The Long-term Relationship Between Enterprise Risk Management and bank Performance : the missing link in Nigeria

This study investigates the relationship between Enterprise Risk Management adoption and implementation, and the performance of banks using a sample of four out of the seven Strategically Important Banks (SIB) listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange covering the period from 2005 q1 to 2015 q2. In this study, we determined a measure for Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) adoption or implementation (ERM index) using an integrated Enterprise Risk Management measurement model for the banking sector suggested by Soliman and Mukhtar (2017). A time series Johansen’s cointegration test was used to obtain evidence of the long-term association between ERM and performance, while Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) analysis was performed to gather evidence of causality relationship between ERM and performance. Finally, Generalized Impulse Response Function was used to obtain evidence of how performance responds to the introduction of a shock on Enterprise Risk Management. This study makes significant contributions to the existing body of knowledge, as it yields the first Enterprise Risk Management-performance-based empirical results that indicate a long-term relationship, causation effects, in addition to responding to performance ERM

A Phenomenological Analysis of Managerial Capability in SMEs in Nigeria

As concluded by researchers change process of transformation involves implementation of better strategies to have sustainable competitive advantage. Non financing strategies should be adopted rather than solely relying on financial indices as observed in most Nigerian SMEs. This research argues that managerial capabilities which include HR competencies and skills are vital for business survival as such employers should develop and execute strategies to prioritise capabilities. The aim of this study is to evaluate phenomenologically an interpretation of managerial capability as a non-financial dimension of Organisational Health in relation to the growth of SMEs in the Nigerian context. It is pertinent to know that managerial capability which is one of the soft factor dimensions has already identified skills and competencies in related literature. This interpretive phenomenological study adopted an inductive approach using the philosophical paradigm of constructivism and semi-structured interviews for data collection. Nvivo software was used for the data analysis. The study’s key findings show that managerial capability has the highest percentage and seems to be the ultimate foundation of Organisational Health. It further shows that connectivity and relationship exist between dimensions of Organisational Health especially capability and leadership on the one hand and accountability and reporting structure on the other hand which all have influence on the growth of SMEs. However, capability and accountability are found to have stronger influence on SMEs' growth compared to leadership and reporting structure. This study reveals that the successes of SMEs are closely tied to socio-psychological processes and not only to financing support. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n3p12

Potato Classification Using Deep Learning

Abstract: Potatoes are edible tubers, available worldwide and all year long. They are relatively cheap to grow, rich in nutrients, and they can make a delicious treat. The humble potato has fallen in popularity in recent years, due to the interest in low-carb foods. However, the fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals it provides can help ward off disease and benefit human health. They are an important staple food in many countries around the world. There are an estimated 200 varieties of potatoes, which can be classified into a number of categories based on the cooked texture and ingredient functionality. Using a public dataset of 2400 images of potatoes, we trained a deep convolutional neural network to identify 4 types (Red, Red Washed, Sweet, and White).The trained model achieved an accuracy of 99.5% of test set, demonstrating the feasibility of this approach

Audit Committee Effectiveness, Audit Quality and Earnings Management: An Empirical Study of the Listed Companies in Egypt

The role of audit committees and audit quality in ensuring the quality of corporate financial reporting has come under considerable scrutiny due to recent high-profile earnings management cases in the world. The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between the audit committee effectiveness, audit quality and earnings management practices of more active 50 Egyptian companies listed on the Egyptian Stock Exchange of the non-financial sector during the period 2007-2010. After controlling for size, leverage and cash flow from operation activities, the results of univariate and multivariate analyses indicated that audit committees independence; experience of audit committee members; audit committee meetings; and audit quality have significant negative association with discretionary accruals as a proxy for earnings management. On the other hand, no significant relationship is found between audit committees size and the level of discretionary accruals. This paper is important because it offers useful information that is of great value to policy makers, academics and other stakeholders. Keywords: Audit Committee Effectiveness, Audit Quality, Earning Management, Egyp

Neurospora tetraspora D. Garcia, Stchigel & Guarro (= Gelasinospora tetrasperma Dowding) as a first record to Egypt

An interesting isolate of homothallic, ascosporic filamentous fungus having 4-spored asci, was recovered once from a non-rhizosphere soil sample collected from a grapevine plantation in the village of El-Khawaled, Sahel-Saleem city, Assiut. It was isolated on DYM agar plate at 25°C in June 2008. The isolate was identified phenotypically and genotypically as Neurospora tetraspora (= Gelasinospora tetrasperma) and was deposited in the culture collection of Assiut University Mycological Centre as AUMC no. 6784 and ITS gene sequence of the strain was deposited at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and assigned a GenBank accession number JQ425383. N. tetraspora is being recorded in the current work for the first time in Egypt. By this addition, the genus is now known in Egypt by four species. A key is provided for the four species. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.116560

Morbidity of Inguinofemoral Lymphadenectomy in Vulval Cancer

Background. The aim of this study is to detect possible risk factors for development of short- and long-term local complications after inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy for vulval cancer. Methods. This retrospective cohort study included 34 vulval cancer patients that received inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy. The detected complications were wound cellulitis, wound seroma formation, wound breakdown, wound infection, and limb lymphoedema. Followup of the patient ran up to 84 months after surgery. Results. Within a total of 64 inguinofemoral lymphadenectomies, 24% of the inguinal wounds were affected with cellulitis, 13% developed a seroma, 10% suffered wound breakdown, 5% showed lower limb edema within a month of the operation, and 21.4% showed lower limb edema during the long-term followup. No significant correlation could be found between saphenous vein ligation and the development of any of the local complications. The 3-year survival rate in our cohort was 89.3%. Conclusions. Local complications after inguino-femoral lymphadenectomy are still very high, with no single pre-, intra-, or postoperative factor that could be incriminated. Saphenous vein sparing provided no significant difference in decreasing the rate of local complications. More trials should be done to study the sentinel lymph node detection technique