The Impact of Internal Governance Mechanisms on Environmental Performance of Saudi Firms

Purpose- We argue that firms that have a sustainability committee operating on the board, publish separate sustainability reports that are externally assured by an independent external audit, and have large and active boards are more likely to be engaged in environmental practices and have better environmental performance. Design/methodology/approach- Based on a sample of firms listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange, covering the period 2014–2021, we apply panel data models to examine the research hypotheses. Findings- Our findings show significant positive associations between the existence of sustainability committee, the publication of a separate sustainability reports, and the independent external assurance of these reports and environmental performance. We also find that the composite internal governance index is significant and positively associated with environmental performance. Practical implications- Policy makers should support the creation of sustainability committee on the boards of Saudi firms and review its role and responsibilities. Our findings inform regulators of the importance of the existence of independent external assurance of sustainability reports of Saudi firms to enhance the credibility and reliability of these reports. Managers need to establish devoted committees committed to sustainability related tasks that help coordinate communications between the firm and stakeholders. Originality/value- The Saudi Arabia government has implemented a range of policies and initiatives aim to improve environmental performance which is a main focus of Saudi Vision 2030 to achieve environmental sustainability. Therefore, we provide a unique evidence and new insights on impact of internal governance on corporate environmental performance in the Saudi context

Blocking Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Signaling in HTR-8/SVneo First Trimester Trophoblast Cells Results in Dephosphorylation of PKBα/AKT and Induces Apoptosis

We identified a major peptide signaling target of EGF/EGFR pathway and explored the consequences of blocking or activating this pathway in the first trimester extravillous trophoblast cells, HTR-8/SVneo. A global analysis of protein phosphorylation was undertaken using novel technology (Kinexus Kinetworks) that utilizes SDS-polyacrylamide minigel electrophoresis and multi-lane immunoblotting to permit specific and semiquantitative detection of multiple phosphoproteins. Forty-seven protein phosphorylation sites were queried, and the results reported based on relative phosphorylation at each site. EGF- and Iressa-(gefitinib, ZD1839, an inhibitor of EGFR) treated HTR-8/SVneo cells were subjected to immunoblotting and flow cytometry to confirm the phosphoprotein screen and to assess the effects of EGF versus Iressa on cell cycle and apoptosis. EGFR mediates the phosphorylation of important signaling proteins, including PKBα/AKT. This pathway is likely to be central to EGFR-mediated trophoblast survival. Furthermore, EGF treatment induces proliferation and inhibits apoptosis, while Iressa induces apoptosis

Do corporate governance mechanisms and ESG disclosure drive CSR narrative tones?

This study explores the underlying drivers of the tone of corporate social responsibility (CSR) narratives by considering four corporate governance mechanisms and examining whether there is a relationship between environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosure and the CSR narrative tone based on a sample of UK firms from 2008 to 2017. The results show that more independent directors would lead to a less optimistic language (positive tone) and a more pessimistic language (negative tone) in the CSR report. The results also show that a higher ESG disclosure score leads to a more positive CSR narrative tone. However, gender diversity has a positive impact on the positivity of CSR tone when the ESG score is medium or high and when the board size exceeds 10 members. These findings are relevant for policymakers, investors, and firm managers. For instance, the findings inform regulators and policymakers about the relevant governance mechanisms that affect the tone of CSR reports

Board composition, ownership structure and financial distress: insights from UK FTSE 350

Purpose This study aims to investigate the possible implications of compliance with corporate governance (CG) provisions, including board composition and ownership structures, on the firm’s likelihood of falling into financial distress. Design/methodology/approach The study applies a random-effects logistic regression model as a baseline analysis using a sample of 110 FTSE 350 manufacturing companies from 2014 to 2019. This technique is supported by conducting a two-stage Heckman regression model to overcome the potential existence of endogeneity problems. Findings The empirical evidence suggests that board composition and ownership structure are heterogeneously associated with financial distress probabilities in that they might have either reduced or increased the financial distress of the sampled firms. Specifically, board independence, board gender diversity, audit committee independence and institutional ownership negatively influence the likelihood of financial distress. In contrast, and consistent with the expectations, ownership concentration is positively attributed to financial distress, while the board size, audit committee size and managerial ownership have insignificant impacts on financial distress. Originality/value The study extends the existing body of knowledge by examining the collective effect of board characteristics and ownership structures on firms’ financial distress likelihood among a sample of manufacturing firms within the FTSE 350 index post the 2008 global financial crisis and following the recent CG reforms in the UK during the study period from 2014 to 2019

Corporate environmental disclosure and earnings management—The moderating role of corporate governance structures

Our study examines whether internal corporate governance (CG) mechanisms moderate the relationship between a firm's engagement in corporate environmental disclosure (CED) and earnings management (EM) practices in an emerging economy. Using a sample of 100 Jordanian listed firms from 2010 to 2014 (i.e., 500 firm-year observations), our findings reveal that while the relationship between CED and earnings manipulations is negative, the links between CG arrangements and EM are heterogeneous in that they might have either reduced or increased earnings manipulations in Jordan. Furthermore, some CG structures, such as board size, managerial, and institutional ownership structures have moderating effects on the CED-EM nexus. Our research highlights the significance of considering internal CG mechanisms to explain the link between CED and EM in the context of emerging economies. Our results help to explain and place into setting the earlier mixed results on the association between CED and earnings manipulations and most importantly add to the debate about whether CG structures detrimental to the CED-EM nexus. This study allows for a richer understanding of how managers respond to CED initiatives and CG reforms in relation to reducing earnings manipulations, which offers policymakers, board directors and managers, a set of context-specific recommendations related to the crucial need for more concerted efforts to ensure corporate sustainability in emerging economies

