DETERMINANTS OF EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION: EVIDENCE FROM A FAMILY-FIRM DOMINATED ECONOMY

This thesis investigates the role and effect of corporate governance and political connections on determining executive compensation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Given that the framework of Saudi corporate governance is significantly influenced by the Anglo-American model, the thesis aims to evaluate the validity of this model in constraining executive compensation in emerging economies such as Saudi Arabia. The KSA has a unique institutional setting: high ownership concentration, high use of political connections, an absolute monarchical political system and the use of Islamic law. Moreover, the thesis examines the impact of political connections on the arrangements for executive pay and emphasises the principal-principal conflict in family controlled-firms. To achieve these objectives, deductive and inductive methods are employed and three empirical studies are conducted using a sample of 114 non-financial Saudi listed firms during 2008-2015. Unlike the situation in the Anglo-American economies, pay structure in the KSA is found to be limited to fixed and short-term performance-based compensation (i.e. bonus). This is because long-term incentive methods such as stock options are not allowed for regulatory reasons. Furthermore, although the Saudi corporate governance regulations have been enforced since 2006, the data shows a boom in average executive compensation levels exceeding 100% during the period 2008 to 2015 with a weak link to firm performance. Meanwhile, the Anglo-American model of corporate governance is found to be inadequate to curb managerial incentives in the KSA due to the absence of other effective formal institutions (e.g. an effective legal system). Surprisingly, independent board directors and remuneration committees, which are key recommendations of corporate governance best practice, are found to be associated with higher levels of executive compensation. Moreover, while the model suggests that concentrated ownership could close the gap between shareholders’ and managers’ interests, thereby shrinking agency costs, the results show the opposite; i.e. ownership concentration is a root cause of principal-principal problems and leads to generous executive pay. Meanwhile, other informal institutions are observed to influence compensation policy. The study finds that the phenomenon of political connections is prevalent in Saudi Arabia especially in non-family firms and is significantly related to higher levels of executive pay. These connections are derived from the domestic culture of Saudi Arabia which is significantly influenced by wasta (personal relationships). The findings also reveal that there are significant differences between family-controlled firms and their non-family counterparts in terms of corporate governance attitudes and the use of political connections. However, the practices of executive compensation are virtually the same in both type of firms. Overall, the thesis demonstrates that the adoption of corporate governance models developed in other country contexts, with no consideration to the cross-country institutional differences, leads to undesirable consequences and facilitates higher executive remuneration

The Prevalence of Obesity among School Students and its Relation to Dietary and Physical Habits

BACKGROUND: Recent studies suggest that unhealthy food practices and lack of exercise are the main cause of the progressive increase in the obesity prevalence. AIM: We aim to assess the prevalence of obesity among school students and its relationship to dietary and physical habits. METHODS: A cross-sectional study from 18 intermediate and high schools located in Taif, Saudi Arabia, between April 2014 and June 2015. We excluded any student with a psychological disease or chronic diseases. We calculated the body mass index (BMI) of students by measuring their height and weight. Dietary, physical, sleep habits, and socioeconomic status were assessed. RESULTS: A total of 2943 students participated with a mean age of 15.4 ± 1.7 years. The majority of these were boys and attending government schools with a mean BMI 22.7 ± 8.6 kg/m2. Overall, 13.6% were overweight and 12.8% were obese. One-third of students report a sedentary lifestyle. Compared to girls, boys were more likely to have lower BMI (p < 0.001), be overweight (p < 0.001), exercise for >300 min/week (p < 0.001), own electronic devices other than smartphone (p < 0.001), use the electronic devices <3 h/day (p = 0.007), eat their meals with their family (p < 0.001), eat fruits and vegetables daily (p < 0.05), exercise for >300 min/week (p < 0.001), and walk to and from school at least once weekly (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: A quarter of the students were either overweight or obese. Girls were more likely to be obese with less favorable socioeconomic, media consumption, dietary, and physical profiles

Photocrosslinking of polyacrylamides using [2+2] photodimerisation of monothiomaleimides

The [2+2] photocycloaddition of monothiomaleimides (MTM) has been exploited for the photocrosslinking of polyacrylamides. Polymer scaffolds composed of dimethylacrylamide (DMA) and varying amounts of D,L-homocysteine thiolactone acrylamide(5, 10, and 20 mol%) were synthesised via free radical polymerisation (FRP), whereby the latent thiol-functionality was exploited to incorporate MTM motifs. Subsequent exposure to UV light (λ= 365 nm, 15 mWcm-2) triggered intermolecular crosslinking via the photodimerisation of MTM side chains, thus resulting in the formation of polyacrylamide gels. The polymer scaffolds were characterised using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV-Visible spectroscopy(UV-Vis), 1H NMR, and size exclusion chromatography(SEC), confirming the occurrence of the [2+2] photocycloaddition between the MTM moieties. The mechanical and physical properties of the resulting gels containing various MTM mol% were evaluated by rheology, compression testing, and swelling experiments. In addition, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to characterise the xerogel morphology of5 and 10 mol% MTM hydro-and organo-gels. The macro-porous morphology obtained for the hydrogels was attributed to phase separation due to the difference insolubility of the PDMA modified with thiolactone side chains, provided that a more homogeneous morphology was obtained when the photo-gels were prepared in DMF as the solvent

