The effect of culture on Corporate Governance Practices in Nigeria

This study focuses on the effect of culture on the application of corporate governance practices in Nigeria. Corporate governance has been receiving serious attention in emerging markets over the past two decades. But relatively little attention has been given to the study on corporate governance in a country study. The current situations in Nigerian public and private sectors such as the corporate scandal resulting from Lever Brothers Nigeria plc, Siemens, Shell, Halliburton, and Cadbury Nigeria plc, have shown that the issue of fraud, corruption, and corporate scandals cannot be overlooked. Most top management, as this study argues, bring in beliefs acquired from their early childhood into their senior management roles and responsibilities. This study adopts a grounded theory and reports on the effect of culture on the implementation of corporate governance in Nigeria. Based on the interview with 32 staffs, this study identifies the effect of culture that shapes corporate governance and they include abuse of power by top management, weak legal framework, poor recruitment and ineffective control. Although having efficient corporate governance is worth pursuing, this depends on the power of top management, the strength of internal control procedures and the legal framework put in place by management

Other curriculum in pesantren : exploring possible triggers of radicalism

The curriculum and subjects taught in pesantrens attended by Muslim terrorists have been of interest in educational research. In the absence of direct connections between the school curriculum and students’ involvement in radicalism, what sociologists call the “hidden curriculum” should be given attention

Counter-ideology : remaining vigilant during economic slump

Efforts in combating terrorism require the involvement of the general public and the authorities. The current economic downturn may, however, distract public awareness on the need for counter-ideological work

Characterization of articular cartilage using low-field magnetic resonance imaging image

Articular cartilage is a very complex tissue with highly structured composition and functional biomechanical properties. These biomechanical properties were found to be degraded when the cartilage started to degenerate and lead to osteoarthritis (OA) disease. As the researchers are still searching for better treatments of OA, the characterization of the cartilage at its earliest stage could be used to introduce the early intervention of the disease. However, the property assessment of the articular cartilage is yet to be fully investigated. In particular, the grayscale of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) image on cartilage could be one of the important evaluation in the tissue composition Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the potential application of low-field MRI image in order to examine the condition of the articular cartilage. The articular cartilage specimens (n = 36) obtained from the humeral heads of bovine shoulder joint were scanned with various sequences using 0.18 T Esaote C-scan MRI system. It was found that the grayscale value of the superficial zone was higher than the deep zone of the cartilage. The results of the study demonstrated the feasibility of the low-field MRI images on providing the useful information of the articular cartilage and could enhance the ability to mark the disease at a very early stage