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Discusses how paper recovery is growing in Europe. Net trade in recovered paper from 1990 to 2010; Trends in recycling rates of paper and paperboard; Raw material consumption structure in paper and paperboard manufacturing in Western Europe in 2002; Effort by Confederation of European Paper Industries to encourage legislators to promote the separate collection of wastepaper, as well as trying to educate the authorities at all levels that recovered paper is not a waste product.

Discusses the challenges facing the European paper industry and managing director Teresa Presas of the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI). Reorganization of the CEPI to accommodate expansion of the European Union; Chemical legislation; Recycling targets; Future wood availability; Sustainability; Renewable energy sources; Emission trading directive.

To determine the rate at which abstracts orally presented at the ECR 2000 were published between 2000-2004, and to identify predictive factors of publication and differences between abstracts and subsequently published papers. Specific search profiles were devised to retrieve items from the Medline database. From 1020 abstracts originating from 39 countries, 479 articles (publication rate 47%) were subsequently published in 139 Medline-indexed journals, most frequently in European Radiology (14%). Country of origin statistically (P<0.0001) influences the subsequent publication of the abstract, Germany having the highest number of presentations (n=343) and derived articles (publication rate 54%). Abstracts presented by authors from the USA (n=21) had the highest publication rate (76%). Most papers were published within the first 3 years after the meeting, as original articles and in English-language journals. Both the study sample size and the first author frequently changed. Chest and cardiac studies had the highest publication rates (56%, both). In summary, abstracts presented at the ECR 2000 had a high publication rate in Medline-indexed journals. Country of origin and subspecialty of presentation appeared to influence subsequent full publication. More articles were published in European Radiology than in other journal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the launch of the position paper 'Understanding Compression Therapy' during the 2003 European Wound Management Association conference in Pisa, Italy.

Announces several activities of the 'European Financial Management' (FFM) periodical. Articles to be published in the FFM periodical; Annual meeting of the European Financial Management Association; Application for membership at the association.

Copyright of Sociologia Ruralis is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editor discusses the various topics within the issue, including the psychological therapies for depression, emotional development, and a study on adults with intellectual development disorder (IDD).

Drawing on a number of primary sources (e.g. the minutes of the meetings of the governing bodies of the Association, EAA publications and congress proceedings), this study outlines the undertakings of the European Accounting Association (EAA) from its inception to the present. Examination of available evidence suggests that the activity of the EAA may be explained by the concomitant effect of institutional, organizational and individual factors. It was found that the EAA made considerable progress in: facilitating networking among European accounting scholars; increasing commitment towards high-quality research; incorporating into its structures and activities the notion of diversity; increasing reputation of its annual congress; and substituting its initial Anglo-Saxon-northern European dominance by a more comprehensive European focus. The EAA, though, faces some challenges in the near future: consolidation in southern Europe and other peripheral countries; penetration in eastern Europe; eventual re-definition of its aims and scope in a globalized world; eventual re-definition of the size and scope of its annual congress; and a more prominent role of women in executive posts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts on medical topics which include health promotion of self-affirmation, the imapct of self-affirmation on physical activity, and the administration of self-affirmation on adaptive cognition and behavior changes.

