This paper investigates the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the economic performance of corporations. It first examines the theories that suggest a relationship between the two. To test these theories, measures of CSR performance and disclosure developed by the New Consumer Group were analysed against the (past, concurrent and subsequent to CSR performance period) economic performance of 56 large UK companies. Economic performance included: financial (return on capital employed, return on equity and gross profit to sales ratios); and capital market performance (systematic risk and excess market valuation). The results supported the conclusion that (past, concurrent and subsequent) economic performance is related to both CSR performance and disclosure. However, the relationships were weak and lacked an overall consistency. For example, past economic performance was found to partly explain variations in firms’ involvement in philanthropic activities. CSR disclosure was affected (positively) by both a firm’s CSR performance and its concurrent financial performance. Involvement in environmental protection activities was found to be negatively correlated with subsequent financial performance. Whereas a firm’s policies regarding women’s positions seem to be more rewarding in terms of positive capital market responses (performance) in the subsequent period. Donations to the Conservative Party were found not to be related to companies’ (past, concurrent or subsequent) financial and/or capital performance.

By measuring the relative inhibitory concentrations required to overcome particular mutations in the helicase and primase proteins, evidence was obtained that BAY 57-1293 interacts with both components of the helicase-primase complex to achieve maximum potency, whereas for BILS 22BS, this may not be the case. Furthermore, our observations suggest that BAY 57-1293 interacts simultaneously with UL5 and UL52. Overall, the results suggest that these two potent HPIs interact differently with the helicase-primase complex.

The distribution of receptors for maedi-visna virus (MVV) was studied using co-cultivation assays for virus fusion and PCR-based assays to detect the formation of virus-specific reverse transcription products after virus entry. Receptors were present on cell lines from human, monkey, mouse, chicken, quail, hamster and ovine sources. Thus, the distribution of the receptor for MVV is more similar to that of the amphotropic type C retroviruses than to that of other lentiviruses. The receptor was sensitive to proteolysis by papain, but was resistant to trypsin. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) and lung cells (V79 TOR) did not express functional receptors for MVV. The receptor was mapped to either chromosome 2 or 4 of the mouse using somatic cell hybrids. This allowed several candidates (e.g. MHC-II, CXCR4) that have been proposed for the MVV receptor to be excluded.

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