Community Responsibility Research Articles

Engaging in perinatal loss in the Czech Republic: Keen community and haphazard institutionalisation

In the Czech Republic, community responsibility for care of the bereaved after pregnancy loss, and specifically perinatal loss, is a recent phenomenon. Using a sociological, qualitative, explorative framework, the paper analyses practices and contexts for establishing community care as emerging bottom-up initiatives. The research, funded by the Czech Science Foundation 2016– 2019, traces the significant change in the status quo of Czech practices of perinatal loss and associated bereavement care. Grassroots initiatives address these challenges rather than the public health system of the post-socialist past. The paper reflects risky or random as well as synergic effects of the changing environment in perinatal bereavement care provision.

ПРИВАТНЕ РЕГУЛЮВАННЯ ТА САМОРЕГУЛЮВАННЯ ГОСПОДАРСЬКОЇ ДІЯЛЬНОСТІ: ЗІСТАВЛЕННЯ ПОНЯТЬ

The article examines the issues of comparison of private regulation and self-regulation of economic activity, highlights their types and features of means. Private regulation should be understood as: external (carried out by non-governmental organizations, business associations, self-regulatory organizations, business entities to resolve issues with third parties) and internal (created by business entities to regulate their own activities). Understanding the content of private regulation, self-regulation of economic activity has evolved from internal regulation within one state to cross-border international private regulation. Global support for self-regulatory tools is reflected in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and other universal initiatives for the business community. There was an expansion of understanding of the concept of “selfregulation” to a more capacious “private regulation” through the activities of non-governmental organizations, business associations, cross-border legal entities. The issue of regulatory control within private regulation remains open. Unlike external private regulation, internal self-regulation is aimed at the implementation of the internal organization of the entity, so the “undisputed” self-regulation is the individual level of a particular entity. Private regulation as well as self-regulation is carried out within the limits set by the state. Self-regulation should not be equated with private law regulation. The main emphases of CSR policies in wartime should be: protection of human rights, safety of workers (mobilization, evacuation), organization of the business entity (responsibility of each employee from the head of the company to the lower level of the executor, wages, taxes, etc.); assistance to the state, armed forces, employees and other citizens, termination of cooperation with resident counterparties of the Russian Federation and Belarus, withdrawal from the market of these states, etc. Saving human life must be a crucial CSR imperative in wartime.

What's Important: Dealing with Gun Violence.

As orthopaedic surgeons, we have been deeply saddened, horrified, and angered by the recent shootings of 2 physicians, an employee, and a patient at a Tulsa health-care clinic. This closely followed the shootings at a Buffalo supermarket and the Uvalde elementary school. While we are not going to list all of the tragic shootings in these past months, we do want to reiterate some of the facts of gun violence. There were 12,393 deaths from guns in the United States in 2021; over half of them were suicides1. There are 434 million firearms in the United States (of which 19.8 million are AR-15s), and 150 million have a “large-capacity” magazine capable of holding at least 10 rounds2. It has been estimated that 40% of households in the United States possess at least 1 firearm3. It is no secret that this country is deeply polarized about how we should respond to the tragedies of gun deaths and injuries. In this essay, we want to present our own views of how we can address problems that urgently need our attention and can actually be fixed. Some of these steps can be taken immediately and some require enormous societal changes. First, we believe that eliminating all guns in the United States or abolishing the 2nd Amendment is impossible. Also, we do not think that our country should outlaw large-capacity magazines as that would make semiautomatic handguns and rifles, which don’t accept smaller magazines, nonfunctional and could turn tens of millions of Americans who own these weapons into criminals. What we can do is increase the age for any firearm purchase from 18 to 21 years, a proposal for which there is widespread agreement. The argument has been raised that 18-year-olds can serve in the military, where they use handguns and assault weapons, but soldiers are highly vetted for service and trained in the proper use of weapons—unlike ordinary 18 to 21-year-olds. Exceptions might be made for young people hunting on their own family’s properties and ranches. This entire issue can also be revisited after data have been collected. There are other measures that merit serious discussion. These include “red flag” regulations that would allow law enforcement to take away firearms from those who have displayed serious mental illness and prior disturbing behaviors. (In fact, this issue was included in the gun safety legislation recently passed by Congress, which provided funding to incentivize states to enact such measures.) In addition, perhaps a 3-day waiting period from the purchase to the pick-up of a weapon should be considered? Could more effort be made to “harden” soft targets (schools, houses of worship, medical facilities, and shopping malls) with properly trained onsite staff members? Could there be more police officers on the streets? We ourselves believe in the importance of the family in stemming gun violence. Parents need to take responsibility for guiding the decisions and actions of their children and teenagers. They must instill, through education and example, a sense of individual responsibility, personal awareness, and pride in community. Those who include religion in their children’s upbringing should stress the tenets that forbid the taking of life (“Thou shalt not kill” according to the 5th commandment of the Judeo-Christian faith traditions). All children and teenagers who show signs suggesting current or future violent behavior toward others or themselves should be referred to health professionals for counseling and treatment as soon as possible. In the long term, perhaps we can focus more on the person pulling the trigger. The news outlets, social media, and we ourselves need to stress the importance of the family (especially fathers for boys and young men), morality, and religious beliefs (the 5th Commandment, “Thou shalt not kill”) to hopefully restore individual responsibility and personal awareness. Parents should be held responsible for the moral actions of their children and teenagers. Pride and responsibility in country and community could be restored through education and example. Children and teenagers with disturbing behavior and “mental illness” should be referred to health professionals for counseling and treatment at an earlier stage. Maybe the time is now to come together and take some incremental steps to decrease gun violence. No one denies that addressing gun violence in the United States is difficult. We are a nation in which life and freedom are both revered. However, the time is now to come together and take incremental steps.