Influence of workplace incivility on the quality of nursing care

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jocn.15051Aims and objectives To examine the influence of workplace incivility on the quality of nursing care. Background Recent evidence describes workplace incivility as a serious concern in the healthcare setting worldwide. Exposure to workplace incivility can alter a nurse's behaviour, thought process and perspective towards the nursing profession. However, there is insufficient evidence to determine whether workplace incivility might be associated with the quality of nursing care in Saudi Arabia. Design A quantitative and cross‐sectional study. Method A survey was carried out amongst 378 nurses in two government hospitals in Saudi Arabia from February 2018–May 2018 using the Nurse Incivility and quality of nursing care scales. Multivariate multiple regression was performed to investigate the influence of the uncivil experiences of nurses from different sources on the different aspects of quality of nursing care. The study adhered to STROBE guideline (see Appendix S1). Results The overall mean of the quality of nursing care scale was 3.14 (SD = 0.66) from a scale of 1–5, with patient satisfaction receiving the highest mean dimension (mean = 3.27, SD = 0.72) and health promotion the lowest mean dimension (mean = 3.08, SD = 0.74). Experience in the present hospital and the hospital were associated with the overall quality of nursing care. General and nurse incivility exerted a multivariate effect on overall quality of nursing care and its different dimensions. Conclusion General incivility and nurse incivility were found to negatively impact quality of nursing care and its different dimensions. Relevance to clinical practice Stronger policies geared towards eliminating workplace incivility should be implemented as uncivil acts can lead to poor quality of nursing care. Nurse administrators and nurses should be pro‐active in recognising, preventing, approaching, reporting and intervening with uncivil acts in the hospital to protect these workers from these types of behaviours and avoid their negative impacts on patient care

Functional Analysis of SBPase Gene Promoter in Transgenic Wheat under Abiotic Stresses

Background and Objective: This study focused on evaluation of SBPase promoter in driving transgenes under drought, high light intensity and salinity as major abiotic stresses limiting plant growth and production in various areas of the world. Wheat production has remained constant despite the rapidly growing population around the world. Materials and Methods: This had made it necessary to develop other varieties with higher yield in order to satisfy the future demand. When elite wheat varieties’ photosynthesis is genetically manipulated, it gives a high possibility for yield increase. Lack of a properly defined molecular tool-box promoter for driving gene expression for manipulation of photosynthesis, hinders the progression of this field. Gus histochemical staining and quantitative PCR were used to examine the function of Brachypodium distachyon sedoheptulose-1, 7-bisphosphatase (SBPase) promoter to drive the expression of GUS in the stably transformed wheat plants under various stresses conditions. Results: Results revealed that B. distachyon SBPase promoter fully drive the GUS expression in the stable wheat transformants (cv. Cadenza) in the leaf tissues under normal and high light conditions. It also drove GUS gene expression under drought and salinity stress conditions. In addition, the promoter responds to light/dark/light alternation as light responsive genes. Conclusion: The Bd SBPase promoter provides innovative molecular tool to drive genes in wheat leaves under natural, drought, high light intensity and salinity conditions as well as to allow for multigene photosynthetic manipulation for yield increase under various abiotic conditions

Highlights on the development, related patents, and prospects of Lenacapavir : the first-in-class HIV-1 capsid inhibitor for the treatment of multi-drug-resistant HIV-1 infection

The multidrug-resistant (MDR) human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) infection is an unmet medical need. HIV-1 capsid plays an important role at different stages of the HIV-1 replication cycle and is an attractive drug target for developing therapies against MDR HIV-1 infection. Lenacapavir (LEN) is the first-in-class HIV-1 capsid inhibitor approved by the USFDA, EMA, and Health Canada for treating MDR HIV-1 infection. This article highlights the development, pharmaceutical aspects, clinical studies, patent literature, and future directions on LEN-based therapies. The literature for this review was collected from PubMed, authentic websites (USFDA, EMA, Health Canada, Gilead, and NIH), and the free patent database (Espacenet, USPTO, and Patent scope). LEN has been developed by Gilead and is marketed as Sunlenca (tablet and subcutaneous injection). The long-acting and patient-compliant LEN demonstrated a low level of drug-related mutations, is active against MDR HIV-1 infection, and does not reveal cross-resistance to other anti-HIV drugs. LEN is also an excellent drug for patients having difficult or limited access to healthcare facilities. The literature has established additive/synergistic effects of combining LEN with rilpivirine, cabotegravir, islatravir, bictegravir, and tenofovir. HIV-1 infection may be accompanied by opportunistic infections such as tuberculosis (TB). The associated diseases make HIV treatment complex and warrant drug interaction studies (drug–drug, drug–food, and drug–disease interaction). Many inventions on different aspects of LEN have been claimed in patent literature. However, there is a great scope for developing more inventions related to the drug combination of LEN with anti-HIV/anti-TB drugs in a single dosage form, new formulations, and methods of treating HIV and TB co-infection. Additional research may provide more LEN-based treatments with favorable pharmacokinetic parameters for MDR HIV-1 infections and associated opportunistic infections such as TB.https://www.mdpi.com/journal/medicinaam2024School of Health Systems and Public Health (SHSPH)SDG-03:Good heatlh and well-bein

