title: Sustainability practices of SMEs: the case of NZ

authors: Lawrence, Stewart R.

subjects: SMEs

abstract: While individually small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) may have small social, environmental and financial impacts, cumulatively their impact is significant. One of the fundamental questions is how a single economic entity, especially a small-scale enterprise, can be engaged in the uptake of sustainability practices. This question is particularly pertinent to New Zealand, where 98% of enterprises are SMEs. In this paper questions are raised about the conventional models of  business ethics  and accountability and their relevance to SMEs. The paper reports on actual practices and discusses the possibility of small enterprises having accountability for their social and environmental impacts. Ways of linking individual firm activities to sustainability, such as a communitarian model of accountability, are discussed and illustrated. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

text: Sustainability practices of SMEs: the case of NZ While individually small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) may have small social, environmental and financial impacts, cumulatively their impact is significant. One of the fundamental questions is how a single economic entity, especially a small-scale enterprise, can be engaged in the uptake of sustainability practices. This question is particularly pertinent to New Zealand, where 98% of enterprises are SMEs. In this paper questions are raised about the conventional models of  business ethics  and accountability and their relevance to SMEs. The paper reports on actual practices and discusses the possibility of small enterprises having accountability for their social and environmental impacts. Ways of linking individual firm activities to sustainability, such as a communitarian model of accountability, are discussed and illustrated. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

year: 2006

title: Psychrophilic and psychrotrophic Clostridium spp. associated with meat spoilage

authors: Broda, Dorota Maria

abstract: Twenty two isolates of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic Clostridium spp. associated with ‘blown pack’ spoilage of vacuum-packed meats were studied with respect to their identification, differentiation and taxonomy, as well as spoilage aetiology. The aetiological study was conducted to establish whether a causal relationship exists between psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia and the production of abundant gas in vacuum-packed chilled meats. The attempt was then made to identify these clostridia using conventional microbiological methods. Genotypic approaches to differentiation of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia at inter- and intra-species level were evaluated and applied to tracing the ‘blown pack’ spoilage causing clostridia back to their contamination source in the abattoir. Where phenotypic and genotypic characteristics indicated that some isolates of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia differed from those previously described, taxonomic studies were conducted to determine whether these isolates could be described as new clostridial species. Four clostridial isolates were found to cause premature vacuum pack distension during chilled storage. Conventional phenotype based methods were found to be ineffective for identification of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia. Although RFLP analysis of the amplified 16S rDNA gene allowed differentiation of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia at the genotypic species level and below, comparison of PCR-RFLP patterns and 16S rDNA sequences of meat isolates with patterns and sequences of reference strains did not effect ready identification of some of these microorganisms. Consequently, the use of these methods for identification of unknown clostridial isolates needs to be approached carefully. Differentiation of some meat-derived isolates of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia at intra-species or inter-strain level was achieved with methods based on polymorphism of genomic DNAs and/or the 16S-23S rDNA internal transcribed spacers from these organisms. With the 16S-23S rDNA internal transcribed spacer polymorphism analysis, inter-species differentiation of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia may be achieved in instances where little inter-strain variation is expected e.g. in typing of isolates from the same meat plant or spoilage incident. Hides and faeces of slaughter animals were identified as an abundant abattoir source of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia representing many species. Seven isolates of these microorganisms, representing four distinct taxonomic groups, were found to differ in their phenotypic, genotypic and phylogenetic characteristics from known clostridial species. With a polyphasic approach, three new clostridial species, C. frigidicarnis, C. gasigenes and C. algidixylanolyticum have been named and characterised. It is hoped that this study has added to our understanding of the aetiology and causative agents of ‘blown pack’ spoilage and, thus, has advanced the process of developing measures to control this type of spoilage of vacuum packed chilled meats.