The structure and methods to complete and derive a quality score from the European Network of Health Economic Evaluation Databases (EURONHEED) transferability information checklists for published economic evaluations were reported and discussed in a previous paper (Boulenger et al. in Eur J Health Econ 6, 334–346, 2005). Within the same paper, the use of the checklists was illustrated through their application to a sample of economic evaluations conducted in France and UK. The transferability information subchecklist, consisting of 16 items from the original 42-point checklist, and methods used to derive it, were validated among 16 health economists across Europe participating in the EURONHEED project. Recent correspondence with other researchers, however, indicates that the checklists are now being utilised in empirical work and the methodology of assessing transferability and generalisability. This supplementary paper provides full details of the guidelines that have been developed and recently updated by the authors, such that the overall and subchecklists can be more widely and consistently completed and utilised. We also briefly discuss associated issues such as weighting of items in the checklists and give further clarifications regarding what we consider the most appropriate applications of the checklists to be. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Géotechnique is the property of Thomas Telford Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper outlines the history of the European Fibres Group (EFG) and includes its aims and achievements from the time of its formation in 1993 to the present day. The main emphasis is on the subject of "the evidential value of fibres", how the EFG have provided the data and where to locate it. Additionally the paper provides a look into what the group has accomplished in the recognition of the "lack of data" and the research being conducted to correct this problem. Finally it outlines other projects that are underway to improve its members' knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the influence of the Troika on the retrenchment and reform of social security in Ireland during its bailout between 2010 and 2013. To do this, it draws on data from in-depth interviews with senior civil servants and civil society organisation staff who met with the Troika as part of their quarterly missions to Ireland during this period. The key themes which emerged from these interviews include the largely domestic origins of social security retrenchment and reform; the surprising, and distinctive, positions adopted by the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund (IMF); the extent of the Irish government's room for manoeuvre in this area, and the ways in which the Irish government defended social security against proposals for additional cuts put forward by the Troika. The paper concludes by arguing that the scope for domestic decision-making was heavily constrained, yet non-trivial, and that the Troika's influence comprised not only ‘powering’ but also ‘persuasion’. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper critically examines the discourse surrounding fair trade mainstreaming, and discusses the potential avenues for the future of the social movement. The authors have a unique insight into the fair trade market having a combined experience of over 30 years in practice and 15 as fair trade scholars. The paper highlights a number of benefits of mainstreaming, not least the continued growth of the global fair trade market (tipped to top $7bn in 2012). However, the paper also highlights the negative consequences of mainstreaming on the long-term viability of fair trade as a credible ethical standard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines the origins of the Development Studies Association (DSA) in the 1960s together with the main features of the association since its formation in 1978. Some of the leading individuals in this evolution are identified, but it is made clear that institutional pressures have also been important over the years. Issues which threaten the Association include ‘free-riding’ (the obverse of which is ‘externalities’) as well as the linked question of those involved in ‘development’ who are neither members nor involved in the activities of the association. The paper also considers whether the DSA has ‘made a difference’, links the DSA to its European sister association, the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), and describes recent and prospective future developments. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population aging is exacerbating the loss of competences in the workforce and simultaneously young people neither in employment nor in education and training (NEETs) are struggling to be reengaged in employment. These issues, which are deemed priorities for the European policy agenda, could be addressed by triggering active aging dimensions, valuing and exploiting older adult entrepreneurs' knowledge for enhancing youngsters' entrepreneurial attitudes, through mentoring. This paper reports the results of a study based on an intergenerational learning program, carried out in 2018 in Germany, Italy and Slovenia. The study was aimed at developing and testing one training on mentoring addressing 41 older adult entrepreneurs (55 and over), and two intergenerational learning trainings aiming at boosting entrepreneurial competences of 33 NEETs (aged 18–29). The impact of the program on older adult entrepreneurs and NEETs was assessed through a pre and post-evaluation using qualitative and quantitative tools. Findings at country level were treated as national case-studies and then the latter were compared by considering them as a multiple embedded case-study. Results indicated that, to different extent in the study countries, mentors learned and enhanced mentoring competences, e.g. active listening and the capability of orienting, improved well-being and self-esteem, social inclusion and active aging attitude. Moreover, NEETs acquired entrepreneurial and socio-relational competences by benefiting from the full exploitation of mentors' know-how and the trust relationship with them. Companies, trade unions, educational and voluntary organizations should cooperate to adopt intergenerational learning programs as good practices for older adults and NEETs' lifelong learning promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Widely advocated as a means to make policy making more integrated, policy assessment remains weakly integrated in practice. But explanations for this shortfall, such as