Quantitative response of wheat to sowing dates and irrigation regimes using ceres-wheat model

An experiment was conducted at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana during 2014–15 and 2015–16, keeping four sowing dates {25th Oct (D1), 10th Nov (D2), 25th Nov (D3) and 10th Dec (D4)} in main plots and five irrigation schedules {irrigation at 15 (FC15), 25 (FC25), 35 (FC35) and 45 (FC45) % depletion of soil moisture from field capacity (FC) and a conventional practice} in sub plots. The objective of the study was to evaluate the performance of CERES-Wheat model for simulating yield and water use under varying planting and soil moisture regimes. The simulated and observed grain yield was higher in D1, with irrigation applied at FC15 as compared to all other sowing date and irrigation regime combinations. Simulated grain yield decreased by 19% with delay in sowing from 25th October to 10th December because of 8% reduction in simulated crop evapotranspiration. Simulated evapotranspiration decreased by 16%, wheat grain yield by 23% and water productivity by 15% in drip irrigation at 45% depletion from field capacity as compared to drip irrigation at 15% of field capacity. It was further revealed that the model performed well in simulating the phenology, water use and yield of wheat

Perceived usefulness as mediator on relationship between selected factors towards technological pedagogical and content knowledge of female teachers in Saudi Arabia

Digital technologies are revolutionising teaching and learning practices in schools and universities all over the world. With the advent of the internet and web technologies, there was a crucial need to develop technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) especially for high school teachers; for the purposes of conducting successful online training that meet the ever-increasing demands of flexible teaching needs in distance education. Therefore, there was an essential need to examine the online training satisfaction, technology acceptance and attitude with technological, pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK). By reviewing the related literature and employing (TPACK and TAM), this study came to investigate the mediating effect of perceived usefulness in the relationship between online training satisfaction, technology acceptance and attitude with technological, pedagogical and content knowledge. The present study was entirely quantitative with a descriptive design. The main instrument used was a questionnaire whose content validity was checked by a panel of experts. A pilot study was conducted on 45 teachers in high schools to assess the reliability of the instruments. The value of Cronbach’s alpha was from 0.812 to 0.992. The sampling technique was proportional stratified random sampling and the sample size was 367 teachers. To analyse the data, descriptive statistics and the Structural Equation Modelling Technique were used. The finding of this study indicated that shows the mean distributions and standard deviation of the responses to the items measured. According to the highest mean belonged to pedagogical content knowledge (M=4.417, SD=0.675) followed by content knowledge (M=4.412, SD=0.779), Pedagogical Knowledge (M= 4.389, SD= 0.663), Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (M= 4.25, SD= 0.798), Technological Content Knowledge (M= 4.235, SD= 0.814), Technological Knowledge (M= 4.13, SD- 0.808) and Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (M= 4.088, SD= 0.761), While the lowest level was observed for Technological knowledge in a virtual platform (M=3.763, SD=0.983). Based on these results it can be concluded that all variables had a mean score of more than the midpoint of the scale (3) and close to “4” which indicates that TPACK had a high level among high school teachers. The results indicated that the online training was shown to be the most salient variable relating to TPACK (β= 0.328, P= 0.001), followed by ATT (β= 0.272, P= 0.001), ICT (β= 0.244, P= 0.001), PU (β= 0.225, P= 0.001), and TA (β= 0.159, P= 0.001). The results also revealed ICT was the most salient variable relating to PU (β= 0.384, P= 0.001) followed by OT (β= 0.308, P= 0.001), TA (β= 0.232, P= 0.001), and ATT (β= 0.211, P= 0.001). Finally, the relationships of online training satisfaction, technology acceptance and attitude with technological, pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) were found to be mediated by Perceived usefulness. The main contribution of this study has provided new insights into the understanding of the teacher’s level of knowledge in Technology, Pedagogy, and Content in in Saudi Arabia schools