Local Shareholders, Corporate Community Responsibility, and Shareholder Value

This paper shows that local shareholders lead firms to engage in corporate social activities locally – corporate community responsibility (CCR). Using an extensive U.S. sample, we find that mutual funds investing in local firms tend to increase CCR. Further analyses suggest a causal effect of local shareholders on CCR. Stakeholder theory and socially conscious (community) investing explain the benefits of CCR for local shareholders as well as their firms. Our results indicate that CCR tends to increase firm performance measured with Tobin’s Q and operating cash flow, especially in the consumer-oriented industries where customer relations are critical. In addition, local shareholders (i.e., local funds) of higher CCR firms enjoy greater fund flows. Our study is the first to investigate the role of local shareholders as a driving force of a firm’s community investments.

Discourses of Multicultural Acknowledgment in Canada: Liberal and Conservative, General and Specific

ABSTRACT Contemporary discourses of diversity and multiculturalism are contentious spaces in Western democracies. Symbolically, they have come to serve as a forum for governments to articulate their larger nation-building, citizenship and political agendas. In this sense, multiculturalism, whatever else it is, is a model of political belonging: a form of political symbolism directed at minorities and majorities to establish the conditions of belonging to the political community. This article examines the model(s) of belonging to political community in the Harper Conservative (2004–2015) and Trudeau Liberal (2015–2019) governments, presenting textual data derived from a broad discourse analysis. It illustrates that both use multiculturalism as a form of minority and majority acknowledgment that highlights the terms of belonging to the Canadian multicultural political community. Further, it reveals a difference in rhetorical strategy. while Conservative multiculturalism prioritizes a practice of specific minority acknowledgment that casts integration to the existing national identity as the responsibility of ethno-cultural communities, Liberal multiculturalism prioritizes the general acknowledgment of difference in order to broaden the national identity, and turn it outward to global relevance. Importantly, this illustrates the surprising variability and tenacity of multicultural symbolism in Canada.

Gender difference in nutrition and health in Nigeria’s agricultural households: the role of corporate social responsibility in oil-producing communities