lack of staff training and resources, ignore more fundamental institutional factors. This paper identifies institutional capacities supporting and constraining attempts to make policy assessment more integrated. A comparative empirical analysis of functionally equivalent assessment systems in four European jurisdictions finds that there are wide-ranging institutional constraints upon integration. These include international policy commitments, the perception that assessment should support rather than determine policy, organisational traditions, and the sectorisation of policy making. This paper concludes by exploring the potential for altering these institutions to make policy assessment more integrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What evidence supports or refutes the claim articulated from various quarters that faith-based organisations (FBOs) have been repositioned as actors for combating social problems like poverty and social exclusion in cities? This paper explores FBOs as agents of social change in contemporary cities in Europe, with a glance at the US. The argument is, first, that we need to conceptualise changing dynamics between religion, politics and post-secular society in the conviction that cities are the pre-eminent loci where these new relations are forming with intensity. While state restructuring and the urbanisation of political action are well-documented processes, far less is known aboutsimilar changes in the governance of religious institutions and their consequences for the urbanising relations between religion and the public sphere. Secondly, there are a number of empirical instances of FBOs involving faith-motivated and other people who respond to problems of poverty and social exclusion in various cities across Europe and suggest a changing public role of FBOs in social and political issues. Such repositioning, however, does not relate to the public sphere without tensions and ambiguities and the paper draws out some implications for theory and practice that guide a new international and multidisciplinary research agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to sum up the major challenges for the exchange and post-trade industry that are posed by the European Code of Conduct for Clearing and Settlement. The Code was adopted by the three major associations representing the cash equity trade and post-trade industry - the Federation of European Securities Exchanges (FESE), the European Association of Central Counterparty Clearing Houses (EACH) and the European Central Securities Depositories Association (ECSDA) - and accepted by the European Commission as an alternative to legal measures at the end of 2006. The first stage of its implementation started in December 2006 and the last stage is scheduled for completion in December 2007. For a better understanding of the current tasks that need to be solved by each individual player in the industry, the paper first provides the context of the better regulation principle. It then proceeds by giving an overview of the industry and by tracing the regulatory developments that led to the proposal of a Code. Finally, the paper discusses current challenges faced by the securities industry that are associated with the implementation of the Code. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses critical issues underlying the interface between air quality science, stakeholder participation, and policy development within the context of the European AIRNET Network multistakeholder project. The paper argues that it is not only the content of air pollution and health issues that stakeholders consider important, but also the process and mechanisms by which the interface operates. A visual representation of the interaction between science, society, and stakeholders in the development, dissemination, and evaluation of effective air quality policy strategies is provided. The paper discusses the role of AIRNET in supporting the Clean Air for Europe (CAFE) program and assesses the AIRNET experience in establishing a network to bridge the gap between air quality policy, stakeholders, the public, and scientific communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is threefold: to contribute to the increasing global debate in organization theory about corporate ethics; to focus on the importance of measurement costs and its influence on organizational change in stakeholder systems; and to provide a framework for overcoming the inherent ambiguity and increased measurement costs associated with stakeholder business systems. Design/methodology/approach - The approach is to analyze the importance of institutional certification and indirect measurement indicators, which are defined as indices to develop a dynamic framework capable of evaluating change in stakeholder business systems. Findings - The stakeholder business system, a dominant system in continental European countries, as well as various countries in Asia, requires involvement by multiple actors, including financial markets, banks, employees, government. Research limitations/implications - Further research is necessary to analyze in more depth the way organization value can be measured and how stakeholders can interact with the organizations involved in external certification, in facilitating organizational change. There is also a need to further research the dynamics of the relationship between market, institutions and social structure in organizational change. Originality/value - A general contribution of the paper is that it illustrates that all industries have ‘indices’, which are more tacit, implicit than the traditional, transparent market indicators and signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the treatment of women in the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) postdoctoral fellowship scheme. The results of the study suggest that a tiny difference between the female and the male applicants appears to have been magnified in the selection process. One could claim that women needed a greater number of publications in order to be successful, but the data equally illustrate a need for men to have publications with a higher impact factor. The biggest challenge for granting schemes, such as the EMBO fellowships, however, is to discover-if there are-sources of bias against women and the means to ensure that these are eliminated during the decision-making process.

Highlights the Fourth European Association for Computer Graphics Workshop on Parallel Graphics and Visualisation held on September 9-10, 2002 in Blaubeuren, Germany. Topics discussed; Speakers.

