Search Results

SummaryMuch stress has been placed on the pitfalls which confront the delivery of services in our societies; an indiscriminate over-evaluation of natural support systems can, however, conceal similar pitfalls. Data have been collected from a stratified sample of the aged in order to ascertain the place that the elderly themselves accord to formal and informal resources in their problem-solving strategies. An analysis of the factors associated with giving preference to a particular category of resources has made it possible to identify the different dynamics which underlie the choice of a particular strategy, and to form certain hypotheses as to how environmental influence operates.

Over the last twenty years, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a major subject of public debate and research in social sciences. The development of CSR strategies has an impact on trade unions, which have to adapt and react, or even use the opportunities offered by CSR. The aim of this article is to shed further light on the way trade unions develop their strategies in the field of CSR.Two works are used to analyze these strategies and their development: the work of Boxall (2008) in the field of industrial relations and that of Whittington (2006) on “strategies as practice”. The article presents an analysis grid to study how five representative trade union confederations in France developed their CSR strategies between 2006 and 2016.The results of this longitudinal study reveal three kinds of strategies: 1- Confederations that have formulated a strategy in favour of CSR very early on; 2- Confederations that have committed themselves more recently to CSR; and, 3- one Confederation that remains very critical of CSR. The major drivers of these strategies are, on the one hand, the external relations trade unions develop with NGOs and public authorities, and, on the other, the resources trade unions dedicate to CSR and the actions put in place. At the theoretical level, this article broadens the potential of the selected theories and opens up new perspectives for research. At the practical level, it allows for a better understanding of trade unions' strategies and, if appropriate, better adaptation and even influence.

Keywords: responsabilité sociétale de l'entreprise, syndicat, France, stratégie comme pratique, corporate social responsibility, union, France, strategy as practice, responsabilidad social de empresa, sindicato, Francia, estrategia como práctica

UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Program aims to establish a scientific basis for improving human-nature relations on a global scale. After almost 50 years of existence, the most tangible expression of MAB is a network of biosphere reserves, one of whose main objectives is education. Since environmental education (EE) sets out to harmonize the relations between person-society-environment, we have carried out a critical analysis of the actions suggested for this purpose by the MAB. This exercise was carried out as part of the 3rd periodic review of the Mont Saint-Hilaire Biosphere Reserve (RBMSH), in compliance with the Statutory Framework of Biosphere Reserves and with the intention of providing insights into EE practices. In summary, we present five observations concerning the aims of EE, the non-formal framework in which EE is conducted, the axiology of practices, the relevance of developing an EE framework model, and the adoption of formative evaluation approaches during periodic reviews to take into account the diversity of human-biosphere relations within the RBMSH and the World Network of Biosphere Reserves.

This two-part article looks at two decades (2004–2024) of human rights issues raised by the activities of Canadian extractive companies abroad. Considering the current consensus seeking to transcend the bipolarity between voluntary and mandatory standards and adopt a mixed and complementary approach, the article analyzes Canada's responses or attempted responses to these issues. Part I, the subject of this publication, explores Canadian government policies in this area, and analyzes different strategies and mechanisms they put in place to shape due diligence abroad. In a subsequent publication, the second part analyzes and comments on the legislative and judicial initiatives of recent decades, also aimed at making Canadian extractive companies more accountable abroad. This first part examines whether the Canadian government's most recent policies, adopted during the period from 2019 to 2024, represent a break with the policies of the previous period, from 2004 to 2019. The authors conclude that, while the most recent policies represent a change of tone in the discourse used by the Canadian government, the approach adopted remains essentially the same and is in continuity with the first policy period. Although they introduce practices requiring due diligence in certain cases, we are witnessing a “soft hardening” of soft law, i.e. the institutionalization of voluntary standards and practices, some established by the industry, while at the same time introducing a few —albeit very limited—mandatory provisions.

Transrail est la société qui exploite présentement les chemins de fer entre Dakar (au Sénégal) et Bamako (au Mali) une voie métrique longue de 1 288 kilomètres. Deux des particularités des systèmes de transport sont l'impossibilité de constituer un inventaire de voyages et la perte d'une partie ou de la totalité du temps de production consacré aux voyages durant lesquels l'outil de production tombe en panne avant d'arriver à destination; ce qui rend l'implantation d'une stratégie de maintenance d'autant plus importante dans ce cas. Il faut alors maintenir la disponibilité des engins de transport autour d'une valeur suffisante pour permettre au système de transport de répondre de manière satisfaisante à la demande. La problématique abordée par ce mémoire est l'intégration de la disponibilité de deux …

It is difficult for the teacher and the instructional designer to establish the degree of compatibility between the proposed teaching strategies and the instructional objectives. In order to simplify their task, this paper proposes to address this question within a cognitive perspective and to suggest the classification of a certain number of strategies as well as a simple procedure for effecting a choice. This paper does not presume to offer a definitive solution to the problem of choosing teaching strategies. Its objective, however, is to demonstrate the pertinence of a cognitive approach in this context.

This paper focuses on the emphasis placed on culture in Canadian Heritage's sustainable development strategies since the late 1990's, acknowledging that although many international documents recognize the importance of culture to sustainable development, its actual recognition also depends on state and institutional policies. In this respect, the Canadian Heritage case shows the limitations of Canada's perspective as the Department, after being involved in the study and promotion of social and cultural aspects of sustainable development, progressively pulled back following new federal guidelines. In order to understand where the Department stands on this issue, the paper begins with an overview of its history, addressing the vagueness that surrounds the terms “heritage” and “culture” since its creation, and particularly since its separation from Parks Canada. The second part describes the separation as an important factor in the Department's re-evaluation of its approach to sustainable development given the strong connection between the environment and the natural areas and historic sites under the supervision of Parks Canada. Using sustainable development strategies and other official documents, the final part summarizes the Department's actions and highlights the difficulty in operationalizing the links between sustainable development and culture.

This article presents the results of a research study on the relationships between manpower management and the structural and behavioral characteristics of small industrial businesses. The analysis was carried out using the data obtained from a subsample of 365 businesses, selected from a broader panel study of small companies located in Lorraine, a region of North-Eastern France.Based on the idea that manpower management is an effective practice in a small business environment, the results bring to light the predominance of the structural dimension. The strong incidence of the degree of maturity can also be noticed. Along with maturity, size and particularly technology help to form a triad, essential in the understanding of the phenomena of human resource management in a small industrial business environment.