Automated generation of environmental reports - a case study
A variety of documents generated within the scope of environmental reporting are based on similar and partly overlapping information. However, in the majority of cases information collected for a particular environmental document cannot be reused for other objectives and if then only with huge additional work input. Data need to be updated on a regular basis, e.g. according to the report period. Therefore computer aided and automated reporting would make good sense. This paper introduces an approach of partly automated environmental reporting. The focus thereby lies on automated conversion of environmental assessment data to XML (Extensible Markup Language) format and integration into environmental reports, which will be shown with the software tool Umberto.
Electronic Presentation Styles of Corporate Sustainability Information and How They Reflect the Quality of Reporting
The environmental and social information available from web sites of all 95 firms in the 2003 Fortune Global 500 and Fortune 1000 chemical, electronics, and pharmaceutical sectors were analyzed with respect to quality of reporting relative to web presentation style. Quality of reporting was analyzed using the Pacific Sustainability Index (PSI) which assesses coverage of 140 environmental and social topics. Presentation styles were categorized as ad hoc (isolated relevant web pages), non-linear hyperlinked web pages (intended as formal environmental or sustainability reporting but not formatted as print-style reports), formal reports directly converted from print to electronic form (usually PDF), and enhanced converted-from-print embodying hyperlinks and other web-specific features. PSI scores were highest for reports that were converted from print, articularly when enhanced with web features. The latter presentation style was adopted by the largest companies, so that quality may be as much a reflection of resources as of choice of presentation styles. Nevertheless, it is clear that print, even though delivered by internet and often accompanied by an HTML version with similar or identical information, remains a presentation medium of choice for the largest companies and produces the best reports.
The Role of Human Rights in EU-US Bilateral Relations
This report aims to analyse the different dimensions and levels of EU-US relations, to survey the instruments the EU uses in this relation and to provide some recommendations for future EU actions. It provides an overview of the main similarities and differences between the EU and the US regarding human rights, and measures the influence of the EU on the state and practice of human rights in the United States. Likewise, this report analyses how the United States may affect human rights in the EU and its Member States, notably in light of US policies that are strongly criticized by the EU from a human rights-based perspective.