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to critically examine the multinational oil companies’ (MOCs) corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in Nigeria. Its special focus is to investigate the impact of the global memorandum of understanding (GMoU) on gender difference in nutrition and health in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachThis paper adopts a survey research technique, aimed at gathering information from a representative sample of the population, as it is essentially cross-sectional, describing and interpreting the current situation. A total of 800 women respondents were sampled across the rural areas of the Niger Delta region.FindingsThe results from the use of a combined propensity score matching and logit model indicate that CSR of the MOCs using GMoU model has made significant success in closing the gender difference in nutrition and health in agricultural household in the Niger Delta region. The findings also show that mainstreaming gender in nutrition within the field of agriculture is a critical aspect of strengthening gender and nutrition/health linkages, in recognition of women’s substantial contribution to agriculture production and their central role in household food collection, preservation/processing and preparation.Practical implicationsThis suggests that mainstreaming gender in nutrition offers opportunities to integrate agriculture and health approaches in GMoU projects, which will require increased collaboration and coordination between the MOCs’ and CBD clusters in the field of gender and nutrition to exploit existing complementary and comparative advantages, and to apply a holistic approach in host communities.Social implicationsThis implies that gender and nutrition/health have multiple dimensions and are highly context-specific; and the pathway towards improved food and nutrition security for all should be a gender-equitable process incorporated in CSR programmes and projects in sub-Saharan Africa.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the gender debate in agriculture from a CSR perspective in developing countries and rationale for demands for social project by host communities. It concludes that business has an obligation to help in solving problems of public concern.

Gender sensitive responses to climate change in Nigeria: the role of multinationals’ corporate social responsibility in oil host communities

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to critically examine the multinational oil companies’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in Nigeria. Its special focus is to investigate the impact of the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) on gender-sensitive responses to climate change in oil host communities in Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachThis paper adopts a survey research technique aimed at gathering information from a representative sample of the population, as it is essentially cross-sectional, describing and interpreting the current situation. A total of 1,200 rural women were sampled across the Niger Delta region.FindingsThe results from the use of a combined propensity score matching and logit model indicate a significant relationship between GMoU model and women, gender and climate change in the Niger Delta, Nigeria.Practical implicationsThis implies that CSR of a multinational oil companies is a critical factor in the need for gender-sensitive responses to the effect of climate change.Social implicationsIt suggests that, for adaptation to climate change effects, understanding gender dimensions and taking gender responsive steps be incorporated into GMoU policies and action plans of multinational enterprises.Originality/valueThis research contributes to gender debate in climate change from a CSR perspective in developing countries and rationale for demands for social projects by host communities. It concludes that business has an obligation to help in solving problems of public concern.

Chatbot-Delivered COVID-19 Vaccine Communication Message Preferences of Young Adults and Public Health Workers in Urban American Communities: Qualitative Study.

BackgroundAutomated conversational agents, or chatbots, have a role in reinforcing evidence-based guidance delivered through other media and offer an accessible, individually tailored channel for public engagement. In early-to-mid 2021, young adults and minority populations disproportionately affected by COVID-19 in the United States were more likely to be hesitant toward COVID-19 vaccines, citing concerns regarding vaccine safety and effectiveness. Successful chatbot communication requires purposive understanding of user needs.ObjectiveWe aimed to review the acceptability of messages to be delivered by a chatbot named VIRA from Johns Hopkins University. The study investigated which message styles were preferred by young, urban-dwelling Americans as well as public health workers, since we anticipated that the chatbot would be used by the latter as a job aid.MethodsWe conducted 4 web-based focus groups with 20 racially and ethnically diverse young adults aged 18-28 years and public health workers aged 25-61 years living in or near eastern-US cities. We tested 6 message styles, asking participants to select a preferred response style for a chatbot answering common questions about COVID-19 vaccines. We transcribed, coded, and categorized emerging themes within the discussions of message content, style, and framing.ResultsParticipants preferred messages that began with an empathetic reflection of a user concern and concluded with a straightforward, fact-supported response. Most participants disapproved of moralistic or reasoning-based appeals to get vaccinated, although public health workers felt that such strong statements appealing to communal responsibility were warranted. Responses tested with humor and testimonials did not appeal to the participants.ConclusionsTo foster credibility, chatbots targeting young people with vaccine-related messaging should aim to build rapport with users by deploying empathic, reflective statements, followed by direct and comprehensive responses to user queries. Further studies are needed to inform the appropriate use of user-customized testimonials and humor in the context of chatbot communication.

