Intellectual capital disclosures and corporate governance:an empirical examination

Empirical examinations of the links between corporate governance and intellectual capital are underresearched, particularly from the context of emerging economies where corporate governance mechanisms tend to be largely ceremonial due to family dominance. This study aims to address this gap in the intellectual capital disclosure (ICD) literature by undertaking an empirical examination of the relationship between corporate governance and the extent of ICD of Bangladeshi companies. Inter alia, the key findings of this study suggest that there is a non-linear relationship between family ownership and the extent of ICD. This research also found that foreign ownership, board independence, and the presence of audit committees are positively associated with the extent of ICD. Conversely, family duality (i.e., where the positions of CEO and chairperson are occupied by two individuals from the same family) is negatively associated with the extent of ICD

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)1.

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field

The Effect of The Tumor Microenvironment on Multi-Drug Resistance and the Assessment of Agents that Overcome this Effect

Multidrug resistance (MDR) development is a major obstacle in the fight against cancer, primarily because of the over expression of ATP-binding cassette transporters (ABC transporters) such as P-glycoprotein (Pgp). Pgp typically protects cancer cells through the efflux of a diverse range of cytotoxic chemotherapeutics, such as Doxorubicin (DOX). Recently developed novel iron chelators (i.e., Dp44mT, DpC) demonstrate potent anti-tumor activity in these drug resistance cells. However, while the mechanism of Pgp drug efflux and function is known, the intracellular distribution and role of Pgp is yet to be determined. Additionally, the responsiveness to chemotherapeutics has been shown to be heavily influenced by the microenvironment of tumor cells. Thus, exploring these factors would be beneficial to potentially developing alternative agents and treatments to target MDR. This thesis consists of 6 chapters: A comprehensive literature review (Chapter 1 Introduction); a general methods chapter (Chapter 2 Materials and methods); 2 result chapters (Chapters 3-4) describing and discussing the results obtained; a concluding discussion of the findings and future directions (Chapter 5 Discussion) and a Bibliography (Chapter 6)

Family firm disclosure and accounting regulation reform in the Middle East : the case of Jordan

We examine the quality of accounting disclosures by family firms using mandatory and voluntary disclosures as proxies for the quality of disclosure. We find that family firms comply more fully with mandatory disclosure requirements than do non-family firms but they disclose significantly less voluntary information. We also document that the enhanced accounting regulation improves the strength of the association between family ownership and mandatory disclosure compliance. Another important finding is the greater disclosure, both mandatory and voluntary, for firms with high family ownership compared to firms with low family ownership

The value relevance of corporate voluntary disclosure in the Middle East : the case of Jordan

We examine whether higher voluntary disclosure, resulting from privatization and the accompanying governance reforms, enhances the value of privatized Jordanian firms. We use panel data for 243 firm-year annual reports (over a period of 9 years from 1996 to 2004) and employ univariate and multivariate tests in order to test our hypothesis,. We construct a governance index to proxy for the impact of privatized firms' governance on voluntary disclosure. Also, we control for the endogeneity of voluntary disclosure in its relation with firm value. Our multivariate results indicate that voluntary disclosure is positively associated with firm value. We also find that firm value is associated with industry types as a proxy for size. However, we did not find that growth and liquidity are associated with firm value

Development of accounting regulation in Jordan

This study examines the development of accounting regulation in Jordan with emphasis on the dominant environmental factors that influence it. In order to have a better understanding of Jordan's present accounting practices, and its future development tendencies, we examine the path of accounting in Jordan since the early days of the nineteenth century, and analyze how Jordan's accounting environment — political, economic, legal and cultural — influenced the development of accounting in Jordan. We also examine Jordan's recent move towards full adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and find that Jordan's colonial past has exerted a strong influence. In addition, we conclude that political and economic factors, through privatization and the resulting accounting reforms, contributed more to the development of accounting practices than other environmental factors. Privatization led to reforming Jordan's disclosure regulation and laying down of the corporate-governance policy framework. Our conclusions could be of interest to other countries, particularly developing countries, who want to improve the quality of their accounting disclosures and practices

Internal auditing in the Middle East and North Africa : a literature review

The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) has conducted several surveys to understand the development of the internal auditing (IA) profession worldwide. In its latest survey, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region was expected to experience the most significant changes in the regulation of internal auditing (IIA, 2010). This study reviews the MENA region literature dealing with recent regulatory reforms in internal auditing, focusing on independence and objectivity, assurance versus consulting services, and the IA role in consulting activities. We find that while the majority of the region has introduced reforms to the IA function, more needs to be done to (1) insure independence and objectivity; and (2) involve IA in consulting services, particularly with respect to risk management, control and governance. This review and its findings are timely given the vast advances the IA profession is witnessing, and has implications for both the IIA and MENA countries’ regulators. The study also hopes to motivate further research in this region