Thinking Outside the Box - Eliminating the Perniciousness of Box-Ticking in the New Corporate Governance Code

On 16 July 2018, a new corporate governance code was published. As with previous iterations, it applies on a ‘comply-or-explain’ basis, whereby companies are required to either comply with provisions or explain reasons for non-compliance. However, the new code substantially simplified the previous version of the code in an attempt to attenuate the process of ‘box-ticking’. Box-ticking manifests itself in two ways: firstly, by companies complying with the letter rather than the spirit of the provisions, and, second, by companies not utilising the inherent flexibility to implement the optimum firm-specific governance structures by explaining rather than complying. This article will elucidate the history of box-ticking, and the reasons why companies succumb thereto, since Adrian Cadbury pioneered the concept of ‘comply-or-explain’ in 1992, before proposing a new exclusively principles-driven approach to corporate governance which would alleviate box-ticking and fulfill the original aspirations of Cadbury over a quarter of a century ago

The Fat Controller - Slimming Down the Excesses of Controlling Shareholders in UK Listed Companies

Abstract- It has become fashionable to extoll the benefits of an incumbent controlling shareholder in companies. Indeed, many of the failures of the stewardship movement, that encourages shareholders in UK listed companies to take an interventionist approach to their investments, have been blamed on the prevalence of dispersed and fragmented ownership models. However, in the publicly listed company sphere, it is debatable whether the virtues of controlling shareholders outweigh the potential detriments, as evidenced by the corporate governance travails of Sports Direct International plc. This paper summarises the principal inherent benefits and detriments, and how these may have presented themselves in the experience of Sports Direct International plc; followed by a normative analysis of the effectiveness of certain regulations ostensibly created to constrain controlling shareholders, together with proposals for reform, arguing that the existing regulations have proved to be insufficient in constraining the controlling shareholder of Sports Direct International plc

Solar activity and Indian weather/climate

The literature on influences of solar activity on the Indian weather and climate is reviewed since the discovery of sunspot cycle. Fluctuations in solar activity are undoubtedly a factor affecting weather and climate. Although the results of some of the studies are conflicting, Indian weather and climate is, in general, inversely related to sunspots. However, the areal extent of floods in India seems to expand and contract in phase with the Hale double sunspot cycle, suggesting that the flood rhythm is in some manner controlled by long-term solar activity related to solar magnetic effects. All the evidences of solar influences on weather and climate may have practical implications in improving long-range forecasting of weather and climate, once the physical coupling mechanisms and their modification by other factors are clearly understood. Some of the promising plausible physical mechanisms for explaining solar effects on weather and climate are also discussed

Static and vibration analysis of functionally graded beams using refined shear deformation theory

Static and vibration analysis of functionally graded beams using refined shear deformation theory is presented. The developed theory, which does not require shear correction factor, accounts for shear deformation effect and coupling coming from the material anisotropy. Governing equations of motion are derived from the Hamilton's principle. The resulting coupling is referred to as triply coupled axial-flexural response. A two-noded Hermite-cubic element with five degree-of-freedom per node is developed to solve the problem. Numerical results are obtained for functionally graded beams with simply-supported, cantilever-free and clamped-clamped boundary conditions to investigate effects of the power-law exponent and modulus ratio on the displacements, natural frequencies and corresponding mode shapes

COMPARISON OF ELISA AND RT-PCR FOR THE DETECTION OF PEANUT BUD NECROSIS VIRUS IN ONION (ALLIUM CEPA.L)

ABSTRACT: Peanut bud necrosis virus (PBNV) is an important re-emerging viral pathogen in onion (Allium cepa L.) in India. The virus transmitted by thrips vectors; it belongs to the genus Tospovirus and family Bunyaviridae. The onion crop infected by PBNV and it is a major problem in Southern India. This paper presents the comparison of DAC-ELISA and RT-PCR in the detection of PBNV infected onion samples from South India. The PBNV suspected onion samples (n=145) were collected in the major growing areas of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka states from South India. Among these collected onion samples, Seventy five samples (51.72%) were confirmed as PBNV infected by DAC-ELISA using the PBNV specific antiserum and in RT-PCR method one hundred twenty four samples (85.51%) were amplified (~800bp) by using the PBNV-CP gene specific primers. In comparison studies the RT-PCR method has added the advantage that it is more sensitive than the DAC-ELISA in the detection of PBNV in onion

DESIGNING AND EVALUATION OF DICLOFENAC SODIUM SUSTAINED RELEASE MATRIX TABLETS USING HIBISCUS ROSA-SINENSIS LEAVES MUCILAGE

ABSTRACT The main objective of the present investigation was to design matrix tablets of Diclofenac sodium using Hibiscus rosa-sinensis leaves mucilage and to study its release retardant activity in prepared sustained release formulations. Hibiscus rosa-sinensis leaves were evaluated for physicochemical properties. Different matrix tablets of Diclofenac sodium Hibiscus rosa-sinensis leaves mucilage were formulated. The matrix tablets found to have better uniformity of weight, hardness, friability and drug content with low deviated values. The swelling behavior, release rate characteristics and the in-vitro dissolution study proved that the dried Hibiscus rosa-sinensis leaves mucilage can be used as a matrix forming material for preparing sustained release matrix tablets. The kinetics of drug release from selected DHR-5 formulation followed zero order. It was concluded that Hibiscus rosa-sinensis leaves mucilage can be used as an effective matrix forming polymer, to sustain the release of Diclofenac sodium from the formulation

Austro-Asiatic Tribes of Northeast India Provide Hitherto Missing Genetic Link between South and Southeast Asia

Northeast India, the only region which currently forms a land bridge between the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, has been proposed as an important corridor for the initial peopling of East Asia. Given that the Austro-Asiatic linguistic family is considered to be the oldest and spoken by certain tribes in India, Northeast India and entire Southeast Asia, we expect that populations of this family from Northeast India should provide the signatures of genetic link between Indian and Southeast Asian populations. In order to test this hypothesis, we analyzed mtDNA and Y-Chromosome SNP and STR data of the eight groups of the Austro-Asiatic Khasi from Northeast India and the neighboring Garo and compared with that of other relevant Asian populations. The results suggest that the Austro-Asiatic Khasi tribes of Northeast India represent a genetic continuity between the populations of South and Southeast Asia, thereby advocating that northeast India could have been a major corridor for the movement of populations from India to East/Southeast Asia