text: Psychrophilic and psychrotrophic Clostridium spp. associated with meat spoilage Twenty two isolates of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic Clostridium spp. associated with ‘blown pack’ spoilage of vacuum-packed meats were studied with respect to their identification, differentiation and taxonomy, as well as spoilage aetiology. The aetiological study was conducted to establish whether a causal relationship exists between psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia and the production of abundant gas in vacuum-packed chilled meats. The attempt was then made to identify these clostridia using conventional microbiological methods. Genotypic approaches to differentiation of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia at inter- and intra-species level were evaluated and applied to tracing the ‘blown pack’ spoilage causing clostridia back to their contamination source in the abattoir. Where phenotypic and genotypic characteristics indicated that some isolates of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia differed from those previously described, taxonomic studies were conducted to determine whether these isolates could be described as new clostridial species. Four clostridial isolates were found to cause premature vacuum pack distension during chilled storage. Conventional phenotype based methods were found to be ineffective for identification of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia. Although RFLP analysis of the amplified 16S rDNA gene allowed differentiation of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia at the genotypic species level and below, comparison of PCR-RFLP patterns and 16S rDNA sequences of meat isolates with patterns and sequences of reference strains did not effect ready identification of some of these microorganisms. Consequently, the use of these methods for identification of unknown clostridial isolates needs to be approached carefully. Differentiation of some meat-derived isolates of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia at intra-species or inter-strain level was achieved with methods based on polymorphism of genomic DNAs and/or the 16S-23S rDNA internal transcribed spacers from these organisms. With the 16S-23S rDNA internal transcribed spacer polymorphism analysis, inter-species differentiation of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia may be achieved in instances where little inter-strain variation is expected e.g. in typing of isolates from the same meat plant or spoilage incident. Hides and faeces of slaughter animals were identified as an abundant abattoir source of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia representing many species. Seven isolates of these microorganisms, representing four distinct taxonomic groups, were found to differ in their phenotypic, genotypic and phylogenetic characteristics from known clostridial species. With a polyphasic approach, three new clostridial species, C. frigidicarnis, C. gasigenes and C. algidixylanolyticum have been named and characterised. It is hoped that this study has added to our understanding of the aetiology and causative agents of ‘blown pack’ spoilage and, thus, has advanced the process of developing measures to control this type of spoilage of vacuum packed chilled meats.

year: 1999

title: The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary: Terraqueous Territorialization and Māori Marine Environments

authors: McCormack, Fiona

abstract: This paper interprets the disrupted establishment of the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary, a 620,000 square kilometre marine protection area, as a crucial moment in Pacific frontier making. The development of large-scale protected marine areas is a politically charged frontier tool, in which states garner international recognition and environmental renown by setting aside large swathes of their exclusive economic zones. In the Kermadec Sanctuary, this enclosure hit against an assemblage of Indigenous histories, ecologies, repatriated fishing rights, and privatized fishing quota challenging the oftmarginalized agency of Indigenous people in frontier narratives. This paper argues that three factors are fundamental to untangling this conflict: first, the historical trajectory of terraqueous territorialization in the Kermadec region, second, the post-Treaty of Waitangi settlement dynamics of Maori marine environments, and third, the common ecosystem services model underlying conservation and extraction.

text: The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary: Terraqueous Territorialization and Māori Marine Environments This paper interprets the disrupted establishment of the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary, a 620,000 square kilometre marine protection area, as a crucial moment in Pacific frontier making. The development of large-scale protected marine areas is a politically charged frontier tool, in which states garner international recognition and environmental renown by setting aside large swathes of their exclusive economic zones. In the Kermadec Sanctuary, this enclosure hit against an assemblage of Indigenous histories, ecologies, repatriated fishing rights, and privatized fishing quota challenging the oftmarginalized agency of Indigenous people in frontier narratives. This paper argues that three factors are fundamental to untangling this conflict: first, the historical trajectory of terraqueous territorialization in the Kermadec region, second, the post-Treaty of Waitangi settlement dynamics of Maori marine environments, and third, the common ecosystem services model underlying conservation and extraction.

year: 2021