Middle East militias reshape politics and business

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
New Governance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Oil Companies ◽  
Arab Uprisings ◽  
Political Interference ◽  
Local Actors ◽  
Weapons Procurement ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Impact

Subject The impact of the rise of militias on the Middle East. Significance From Iraq and Syria to Libya and Yemen, the collapse of security states has led to a radical multiplication of local militias and new governance mechanisms. Increasingly, militias set up in the wake of the Arab uprisings of 2011 are coalescing into more sophisticated political blocs with their own weapons procurement and management, political proxies and administrative structures. Doing business in this landscape will require substantial nimbleness and adaptation. Impacts Powerful local actors in Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen will seek to attract investment in their constituencies. However, capital movement in these countries will be exposed to interference or seizure. Oil companies in particular are likely to find their payments to central governments at greater risk of political interference.

Research from China finds no significant difference in impact of public service motivation (PSM) in public and private sectors

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Intention To Leave ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The authors assumed PSM would be higher in the public sector, but they set up a trial to find out if this was the case. Design/methodology/approach To test their theories, the authors conducted two independent surveys. The first consisted of 220 usable responses from public sector employees in Changsha, China. The second survey involved 260 usable responses from private sector employees taking an MBA course at a university in the Changsha district. A questionnaire was used to assess attitudes. Findings The results found no significant difference between the impact of public sector motivation (PSM) on employee performance across the public and private sectors. The data showed that PSM had a significant impact on self-reported employee performance, but the relationship did not differ much between sectors. Meanwhile, it was in the private sector that PSM had the greatest impact on intention to leave. Originality/value The authors said the research project was one of the first to test if the concept of PSM operated in the same way across sectors. It also contributed, they said, to the ongoing debate about PSM in China.

scholarly journals Impact of governance structures on environmental disclosures in the Middle East and Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 739-763 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erhan Kilincarslan ◽  
Mohamed H. Elmagrhi ◽  
Zezeng Li
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Governance Structures ◽  
Environmental Disclosure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Environmental Disclosures ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to investigate the impact of corporate governance structures on environmental disclosure practices in the Middle East and Africa (MEA). Design/methodology/approach The research model uses a panel data set of 121 publicly listed (non-financial and non-utility) firms from 11 MEA countries over the period 2010-2017, uses alternative dependent variables and regression techniques and is applied to various sub-groups to improve robustness. Findings The empirical results strongly indicate that MEA firms with high governance disclosures tend to have better environmental disclosure practices. The board characteristics of gender diversity, size, CEO/chairperson duality and audit committee size impact positively on MEA firms’ voluntary environmental disclosures, whereas board independence has a negative influence. Research limitations/implications This study advances research on the relationship between corporate governance structures and environmental disclosure practices in MEA countries, but is limited to firms for which data are available from Bloomberg. Practical implications The results have important practical implications for MEA policymakers and regulators. The positive impact of board gender diversity on firms’ environmental disclosures, policy reforms should aim to increase female directors. MEA corporations aiming to be more environmentally friendly should recruit women to top managerial positions. Originality/value This is thought to be the first study to provide insights from the efficiency and legitimation perspectives of neo-institutional theory to explain the relationship between MEA firms’ internal governance structures and environmental disclosures.

scholarly journals Behavior of Yersinia enterocolitica in the Presence of the Bacterivorous Acanthamoeba castellanii

2013 ◽  
Vol 79 (20) ◽  
pp. 6407-6413 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Lambrecht ◽  
J. Baré ◽  
I. Van Damme ◽  
W. Bert ◽  
K. Sabbe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Yersinia Enterocolitica ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Acanthamoeba Castellanii ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Food Borne ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTFree-living protozoa play an important role in the ecology and epidemiology of human-pathogenic bacteria. In the present study, the interaction betweenYersinia enterocolitica, an important food-borne pathogen, and the free-living amoebaAcanthamoeba castellaniiwas studied. Several cocultivation assays were set up to assess the resistance ofY. enterocoliticatoA. castellaniipredation and the impact of environmental factors and bacterial strain-specific characteristics. Results showed that allY. enterocoliticastrains persist in association withA. castellaniifor at least 14 days, and associations withA. castellaniienhanced survival ofYersiniaunder nutrient-rich conditions at 25°C and under nutrient-poor conditions at 37°C. Amoebae cultivated in the supernatant of oneYersiniastrain showed temperature- and time-dependent permeabilization. Intraprotozoan survival ofY. enterocoliticadepended on nutrient availability and temperature, with up to 2.8 log CFU/ml bacteria displaying intracellular survival at 7°C for at least 4 days in nutrient-rich medium. Transmission electron microscopy was performed to locate theYersiniacells inside the amoebae. AsYersiniaandAcanthamoebashare similar ecological niches, this interaction identifies a role of free-living protozoa in the ecology and epidemiology ofY. enterocolitica.

