Responding to the Challenge

Shell s first response to these findings was the acceptance by senior management that they were important. The second was to face up to the fact that this would require some significant changes to the way the business operated. 

Clearly, that required getting a few basics in order. The first, in 1997, was the updating of the Shell General Business Principles to include specific commitments to support fundamental human rights and to contribute to sustainable development. At the same time the health, safety and environment (HSE) commitment, policy and procedure was greatly strengthened. Strict governance and clear processes were put in place to ensure adoption and compliance with these measures worldwide. 

The decision to produce the Shell Report was evidence of a greater commitment to openness and transparency - an acknowledgement of the show me world. That meant a willingness to engage with groups that had not traditionally been informed or involved in business decisions. That in turn would help ensure that the values of the company continued to be sensitive and responsive to public expectations. With time this would go a step further and begin to open up an involve me world. 

These moves were part of a wider strategy of ensuring Shell was fit and competitive for the 21st century. It was the beginning of a journey, one based on a core conviction that business had an essential role to play in finding new ways of meeting present and future needs that were more socially and environmentally sustainable. 

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A biomarker of susceptibility is an indicator of an inherent or acquired limitation of an organism s ability to respond to the challenge of exposure to a specific xenobiotic substance. It can be an intrinsic genetic or other characteristic or a preexisting disease that results in an increase in absorbed dose, a decrease in the biologically effective dose, or a target tissue response. If biomarkers of susceptibility exist, they are discussed in Section 3.10 Populations That Are Unusually Susceptible. 

Environmental Council of States and Clean Air Network. 2001. Mercury in the environment states respond to the challenge. Washington, DC Environmental Council of States. 70 p. http //WWW. sso.org/eco s/proj ects/Mercury/ECOS2%20State%20Hg%20Activities.pdf. 

Academic health centers have started to respond to the challenge of CAM, both by introducing content into medical curricula and by considering research into some of these approaches. Perhaps they recognize that by ignoring CAM, they will fail future physicians and their patients. 

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