EGFR isoforms and gene regulation in human endometrial cancer cells

BACKGROUND: Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and its receptor (EGFR) constitute a principal growth-promoting pathway in endometrial cancer cells. Pre-clinical studies were undertaken to compare the expression of EGFR isoforms and the downstream effects of activating or blocking EGFR function in Ishikawa H cells, derived from a moderately differentiated type I endometrioid adenocarcinoma, or in Hec50co cells, derived from a poorly differentiated type II adenocarcinoma with papillary serous sub-differentiation. RESULTS: We investigated whether EGFR mutations are present in the tyrosine kinase domain (exons 18-22) of EGFR and also whether EGFR isoforms are expressed in the Ishikawa H or Hec50co cell lines. Sequence of the EGFR tyrosine kinase domain proved to be wild type in both cell lines. While both cell lines expressed full-length EGFR (isoform A), EGFR and sEGFR (isoform D) were expressed at significantly lower levels in Hec50co cells compared to Ishikawa H cells. Analysis of gene expression following EGF vs. gefitinib treatment (a small molecule EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor) was performed. Early growth response 1, sphingosine kinase 2, dual specificity phosphatase 6, and glucocorticoid receptor DNA binding factor 1 are members of a cluster of genes downstream of EGFR that are differentially regulated by treatment with EGF compared to gefitinib in Ishikawa H cells, but not in Hec50co cells. CONCLUSIONS: Type I Ishikawa H and type II Hec50co endometrial carcinoma cells both express EGFR and sEGFR, but differ markedly in their responsiveness to the EGFR inhibitor gefitinib. This difference is paralleled by differences in the expression of sEGFR and EGFR, as well as in their transcriptional response following treatment with either EGF or gefitinib. The small cluster of differently regulated genes reported here in these type I vs. type II endometrial cancer-derived cell lines may identify candidate biomarkers useful for predicting sensitivity to EGFR blockade

ESG disclosure and firm performance before and after IR: The moderating role of governance mechanisms

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the effect of environmental, social, and governance disclosure (ESGD) on firm performance (FP) before and after the introduction of integrated reporting (IR) further to exploring a potential moderation effect of corporate governance (CG) mechanisms on this relationship. Design/methodology/approach Ordinary least squares (OLS) and firm-fixed effects models were estimated based on data related to FTSE 350 between 2009 and 2018. The data has been mainly collected from Bloomberg and Capital IQ. This analysis was supplemented with applying a two-stage least squares (2 SLS) model to address any concerns regarding the expected occurrence of endogeneity problems. Findings The results show a positive and significant relationship between ESGD score and firm performance before and after 2013, among a sample of FTSE 350. Furthermore, the study is suggestive of a moderation effect of CG mechanisms (i.e., ownership concentration, gender diversity and board size) on the ESGD-FP nexus. Additionally, this paper finds that firms voluntarily associated with IR have a tendency to achieve better firm financial performance. Practical implications The findings of the present study have several policy and practitioner implications. For example, managers may engage in ESGD to enhance their firms’ financial performance by the voluntary involvement in IR, which believed to help investors to rationalise their investment decisions. Likewise, the results reiterate the crucial need to integrate more social, environmental and economic regulations to promote sustainability in the UK. The paper also offers a systematic picture for policymakers in the UK as well as future researchers. Social implications The findings of this paper indicate that IR plays a significant role in the relationship between ESGD and FP, where IR firms seemed to be achieving better FP as compared with their nonIR counterparts. This implies that stakeholders may have played a magnificent effort to encourage firms’ voluntary engagement in IR in the UK. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to explore the potential moderating effect of ownership concentration, gender diversity and board size on the relationship between ESGD and FP and to examine whether firms’ voluntary involvement in IR can lead to better FP after the introduction of IR in 2013 in the UK

The combination of Paclitaxel and Gefitinib inhibits endometrial cancer cells by inducing mitotic catastrophe: proof of principle for dual therapy in endometrial cancer

Serous uterine endometrial cancer is a lethal disease for which new therapeutic regimens are urgently needed. Combinations of chemotherapeutic agents and small molecule growth factor inhibitors have demonstrated activity in cancers from other sites. Our objective was to determine whether such a combination using Paclitaxel and Gefitinib could be active in serous endometrial cancer cells

Significant association between polymorphism of the erythropoietin gene promoter and myelodysplastic syndrome

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) may be induced by certain mutagenic environmental or chemotherapeutic toxins; however, the role of susceptibility genes remains unclear. The G/G genotype of the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs1617640 in the erythropoietin (<it>EPO</it>) promoter has been shown to be associated with decreased EPO expression. We examined the association of rs1617640 genotype with MDS.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We genotyped the EPO rS1617640 SNP in 189 patients with MDS, 257 with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), 106 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, 97 with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, 353 with chronic myeloid leukemia, and 95 healthy controls.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The G/G genotype was significantly more common in MDS patients (47/187; 25.1%) than in controls (6/95; 6.3%) or in patients with other leukemias (101/813; 12.4%) (all <it>P </it>< 0.001). Individuals with the G/G genotype were more likely than those with other genotypes to have MDS (odd ratio = 4.98; 95% CI = 2.04-12.13). Clinical and follow up data were available for 112 MDS patients and 186 AML patients. There was no correlation between EPO promoter genotype and response to therapy or overall survival in MDS or AML. In the MDS group, the GG genotype was significantly associated with shorter complete remission duration, as compared with the TT genotype (<it>P </it>= 0.03). Time to neutrophils recovery after therapy was significantly longer in MDS patients with the G/G genotype (<it>P </it>= 0.02).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These findings suggest a strong association between the rs1617640 G/G genotype and MDS. Further studies are warranted to investigate the utility of screening for this marker in individuals exposed to environmental toxins or chemotherapy.</p