Enhancing team performance through transactive memory

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 13-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Srabasti Chatterjee
Keyword(s):  
Team Performance ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
Transactive Memory ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Major Focus ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Settings ◽  
Current Scenario ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The major focus in the current scenario in organizational settings has shifted from individual performance to team performance. The current study investigates team performance and its antecedents from both social and cognitive dimensions and hence provides a qualitative and synopsis of the same. There is one such antecedent transactive memory which collectively looks into both the facets. For more than a decade after the very emergence of this concept, a plethora of work has been done to relate team performance and transactive memory. In an attempt to understand both these multi-dimensional constructs, and to comprehend the interrelationships in a better way, this paper aims to analyze the impact of transactive memory on team performance and how to improve it in organizations. Design/methodology/approach The paper is purely conceptual. So it uses other earlier studies to make necessary propositions. Findings The present study tries to qualitatively analyze the impact of transactive memory on team performance with respect to the various dimensions of team performance both task process and relational performance. The results of the study show a positive relationship between the three dimensions of transactive memory – credibility, consensus and specilaization and team performance. The study also provides recommendations to improvise transactive memory in organizations. Research limitations/implications The paper is not empirical, so further empirical analysis could enrich the results. Originality/value The paper is original in terms of giving solutions to increase transactive memory in organizational set up.

Managing, tracking and evaluating coaching part 2: where could you be?

2015 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsty Yates
Keyword(s):  
Return On Investment ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Evaluation Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Valuable Data ◽  
Easy Task ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Robust Process ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to offer a number of recommendations that will enable you to get your hands around the coaching that is taking place inside your organisation so that you can manage it better and, moreover, calculate the commercial and cultural returns your organisation is achieving from the coaching in light of research presented in the author's previous article. Design/methodology/approach – This research is based on a case study. Findings – Although not an easy task, it is possible to evaluate the impact of coaching and, in turn, calculate the return on investment (ROI). Key to doing this is that each relationship should be set up correctly; the coach should be fully qualified, experienced and in supervision and information regarding the volume, status and expenditure of each coaching contract must be kept up to date and, along with evaluation data for each contract, used to measure the impact of coaching to the organisation and to calculate the ROI. Originality/value – The case study included shows how coaching has been transformed in E.ON UK since outsourcing all aspects of its coaching, resulting in a clear and robust process generating valuable data on the impact of individual contracts and the programme as a whole, as well as an ROI.

Protest groups signal shift in Middle East politics

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Civil Wars ◽  
Political Systems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Protest Movements ◽  
Grassroots Politics ◽  
The Past ◽  
Arab Uprisings ◽  
Middle East Politics

Subject Civil society protest movements in Iraq and Lebanon. Significance Protest movements in the Middle East have been curtailed severely by retrenched autocratic governments and civil wars since the Arab uprisings in 2011. With their relatively open political systems, Lebanon and Iraq never participated in these protests fully. However, over the past year they have seen a resurgence in grassroots politics that could influence civil society across the region. Impacts Protest movements provide an outlet for popular frustration; their repression increases the risk of longer-term political instability. Egypt, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Tunisia and Morocco have the most favourable conditions for a revival of civil society protest movements. Such movements could play a larger role in Yemen, Libya and Syria after conflicts have ended. In the longer run, these movements could benefit business in the region by driving efforts to fight corruption and improve transparency.

Obesity and hunger present dual challenges in Mexico

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
Fortified Milk ◽  
New Public ◽  
President Elect ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Impact

Subject Food security and obesity. Significance President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) announced on August 16 that his government would set up a new public body dedicated to food security. Mexican Food Security (Segalmex) will merge two existing state companies that sell subsidised food in deprived areas and distribute fortified milk to vulnerable groups. AMLO’s announcement was followed by the release on September 11 of a UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) report showing that while 11.3 million Mexicans were severely food insecure in 2015-17, 24.3 million adults were obese in 2016, up from 20.5 million in 2012. Impacts Boosting local production may be insufficient to reduce the country’s reliance on imported foodstuffs. The OECD estimates that 40% of Mexicans could be obese by 2030, exacerbating pressures on the public health system. Failure to address obesity will have financial costs owing to the impact of associated illnesses such as diabetes on worker productivity.