This paper analyses the determinants of people’s support for European institutions, mainly focusing on the impact of European identity, after the economic crisis and in a moment in which – after profound uncertainty for its immediate future – there is a new feeling toward European integration. Previous research on support for European institutions, before the economic and financial crisis which had hit Europe since 2008, found that people’s evaluations followed mainly an instrumental logic – support being contingent on a perception of personal or national benefit accruing for EU membership – with an additional role played by European identification. This contribution expands the analysis after the beginning of the economic crisis, so to assess whether the former has affected the structure of such support, and deepens the analysis of the impact of EU identity on European institutional confidence. Using a recent Eurobarometer survey (86.2, 2016) and combining both individual and contextual data, the paper shows that European identity plays a crucial role in explaining European support also after the crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to shed light on organizational perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of engaging older volunteers, and on how they might best capitalize on the availability of older volunteers in different countries and sectors. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws from 74 case studies of voluntary organizations carried out in eight European countries, conducted mainly between spring 2009 and autumn 2010. On-site interviews adopting common guidelines were carried out with organizational representatives. Findings – From the organizational perspectives, some disadvantages of engaging older volunteers are: difficulties matching older volunteers to tasks; problems relating to health and declining capacities; the need for special training efforts. Examples of perceived advantages are: considerable knowledge, skills, experience, reliability and strong commitment of older volunteers. In spite of the very different contexts, objectives and notions of "performance", cost-benefit assessments of older volunteers do not differ greatly from those generally held by employers about older employees. Countries differ considerably in the recognition of older volunteer potential. Practical implications – Organizational policies and initiatives to capitalize on the availability of older volunteers are examined in the paper. Country and sector-related reflections show how different and changing are the environments for volunteering. Policy makers need to recognise these when implementing active ageing policies. Voluntary organizations should raise their awareness of the need for innovation in volunteer management, especially relating to older people. Originality/value – There has been much research about the experiences of older volunteers and how they benefit from the operations of civil society organizations. The perceptions of the organizations have, however, been neglected and these are explored in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over its 30 years of existence, Organization Studies has embodied three enduring themes, namely: a desire and respect for diverse theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches; a concern with the study of organizations, organizing, and the organized in and between societies; sustaining an interdisciplinary range. These three interrelated themes constitute the core identity of Organization Studies and EGOS–indeed, constituting the idea of a distinctive European identity. The paper traces how these themes have survived as the field of academic scholarship and publishing in organization and management has changed, in particular: the emergence of international business school ranking systems; the development of the US Academy of Management into a more and more international body; and even greater influence or hegemony of the United States in organizational and management scholarship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the development and significance of the European Institute of Technology (EIT) in the period since 2005 when the European Union launched a suite of initiatives for higher education, research and innovation, including the EIT, as part of attempts to re-launch its Lisbon Strategy around a 'growth and jobs' agenda. The EIT is presented as implicated in European Commission attempts to redefine the mandates and governance of higher education institutions as part of a knowledge-based economy route to economic and social development. The production and contestation of the EIT as it was negotiated within EU institutions is shown as having been conditioned by the interactions between Commission attempts to use the EIT to disrupt the governance and financing of higher education and research and national and institutional determination to constrain the EIT within extant governance and financing principles. In conclusion, the paper outlines a research agenda for the study and analysis of the EIT in the period up to 2013 which will make it possible to specify the significance of the EIT for EU integration, the development of the European higher education, research and innovation fields, the fate of EU strategies for capital accumulation and social development and the legitimacy of the EU itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Annual Congress of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine took place in Copenhagen on October 13–17, 2007. The event is the major scientific and professional effort in the field of nuclear medicine in Europe. The most important developments in the fields of instrumentation, radionuclide production, radiochemistry, radiotherapy, as well as the clinical imaging fields of neurology, cardiology, oncology, and general sciences were reported. This paper emphasizes the major findings and trends at this important gathering. This review is, however, only a brief summary of the large amount of data discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically analyses the voluntary agreement of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) which is intended to ensure a significant reduction of average CO 2 emissions from new passenger cars. It concludes that the voluntary agreement is far from being an adequate solution in terms of both ecological effectiveness and economic cost-efficiency. Therefore, the paper proposes to replace the voluntary agreement by an emission trading scheme which directly places car makers under obligation. This switch in policy should be accompanied by further phased increases in the ecotax levied on fuels and a vehicle taxation system that places greater focus on CO 2 emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the typical European system