An analysis of the cases of teenagers dying in taverns in South Africa: Some Biblical and African considerations

According to the Holy Scriptures, parents must care, teach, and guide their children to lead a Godly life. Comparably, the African traditional religion expects parents to do so too. On the morning of 26 June 2022, South Africa woke up to the harrowing news of the death of twenty-one young people in a tavern in East London, in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Later, the number of deaths rose to twenty-two. Young people, the youngest being thirteen years old, lost their lives on this fateful day. First, this research seeks to reflect on the lessons the country should learn from this unfortunate ordeal so that such incidents do not occur again. Secondly, this research draws wisdom from the Christian teachings on parenting and African indigenous knowledge system that has anchored African communities for millennia. The research seeks to draw lessons from the teaching of the Bible and African indigenous knowledge system, exploring a Setswana proverb, Ngwana sejo o a tlhakanelwa, meaning a child is a food around which we all gather, implying that a child's upbringing is a communal responsibility. This research also argues that the Enyobeni Tavern incident reflects that Black African families, communities, and the Church’s societal role have changed over the years and how these changes harm their social fabric. The research uses a literature review as a research method to formulate the data and conclusion of the study. The research concludes that, with the change in Black African family structure and communities, some biblical and African considerations drawn from the proverb Ngwana sejo o a tlhakanelwa are relevant to mitigate various social challenges Black African Communities face in South Africa.

A Critique of Philosophical Shamanism

A Critique of Philosophical Shamanism

‘위안부’ 문제의 세계시민주의적 접근

This study aims to analyze the ‘comfort women’ researches conducted in Korea after the 2015 Korea-Japan ‘Comfort Women’ Agreement, thinking that the Agreement served as important momentum to trigger an increase in ‘comfort women’ research in Korean society. ‘Comfort women’ researches in Korea were classified largely into the three following subject areas: First, the comfort women issue as a Korea-Japan political, diplomatic conflict. Second, the comfort women issue as a reconstruction of historical memory. Third, the comfort women issue as a social practice. Then the challenges and directions for ‘comfort women’ research were presented as follows. First, oral history about the testimony of victims should be studied. Second, ‘comfort women’ discourse, which reproduces confrontation between countries should be overcome. Third, discussion on political responsibility is required in comfort women issue. To get closer to solving ‘comfort women’ issue, further studies on political responsibility of community that tolerated structural injustice and epistemic violence as well as judicial and moral responsibility for direct violence such as war crime, cruel treatment, and violation of women’s rights are also required.

Grouping of the Second Wave of Covid-19 Infection Areas in East Java Province Using K-Means Clustering

The second wave of Covid-19 Pandemic Attacks that occurred in June 2021 resulted in a drastic number of fatalities. This is due to reduced community responsibility, a sense of caring for each other, and a sense of mutual protection, resulting in the loosening of the health protocols implemented. There needs to be proper mitigation to handle the Covid-19 pandemic properly, one of which is by handling cases in each region with a low level of severity. With this grouping, it can provide a decision on which areas must be available in mitigating the Covid-19 pandemic. For grouping each region, the K-Means Clustering method can be used. From these clusters, there is one area with a severity level, eight areas with moderate severity, and 29 areas with low severity.

Corporate Social Responsibility and Firm Performance among Malaysian Firms

With the rise in corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives and greater awareness of sustainable development, CSR is rapidly evolving and firms’ involvement is increasing. However, the enforcement of mandatory disclosure does not necessarily mean firms will respond and go beyond these legislations. Thus, the underlying premise of positive financial outcomes could encourage firms to act beyond legislative compliance. This study first examined the current nature and extent of a firm’s CSR disclosure (CSRD), as measured by CSR dimensions workplace, marketplace, community, and environment. CSRD was measured through content analysis, through annual reports of 97 manufacturing firms in Malaysia from 2017 to 2019. A CSR disclosure index was adopted for this study. This study also determined the impact of CSRD on corporate financial performance (CFP) and identified which CSRD dimension had the greatest impact on CFP. Firm size, measured by the level of assets, sales, and market capitalisation, as well as earnings per share were the control variables for this study. Data were analysed using Pearson’s correlation and multiple regression analysis. It was found that CSRD levels in manufacturing firms in Malaysia were still low and there was a mixed relationship between CSRD and CFP. The findings suggest that the relationship between CSR and CFP may be curvilinear. It was also found that community, workplace, and marketplace related responsibility activities affected ROA the most, whereas the marketplace affected Tobin’s Q the most.

