Sustainable/responsible mining and ethical issues related to the Sustainable Development Goals

The modern world needs an ever-increasing amount and variety of metals and minerals to meet demands for energy, telecommunications, infrastructure, transport vehicles and the like. Despite the basic perception of mining being unsustainable, there has been a radical shift in thinking about mining and sustainable development in recent decades, led by the introduction of numerous guidelines, schemes and protocols to address specific issues and improve reporting and accountability by mines and mining companies – in simple terms, using certification-type schemes to justify a sustainable or responsible approach to mining based on more ethical underpinnings. This chapter presents a unique and concise synthesis of these complex issues and outlines how mining can be described as responsible, sustainable or perhaps ethical even – or not as the case may be.

Overlapping certification and technical efficiency of ICT convergence companies in South Korea

Since the late 1990s, in South Korea, two innovation certification policies—InnoBiz and Venture certifications—have fostered the innovation activities of venture companies and small- to medium-sized enterprises.The two certifications, however, share similar features in their policy goals, targets, and main content. This study aims to evaluate how technical efficiencies of firms differ based on the types of innovation certifications it achieves and examine the result when a firm simultaneously achieves overlapping certifications. We classified information and communication technology convergence firms into four different groups by certification type and evaluated their performance based on technical efficiency (TE) by applying stochastic frontier analysis and meta-frontier analysis. Our results show that the meta-frontier TE of the group with overlapping certifications is lower than that of the group with a single certification, implying that there is no remarkable performance improvement in terms of the efficiency, particularly when certifications sharing similar characteristics are implemented.

PENGARUH TATA RUANG KANTOR TERHADAP KINERJA KARYAWAN PADA PT. SUCOFINDO (PERSERO) MEDAN

<p>Office Spatial Planning arrangement of office space and office preparation equipment and furniture on the floor area and office space available to offer facilities for workers. PT. Sucofindo (Persero) Medan Branch is a company engaged in consulting services, testing, providing training and providing certification services such as, ISO 9001: 2008 Certification. Type of quantitative research, with the type of data obtained from primary and secondary data, and research methods of data collection using interviews, observation, and questionnaires. Based on the research results of the relationship (correlation) the strongest indicator is Xi with Yi, namely R = 0.745 and the contribution contributed by 55.50%. The regression test results show that the most dominant indicator of the regression equation, Xi to Yi, is 0.962. And the t-test results show that the most dominant indicator is Xi against Yi, that is t count = 3.406 where t table 2.16 then t count 3.406&gt; t table 2.16 or in other words (Ha) accepted, meaning that there is a significant influence between Xi and Yi. Then the F Test results show that the most dominant indicator is Xi against Yi, namely F count = 16.196, where F table = 4.67, Ha accepted, meaning that there is a significant influence between Xi to Yi.</p><p><strong>Key words:</strong> Office Spatial Planning, Employee Performance, Multiple Linear Regression Tests</p>

Patterns of Teacher Attrition by Preparation Pathway and Initial School Type

This study examines the retention rates of new teachers in Texas given their initial certification type and initial school setting. The 5-year persistence rates of 175,664 teachers from 2000 to 2015 are analyzed using logistic regression to calculate the probability of new teacher persistence at the school, district, and state level. Main findings suggest that teachers’ certification type and initial school setting are statistically significant predictors of new teacher persistence, and traditionally licensed teachers initially placed in traditional public school are more likely to persist when compared with other preparation types or initial placements into charter schools.

Effects of shade-coffee certification programs on bird, trees and butterfly diversity in Colombia

In the last decade coffee certification programs have grown rapidly in Latin America, encouraging producers to harvest coffee based on production standards intended to enhance biodiversity conservation. However, few studies have tested whether such programs have a positive conservation impact. To date, research has focused on comparing community similarity between forests and plantations, but the question of whether certified plantations provide refuges for biodiversity in regions where all the forest has been lost remains untested. Here, we compare bird, butterfly and plant communities in highly deforested regions in Santander, Colombia, to determine the potential conservation role of two certification programs: Rainforest Alliance and Rainforest Alliance+Organic. We used 13 farms to census birds, butterflies, and trees, and quantified structural characteristics of the shade. We found little difference in most measures of diversity and composition of birds, butterfly and plant communities between types of plantations. However, despite high variation across farms, butterfly richness and abundance increased with the decrease in the use of pesticides in plantations. These results suggest that reduced use of chemical compounds in certified coffee plantations might enhance conservation of butterfly communities. The biodiversity associated with these coffee plantations and the high deforestation rates in Santander, suggest that irrespective of their certification type they provide the last refuges for biodiversity conservation in this region.

Management of Discharged Emergency Department Patients with a Primary Diagnosis of Hypertension: A Multicentre Study

IntroductionMany patients are seen in the emergency department (ED) for hypertension, and the numbers will likely increase in the future. Given limited evidence to guide the management of such patients, the practice of one’s peers provides a de facto standard.MethodsA survey was distributed to emergency physicians during academic rounds at three community and four tertiary EDs. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of participants who had a blood pressure (BP) threshold at which they would offer a new antihypertensive prescription to patients they were sending home from the ED. Secondary outcomes included patient- and provider-level factors associated with initiating an antihypertensive based on clinical vignettes of a 69-year-old man with two levels of hypertension (160/100 vs 200/110 mm Hg), as well as the recommended number of days after which to follow up with a primary care provider following ED discharge.ResultsAll 81 surveys were completed (100%). Half (51.9%; 95% CI 40.5-63.1) of participants indicated that they had a systolic BP threshold for initiating an antihypertensive, and 55.6% (95% CI 44.1-66.6) had a diastolic threshold: mean systolic threshold was 199 mm Hg (SD 19) while diastolic was 111 mm Hg (SD 8). A higher BP (OR 12.9; 95% CI 7.5-22.2) and more patient comorbidities (OR 3.0; 95% CI 2.1-4.3) were associated with offering an antihypertensive prescription, while physician years of practice, certification type, and hospital type were not. Participants recommended follow-up care within a median 7.0 and 3.0 days for the patient with lower and higher BP levels, respectively.ConclusionsHalf of surveyed emergency physicians report having a BP threshold to start an antihypertensive; BP levels and number of patient comorbidities were associated with a modification of the decision, while physician characteristics were not. Most physicians recommended follow-up care within seven days of ED discharge.