for public funding of parties, where parties receive public funds depending on their vote share. These funds finance electoral campaigns. It is shown that such a funding system increases policy convergence. The effect is larger, the more funding depends on vote shares. If the parties have access to other means of campaign finance given in a lump-sum way, the effect is moderated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper asks (a) why and how institutions change, (b) how an institution persists in a changing environment, and (c) how processes that it unleashes lead to its own demise. The paper shows that the game-theoretic notion of self-enforcing equilibrium and the historical institutionalist focus on process are both inadequate to answer these questions. Building on a game-theoretic foundation, but responding to the critique of it by historical institutionalists, the paper introduces the concepts of quasi-parameters and self reinforcement With these concepts, and building on repeated game theory, a dynamic approach to institutions is offered, one that can account for endogenous change (and stability) of institutions. Contextual accounts of formal governing institutions in early modern Europe and the informal institution of cleavage structure in the contemporary world provide illustrations of the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper looks at the evolution of the European Accounting Review as the journal of the European Accounting Association. It provides an historical background to the launch of the journal in 1992, and traces how the European Accounting Review has developed to be a widely accepted academic journal in accounting. The journal tried at one and the same time, and managed with some success, to fulfill several different functions: to be an academic journal, a newsletter for the members and a place for debate on European accounting regulation. It seems that one of the main reasons that this was possible was the way EAR grew out of earlier initiatives by the EAA such as the Newsletter, the annual doctoral colloquium and the EIASM accounting workshops. The journal was thus a product of the development of a community of accounting researchers in Europe. In turn it began to play a constructive role in contributing to the further development of the accounting research community in Europe. During its first decade, the period on which our analysis concentrates, the European Accounting Review has acted to develop the idea of European accounting research in a research environment which has tended, at the international level, to be dominated by the Anglo-Saxon countries. EAR has tried to become a journal for European academics, and to be sensitive to European issues while being published in English. Being published in English, it thus directly competes for submissions and for readers in the global market for accountancy journals. In this way it has acted as one of the catalysts in the process of internationalization of the European academic accounting community. After the reform of 1999, the structure and aims of the journal are now more tightly focused on being a successful academic research journal, and less on playing a role as a forum for information and discussion. In this article we hope that we can contribute to celebrating the 25th anniversary of the EAA and reflect on EAR's future role in a world where the focus in both research and practice in accounting is more and more at the 'global' level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the results of a life - cycle energy model of a pilot mobile phone "take-back" scheme carried out by the Cellular Phones Take-back Working Group of the European Trade Organisation for the Telecommunication and Professional Electronics Industry (ECTEL) in the United Kingdom (UK) and Sweden during 1997. Using data collected from the scheme, the model calculates a snapshot "energy balance" associated with mobile phone take-back for a variety of phone types and take-back scenarios in the year 1997. It also develops a time-series model for the UK, describing the environmental implications of different takeback scenarios in the future. Because of its emphasis on interactive, dynamic modeling techniques, the methodology developed for the life-cycle model has the potential for wide application in regulatory and industrial decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Health care organizations need to be responsive to the needs of increasingly diverse patient populations. We compared the contents of six publicly available approaches to organizational responsiveness to diversity. The central questions addressed in this paper are: what are the most consistently recommended issues for health care organizations to address in order to be responsive to the needs of diverse groups that differ from the majority population? How much consensus is there between various approaches?Methods: We purposively sampled six approaches from the US, Australia and Europe and used qualitative textual analysis to categorize the content of each approach into domains (conceptually distinct topic areas) and, within each domain, into dimensions (operationalizations). The resulting classification framework was used for comparative analysis of the content of the six approaches.Results: We identified seven domains that were represented in most or all approaches: organizational commitment, empirical evidence on inequalities and needs, a competent and diverse workforce, ensuring access for all users, ensuring responsiveness in care provision, fostering patient and community participation, and actively promoting responsiveness. Variations in the operationalization of these domains related to different scopes, contexts and types of diversity. For example, approaches that focus on ethnic diversity mostly provide recommendations to handle cultural and language differences; approaches that take an intersectional approach and broaden their target population to vulnerable groups in a more general sense also pay attention to factors such as socio-economic status and gender.Conclusions: Despite differences in labeling, there is a broad consensus about what health care organizations need to do in order to be responsive to patient diversity. This opens the way to full scale implementation of organizational responsiveness in healthcare and structured evaluation of its effectiveness in improving patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA). EECERA is an international association that aims to promote and disseminate research in early childhood education throughout Europe and beyond. The association also has a journal that aims to offers a forum for the papers of original research in early childhood education in Europe. It is said that EECERA welcomes the creation of additional of Special Interest Group (SIG).