Oil price to stay low in near and likely medium term

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Price ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transportation Demand ◽  
Profit Margins ◽  
Services Sector ◽  
Oil Companies ◽  
Financial Pressure ◽  
Global Economic Growth ◽  
Oil Revenues ◽  
The Impact

Subject Oil market dynamics. Significance The price of crude oil, already weakened by the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on demand, has plummeted this month after Russia refused to agree to further output cuts in coordination with OPEC. The plunge in the oil price will exert huge financial pressure on economies heavily dependent on oil revenues, including Saudi Arabia. Oil companies, particularly US shale oil producers, will also be under pressure. Impacts Budgetary pressures will sharply reduce petro-economies’ GDP growth this year, exerting a sizeable drag on global economic growth. Net importing nations will see little benefit from the sharp price drop until transportation demand recovers from the impact of COVID-19. Oil is losing market share in transportation usage, but cheap oil poses a risk to this; regulation will maintain the direction of travel. The oil services sector will face huge pressure on profit margins.

The impact of corporate governance mechanisms on earnings management in Islamic banks in the Middle East region

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 318-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hounaida Mersni ◽  
Hakim Ben Othman
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Earnings Management ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Islamic Banks ◽  
Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Loan Loss ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Governance Mechanisms ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether corporate governance mechanisms affect the reporting of loan loss provisions by managers in Islamic banks in the Middle East region. Design/methodology/approach This empirical study uses balanced panel data from 20 Islamic banks, from seven Middle East countries for the period 2007 to 2011. The regression model is estimated using random effects specifications. Findings The empirical results show that discretionary loan loss provisions (DLLP) are negatively related to board size and the existence of an audit committee. Results also report a positive relationship between sharia board size and DLLP. This indicates that small sharia supervisory boards are more effective than larger ones, which could be due to the higher costs and negative effects of large groups on decision-making. Results also highlight that the existence of scholars with accounting knowledge sitting on the sharia board reduces discretionary behavior. Additional results provide evidence that an external sharia audit committee is also found to reduce discretion in Islamic banks. The conclusions are found to be robust to endogeneity issues and potentially omitted variables. Practical implications The findings are potentially useful for regulators and shareholders. Regulators could use the findings to focus on corporate governance mechanisms that restrain earnings management practices in Islamic banks and implement regulations to strengthen them. Additionally, this study gives shareholders further insight which enables them to better monitor the actions of managers and thus increase their control over their investments. Originality/value This study provides two contributions to the literature on Islamic banking. First, to the authors’ knowledge, this study is only the second piece of research focused on the impact of corporate governance on earnings management in Islamic banks. Second, the authors have examined the effect of some new corporate governance mechanisms that have not been studied previously in the research literature.

scholarly journals Challenging absolute executive powers in times of corona: re-examining constitutional courts and the collective right to public contestation as instruments of institutional control

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessika Eichler ◽  
Sumit Sonkar
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Fundamental Rights ◽  
New Governance ◽  
Constitutional Courts ◽  
Policy Action ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Institutional Control ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The CoViD-19 pandemic has brought about a panoply of institutional challenges both domestically and in the international arena. Classical constitutional theory thereby underwent a reinvention by the executive for the sake of speedy policy action and to the detriment of institutional control while favouring authoritarian forms of governance. This paper concerns itself with institutional responses to such developments, placing emphasis on the role of the judiciary and people*s in contesting emergency decrees and other executive orders, especially where fundamental rights are infringed upon. The paper aims to explore the difficulties arising with exerting absolute executive powers during the health crisis, the respective role assumed by constitutional courts and the impact of the new governance paradigm on forms of public contestation, also as a means of quasi institutional control. Design/methodology/approach Indeed, the right to health may be translated into political discourse and become foundational to security and public interest paradigms. This may result in a shrinking public space given the constraints to the freedom of movement. In the name of public safety, the (collective) right to assembly, expression and protest have been submitted to major limitations in that regard. Findings Ultimately, this re-opens debates on the meaning of absolute rights and contextualities of derogations, as well as the reconcilability of civil and political rights and economic, social and cultural rights. It also exposes social inequalities, social justice dimensions and vulnerabilities, often exacerbated by the health crisis; migrant rights demonstrably face particularly severe and intersectional forms of violations. Originality/value Particular values lie with the interdisciplinary approach embraced in this paper; the authors draw on a variety of social sciences disciplines to shed light on this very current issue. Both theoretical and empirical methods are used and combined here, making sense of the underlying logic of virus governance and its impacts on fundamental rights.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document