argued that our research can be helpful to SME managers willing to deal with CSR issues along their SCs, especially when developing countries are involved.     

On the evolutionary stability of female infanticide

Territoriality among female rodents may have evolved as an adaptation to intraspecific competition for resources or, alternatively, to defend pups against infanticide. In order to evaluate the latter, we analyse the conditions that allow an infanticidal strategy to invade a population of non-infanticidal females, and the circumstances under which infanticide may become an evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS). Our game theoretical analyses indicate that infanticide has to be associated with some direct (cannibalism) or indirect (reduced competition) resource benefits in order to invade a non-infanticidal population. We also expect that females will primarily kill litters of nearby neighbors, thereby removing the closest competitors while keeping costs at a low level. However, once established in a population, infanticide may be an ESS, even if females do not gain any resource benefits. This is theoretically possible if a female through infanticide can reduce the possibility that other, potentially infanticidal, females establish and/or stay close to her nest. While behavioral data indicate that these special circumstances sometimes occur, they may be too specific to apply generally to small rodents. Therefore, we expect that the evolutionary stability of infanticide often requires resource benefits, and that female infanticide in small rodents may, in fact, be a consequence rather than a cause of territoriality. Received: 27 June 1996 / Accepted after revision: 28 December 1996     

福建省小城镇发展中的环境问题

阐述 了小城镇建设中的环境问题，提出了小城镇建设中的环境保护对策。     

大连市小城镇环境保护现状及对策

在资料收集、现场考察的基础上，运用系统分析的方法分析了城镇化进程中普遍经历的“城市环境病”，并找出了大连市小城镇芨展中存在的主要环境问题。有针对性地提出了一系列措施小城镇建设与环境保护同步进行的思路，如，小城镇环保规划、多渠道融资方式解决环保资金不足的问题、开展创建优美城镇活动、发展绿色经济、全方位抓好环境综合整治、加强面源污染防治、保护现有生态系统等思路。     

小城镇发展与环境保护

根据当前城镇化进程中存在的主要环境问题，提出了生态环境保护与可持续发展对策。     

Persistent organochlorine pesticides,polychlorinated biphenyls,polybrominated diphenyl ethers in fish from coastal waters off Savannah,GA, USA

Contamination profiles of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were determined in six fish species from three selected regions along coastal waters off Savannah, GA, USA. Concentrations of PCBs were predominant (12–493 ng g^?1 lw) followed by PBDEs (10–337 ng g^?1 lw), OCPs such as DDTs (2.7–153 ng g^?1 lw), chlordanes (3.8–34 ng g^?1 lw), cyclodienes (<0.1–35 ng g^?1 lw), mirex (<0.1–8.6 ng g^?1 lw), γ-hexachlorocyclohexane (<0.1–1.4 ng g^?1 lw), and hexachlorobenzene (<0.1–0.68 ng g^?1 lw). The results indicated no region-specific difference in the contaminants however inter-species as well as intra-species differences were evident. Comparison of DDTs, PCBs, and PBDEs profiles in fish with those from other countries revealed that fish from coastal waters off Savannah contained relatively less concentrations of PCBs and chlorinated pesticides, while PBDE concentrations were comparable or even higher than fish samples from other regions. Polychlorinated biphenyl congeners and chlorinated pesticide tempoal trend data exhibited no increase of contamination levels. The levels of PCBs and chlorinated pesticides in fish from Savannah coastal waters were below the Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) established limits for human consumption.     

Small island developing states: natural disaster vulnerability and global change

Abstract

This paper sets out an examination of natural disaster amongst small island developing states (SIDS), and presents a framework for assessing the interaction of global pressures and local dynamics in the production of human vulnerability. Change at the global level is found to be a source of new opportunities as well as constraints on building local resilience to natural disaster. Much depends on the orientation of the state in global economic and political systems. The United Nations is a key global actor with relevance to shaping vulnerabilityin island states, and the impact of the UN Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction is reviewed. It is concluded that this is a critical time for SIDS which must contend with ongoing developmental pressures in addition to growing pressures from risks associated with global environmental change and economic liberalisation that threaten their physical and economic security.     

Cost analysis of alternative methods for wastewater handling in small communities

Wastewater collection and treatment is quite important for sustainable management. It would be uneconomical and impractical to provide sewer systems and separate wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) for small communities. The decision process in wastewater planning is rather important in terms of comparing the alternatives considered. The two important points in the management of wastewater at rural areas not connected to a sewer system are to develop an optimized operation strategy and to make sure that the complete system is environmentally and economically sustainable. In some regions, package treatment could be an alternative solution. However, in cases where there is an existing large WWTP, a cluster system, where sewage generated by small communities could be transported via conveyors to a centralized WWTP, could be employed. In this study, the wastewater treatment and disposal problems in small communities were addressed and an alternative wastewater handling scenario was proposed. Additionally, three wastewater handling scenarios were compared. As a case study, Gebze villages were selected.     

小城镇污水处理实用工艺分析

小城镇污水治理不仅是小城镇自身发展的需要,同时也是流域生态环境保护的需要。本文简要地阐述了小城镇污水的特点以及小城镇污水处理的要求,指出小城镇污水处理工艺必须经济、高效、节能和简便易行。对适合于小城镇的几种常规污水处理工艺进行分析对比,并介绍了近年来出现的新工艺。     

沈阳市小城镇环境保护与建设工作初探

调查分析了沈阳市小城镇的几个突出的环境问题 :小城镇结构性污染十分突出 ,环境基础设施差 ,城市绿化水平低 ,农业产业结构不合理 ,探讨了相应的解决小城镇环境问题的主要对策 ,认为实施小城镇环境综合整治 ,建立小城镇环境综合整治考核制度是加强小城镇环境保护 ,建立健全小城镇环境管理机制的重要手段。