Associations are likely to recruit resource rich individuals and they are places where individuals interact, and thus, are likely to exchange social resources. The paper asks which kinds of associations embed individuals holding many social resources. According to theoretical considerations, I distinguish between bridging and bonding associations. Bridging associations are likely to embed heterogeneous individuals while bonding associations embed homogeneous individuals. Therefore, the range of social resources available inside associations may be higher in bridging than in bonding associations. Thinking about the resource exchanging environment inside the associations, a further distinction of bonding associations seems reasonable: some aim at political goals outside the group (e.g., trade unions or professional organizations) and others focus on developing a nice atmosphere inside the group (apolitical bonding associations like elderly leisure associations). I analyze data from Eurobarometer 62.2 using multilevel analyses. Descriptive analyses indicate that active individuals have access to more social resources than inactive individuals. This relation varies for apolitical and political bonding associations according to the European countries. The multilevel analyses controlling for individual characteristics and country variables indicate that potential resources accessible to individuals active in associations depend on the focus of the associations. While bridging and apolitical bonding associations embed individuals accessing more social resources than non-active individuals, political bonding associations are not likely to embed resource rich individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper measures the impact of immigration on migrants' involvement in associations across Europe. Using multilevel analysis on European Social Survey (ESS) data, we address three questions: Are immigrants likely to become members in voluntary associations? Does this likelihood change with the length of stay in the host country? Does the type of the association make a difference? The findings show that the likelihood of migrants participating in associations increases with the length of stay, while second-generation migrant participation is similar to that of the host society. The relation is stronger for expressive associations and weaker for instrumental-utilitarian ones, while religious organisations are more likely to attract new immigrants. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper examines factors affecting the owner-manager's voluntary decision to hire an auditor in small firms. Using a random sample of 412 small private companies in Finland responding to an Internet survey, we first probe the institutional boundaries of a prior UK study [Collis, J., Jarvis, R., and Skerratt, L., 2004. The demand for the audit in small companies in the UK. Accounting and business research, 34 (2), 87–100] and conclude that its main findings can be generalised to a different regulatory setting (Finland) typical of many Continental European countries. Second, we broaden the prior research by testing new hypotheses regarding the drivers of an audit among small companies. We hypothesise and find evidence that outsourcing of critical accounting functions creates information asymmetry between the owner-manager and the external accountant, which may arouse the need for monitoring the external accountant through a voluntary audit. In addition, we find, as hypothesised, that tax advisory services provided by the external accountant reduce the likelihood of a voluntary audit. Moreover, we hypothesise that receiving a qualified opinion from the auditor reduces the likelihood of hiring an auditor voluntarily, whereas firms experiencing financial distress would be more willing to have their financial statements audited. We find evidence consistent with these hypotheses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The office of the High Commissioner on National Minorities, body of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, published at the end of 2008 a set of recommendations dealing with the rights of national minorities in inter-state relations. In this paper circumstances related to the origins of Bolzano/Bozen Recommendations are analysed, subsequently the paper presents the content of the Recommendations, and finally, the paper analyses to what extent the Recommendations have been reflected in minority-related legislation and policies of Croatia and several neighbouring countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout history political building meant also the development of the administration. Descriptions and complaints about bureaucracy in the EU are numerous, but the supra-national bureaucracy is not exactly replicating the national one. Firstly because the European organizations enjoy powers and privileges that no national bureaucracies have, and secondly, it is far too small to directly manage 500 million people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper empirically investigates a possible convergence among the operational efficiency of financial institutions across countries. We explore (i) the relative performance of banking industries in two samples (European and global) over time, and (ii) whether banking industries are likely to attain the same level of efficiency in the long run as implied by international financial integration. We find that convergence in bank efficiency is incomplete and limited to European banking industries. Differing level of bank efficiencies across the globe may offer opportunities for international investors who would like to capitalize on such market imperfections. Our findings also have implications for policy makers who are concerned with the full integration and the stability of the global financial system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The new EU Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical Substances (REACH) Regulation to control the trade and use of chemicals has a great potential to reduce worker exposure to hazardous substances and therefore reduce chemical-related occupational diseases. REACH requires manufacturers of substances of very high concern (SVHC) to request an authorisation for each use of these substances in order to continue marketing them. There are between 1500 and 2000 SVHC on the European market; however, to date, the European Chemicals Agency has published only 29 substances as candidates for the authorisation procedure. This work aims to contribute to the practical implementation of REACH by proposing a list of SVHC which, from a union's perspective, should have priority for inclusion in the authorisation procedure. Methods In a first stage, SVHC for prioritisation were identified, prioritisation criteria were established, and scores for each criterion were defined for finally developing the Trade Union List. Results Through previously presented criteria, the Trade Union List includes 305 high-production-volume chemicals that meet the requirements of the authorisation process under REACH. 190 of these substances are associated with recognised occupational diseases, and 22 have been included in the REACH Candidate List. Conclusions In this paper, we present a precautionary but scientifically aligned process for identifying, scoring and ranking SVHC, including categories of substances not currently considered in other approaches to the REACH Regulation. This proposed methodology is advocated by Trade Unions to coherently prioritise SVHC in order to implement and enforce REACH in a way that will more effectively protect the health of the European working and general population. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper addresses the challenges of building capacity for collaborative participatory research with disabled people's organisations in European countries. The paper presents initial findings from the project 'European Research Agendas for Disability Equality' (EuRADE), which seeks to build the capacity of civil society organisations to participate in future research collaborations in partnership with academic institutions. The findings draw on survey data identifying the research capacity, needs and priorities of 68 organisations in 25 countries and focuses, in particular, on responses from national or European level representative organisations of disabled people. The findings demonstrate a high degree of motivation and readiness for collaboration in academic research but raise concerns about the readiness of academic institutions to engage disabled people as equal partners within social model and rights-based approaches. Respondent organisations identified a wide range of research needs that raise challenges for collaborative responses from the academic community. In this way, the findings provide a basis for developing user-led agendas for European funded research within the emancipatory paradigm, and indentify important opportunities for new international research collaborations between activists and academics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two European Union (EU) tools were adopted to enhance cooperation among Member States in the case of crises and emergencies (natural, industrial or man-made) occurring both inside and outside the EU borders: first, the EU has developed a new tool in the field of civil protection that has been managed by the Directorate General Environment of the European Commission under the label of the Community Civil Protection Mechanism since 2001. Second, the Emergency and Crisis Coordination Arrangements (CCA), under the responsibility of the European Council, have been developed since 2005. Using a sociological neo-institutionalist approach based on the concept of ‘divergent isomorphism’, the paper explains who and what the sources of EU integration process were leading to the coexistence of these two structures. Two case studies are presented using process tracing to demonstrate that two different pre-existing organizational models were copied to create the EU structures of crisis and emergency management: that of the Community Marine pollution framework for the Community Civil Protection Mechanism and that of NATO for the CCA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professional football clubs are service enterprises engaged in the business of performance, entertainment and financial profit. Developing young players may reap both sporting and financial rewards to clubs, players and football agents. This paper explores the organizational structure and working practices of professional football clubs concerning young player development. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with heads of youth development within elite clubs (n =26) across five European countries. The study reveals the presence of organizational homogenization within formal youth structures across Europe. Developing players for first team, player's personal development and financial profit were predominant aims of all youth programmes. Operational differences included roles, responsibility, youth to professional transitions and the dominant presence of a club orientation towards player development (n=22). Lack of proximity and formal communication between youth and professional environments, regardless of structure, led to staff dissatisfaction and appeared to hinder the coherent progression of young players into the professional environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on the European Medical Students' Association (EMSA). It is a students' initiative under Belgian law, volunteer-based organization advocating and representing the voice of the medical students of geographical Europe. It was founded in 1991 to provide a common network for medical students. One of the initiatives of the organization is the European Medical Students' (EMS) Council. The Vienna Resolution paper of the 7th EMS Council is also presented.