Sense of community improves community participation in Chinese residential communities: The mediating role of sense of community responsibility and prosocial tendencies.

Community participation is essential for community development and enhancing quality of life. Several studies have focused on the relationship between sense of community (SOC) and community participation in organizational settings. Guided by the community experiences framework, this study aims to examine how a SOC improves community participation in Chinese residential communities. Moreover, the study aims to assess the mediating role of SOC responsibility (SOC-R) and prosocial tendencies in that relationship. A sample of 433 residents completed questionnaires regarding their SOC, sense of community responsibility, prosocial tendencies, and community participation. Using a linear regression model, we found that a SOC can positively predict the level of community participation. Mediation effect analysis revealed that a SOC-R mediated the relationship between SOC and community participation. In addition, prosocial tendencies mediated the association between the SOC and community participation. Using multiple mediation analysis, we found that SOC-R and prosocial tendencies mediated the link between a SOC and community participation in a sequential manner. The findings of this study complement existing research by uncovering the mechanism underlying the relationship between a SOC and community participation.

Work-Life Balance as A Moderator Between Teaching Competence Standards and Teachers’ Performance in Public Primary Schools in Igembe North Sub-County, Meru County

The evaluative systems by TSC expect teachers to deliver good performance in every aspect of the teaching competence standards. However, the performance of primary school teachers has continued to raise concerns from different stakeholders, raising a question of whether the teaching competence standards are sufficient in explaining the annual teacher's performance or whether there are other issues such as the work-life balance that have a bearing on the teacher's performance outcome. This study assessed the moderating effect of the work-life balance on the relationship between the teaching competence standards and the teachers' performance in public primary schools in the Igembe North sub-county in Meru County. The descriptive survey research design was adopted. A sample size of 202 teachers, 14 headteachers, and one Sub-County Education Officer participated in the study. A proportionate simple random sampling technique was used in selecting teachers and headteachers, while the Sub-County Education Officer was purposively selected. Data was collected using questionnaires and an interview guide whose validity and reliability was verified. The mean, standard deviation, correlation, and regression analysis were used in analyzing the quantitative data, while thematic analysis was used on qualitative data. Most teachers had multiple roles with competing interests; hence, balancing work, family, personal, and community responsibilities was a daunting task. The work-life balance was found statistically significant in moderating the relationship between the teaching competence standards and the teacher's performance in public primary schools. The study recommends strengthening supportive systems on all three teaching competence standards and embracing work-life balance practices by the TSC. The TSC and principals should ensure that teachers of public primary schools have moderated work-related responsibilities and develop a workplace policy on work-life balance. The findings have enormous implications on organizational culture, leadership, and human resources management practices in public primary schools.

Community Participation in Covid-19 Prevention and Transmission

Community participation in Covid-19 prevention and transmission is very important, because the community is not only the object but also the subject in handling Covid-19. Community participation can provide benefits in preventing and handling Covid-19; it will reduce morbidity and mortality in the area. The purpose of this literature review is to know the role of the community in Covid-19 prevention and transmission. The method used is literature review. Community participation in Covid-19 prevention and transmission is not only the responsibility of each individual or health worker but it is the responsibility of the entire community. Community participation that is carried out actively and participatively will make of the success of the programs that are being carried out become higher and maximally. The community is not only an object but also a subject in every program or activity that is being carried out. Efforts are being made to increase community participation, namely through socialization, counseling or health education and discussions. These activities will provide knowledge and insight for the community, and the main point is that it will raise public awareness to be actively involved and take part in the success of activities that are being carried out for the common interest, creating a healthy community, avoiding the spread and transmission of Covid-19.