There is a tendency by scholars arguing for a more just and sustainable future to position the “ecological crisis” as a fundamental reason for major educational reforms. Relying on crisis-talk to fuel social and environmental justice and environmentalism reinforces the thinking of the past, which inadvertently perpetuates the acceptance of present cultural attitudes which frame our relationships with others and the natural world. To evaluate previous cultural thinking and associated traditions of Euro-West society, Chet Bowers asserts that we ought to analyze how assumptions are carried forward as metaphors, which are associated with attitudes towards science, technology, and nature. This pedagogy is called ecojustice education and serves to conserve and sustain cultural diversity and the biodiversity of Earth’s ecosystems, which are threatened and vulnerable. But, also carried forward in the language of ecojustice philosophy (and other ecological works) is a presumption that feeds into scientifically proving that a crisis exists, which is associated with organizing schools around an implicit shock doctrine of fear and urgency. This paper explores these assumptions and others associated with a supposition of ecological crisis. The ecological crisis has the potential to marginalize many diverse people who are needed during these times of increasing ecological awareness and uncertainties. Situating education (and the world) in the frenzy associated with crisis, versus the assertion that schools should increase awareness around the belief that a more sustainable lifestyle is beneficial for the individual, the community and the environment is a worthwhile debate and is rich with respect to research opportunities in education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current article discusses the changes in the role of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) in the Bologna Process, mainly from the ENQA point of view. This paper argues that ENQA's development to its current status as a European-level policy maker is to a great extent a result of the European Union's policy of supporting European-level cooperation and transparency in the field of quality assurance. ENQA was not the only contestant for the role it now has in European quality assurance. The European University Association (EUA) had long-term experience in quality assurance and also had its own interests in the field of quality assurance. The tension between ENQA and EUA is visible in the policy statements of these organisations and in interviews of past and current ENQA actors that were carried out for this study. In order to have a fuller picture of the development of European-level quality assurance structures, it is necessary to complement this study with further interviews from the point of view of other stakeholders, notably the EUA and the Commission of the European Union. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background, aim, and scope This paper summarises the critical review process according to ISO 14040/44 performed for the European Aluminium Association (EAA), Brussels. Scope of the review was a life cycle inventory (LCI) project, aiming at providing the life cycle assessment (LCA) community with reliable generic data relevant for the European aluminium market, including the production of aluminium ingot either from primary aluminium or from recycled aluminium and the fabrication of semi-finished products, i.e., sheet, foil or extrusion fabrication from aluminium ingots. Main features Critical reviewing according to ISO 14040 and 14044, although described formally in the standards, evolved essentially via 'learning by doing'. This special review has been conducted as a critical review by one external expert. Since no comparative assertions are to be expected from the results obtained, a critical review according to the panel method (at least three reviewers) was deemed not to be necessary. The review process was interactive and took about a year (March 2007 to April 2008). The full review report is printed in full length at the end of the published LCI data report. Results The report continues the tradition of the former reports but offers new aspects. The main change refers to the use of new software for data handling (GaBi 4.0 replacing the formerly used LCA-2 based on BUWAL data), including generic data for ancillary processes and inputs for the energy model. The LCI results, therefore, cannot be compared exactly with the data of the previous reports. There is no disconnection, however, so that trends can be observed and discussed with some precaution. The main trend with respect to energy and emissions is one of slow but steady improvement. A main methodological improvement with regard to the former projects is the new energy model, especially with regard to imported primary aluminium. Discussion There was some discussion about the term 'waste' when it is put outside the system boundary together with the resulting emissions. According to the author's opinion, there are at least three types of waste: (1) waste to be reused or recycled-this waste stays within the technosphere and, thus, within the system boundaries of a typical LCA; (2) waste to be collected and removed legally by incineration, controlled landfilling or composting-this waste stays within the technosphere, too; only the emissions of the waste removal processes (CO2, CH4, organic contaminants to ground water, leached metal ions to ground water, etc.) escape into the environment if not collected properly; (3) waste thrown away, e.g. by littering, illegal dumping, burning, etc.; this waste ends up in the environment if not collected. There was a time when solid waste in LCA (if landfilled) was considered as an 'emission into soil'.… [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]