Youth ministry as a public practical theology: A South African evangelical perspective

Youth ministry as a sub-discipline of practical theology has traditionally always had an ecclesial focus. The focus was often based on the practices of proselytisation and discipleship, a sort of ‘reach and teach’ model whereby Christian believers would do the ‘reaching and teaching’ of the ‘lost’ youth. This is most true in an evangelical context and is further undergirded by a Western concept of personal salvation nearly devoid of any communal responsibilities and context. The traditional model, therefore, in evangelical churches was reaching the ‘lost’ with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, with the aim of personal salvation for the individual who would eventually become a member of the faith community through a discipleship programme. Thus, the beginning and end of the entire process were the focus on personal salvation devoid of any contextual consideration. Youth ministry as practical theology must move into the area of public theology to engage the practices inherited from the western model by engaging with the public (youths) as public theologians (those who influence the theologies of the youth), and the public faiths and spiritualities (the expression of the youth’s theologies) to be relevant to the majority and developing world.Contribution: In this study, the author suggests that this ‘reach and teach’ paradigm with an ecclesial focus in the context of the majority and developing world is no longer suitable to meet the needs of youth. In addition, the author recommends a more appropriate framework with youth ministry as public practical theology for consideration.

JOB BURNOUT AND ITS EFFECT ON TEACHERS’ ATTIRBUTES AND PERFORMANCE

The research study aimed to determine the effect of job burnout on teacher?s attributes and performance. Specifically, it sought to answer the following questions: 1. What is the level of job burnout of teachers in terms of workload, self-control, fairness in reward, community responsibility? 2. What is the level of teachers? attributes as to physical, behavioral, and mental? 3.What is the level of teachers? performance with regards to evaluation? 4 Do the job-burnout have significant effect on the teachers? attributes in selected private schools in Lucena City, Quezon Province? 5. Do the job-burnout have a significant effect on the teachers? performance in selected private schools in Lucena City, Quezon Province? Based on the preceding findings of the study, the researcher drew the concluded that teachers having a lot of workloads, with no self-control and without any support from the community are feeling burnout. However, they still maintain composure with regards to their attributes and able to perform good at work. Teachers? attributes such as physical and mental got high remarks, while behavior got a low remark. Regarding the teachers? attributes as to physical and mental, teachers feel physically exhausted and starts feeling anxious towards their work. However, they still maintain composure with regards to their attributes and able to perform good at work. The overall performance of the teachers maintains a remark of good, which means that they are all performing at work. Furthermore, with such findings, based on the statistical analyses of data, the hypotheses presented in the paper are accepted. There were ?no significant? effect between job burnout and teacher?s attributes and performance. The following were recommended: The school administrators can use the results as a basis for assessing and disseminating workloads to teachers, how they can help teachers control themselves by supporting them.

Murradambirra Dhangaang (make food secure): Aboriginal community and stakeholder perspectives on food insecurity in urban and regional Australia

BackgroundIt is widely acknowledged that the invasion by colonial powers of the Australian continent had profound and detrimental impacts on Aboriginal Communities, including food security. Policies of successive governments since European arrival have since further exacerbated the situation, with food insecurity now affecting 20–25% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Food insecurity contributes to long-term impacts on health, in particular diet-sensitive chronic diseases. This study aimed to describe Aboriginal community and stakeholder perspectives on food insecurity to get a better understanding of the key contributing factors and recommendations for potential strategies to address this issue in Aboriginal communities in urban and regional Australia.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 44 participants who were purposively selected. This included Aboriginal people in two communities and both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal stakeholders from local food relief agencies, food suppliers, schools, and government in an urban and regional location in NSW. A conceptual framework was developed from literature on food security, and sensitizing concepts of availability, affordability, accessibility and acceptability or the lack thereof of healthy food were used to elicit responses from the participants. Interview transcripts were analysed thematically.ResultsAll participants felt strongly that food insecurity was a major problem experienced in their local Aboriginal communities. Five core areas impacting on food security were identified: trapped in financial disadvantage; gaps in the local food system; limitations of non-Aboriginal food relief services; on-going impacts of colonization; and maintaining family, cultural and community commitments and responsibilities. Participants suggested a number of actions that could help ease food insecurity and emphasized that Aboriginal values and culture must be strongly embedded in potential programs.ConclusionsThis study found Aboriginal families in urban and regional Australia are experiencing food insecurity on a regular basis, which is impacted by a range of socio-economic, environmental, systemic and cultural factors, as reported by the participants. Study findings highlight the need to address system level changes in the food environment and acknowledge Aboriginal history, culture and food preferences when considering the development of programs to alleviate food insecurity among Aboriginal people.

Responsible data management

Perspectives on the role and responsibility of the data-management research community in designing, developing, using, and overseeing automated decision systems.