scholarly journals On the specifics of corporate governance in Iran and the Middle East

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 49-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Udo C. Braendle ◽  
Alireza Omidvar ◽  
Ali Tehraninasr
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Board Of Directors ◽  
Transition Economies ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Independent Directors ◽  
Control Environment ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Institutional Infrastructure ◽  
The Status

Corporate Governance (CG) is not a new concept for the transition economies of the Middle East, but corporate governance is especially important since these economies do not have the long-established institutional infrastructure to deal with corporate governance issues. This article is presenting the results of our survey analyzing the status quo of Corporate Governance in Iranian companies. The survey questions cover aspects of Corporate Governance awareness, board of directors, control environment, transparency and shareholder- as well as stakeholder rights. We find several specifics that apply to other countries in the MENA region too. Empowering shareholders and stakeholder, offering Corporate Governance trainings and case studies in the region as well as establishing a culture of independent directors is the way forward.

scholarly journals Corporate governance in the Middle East – Which way to go?

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Udo Braendle
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Transition Economies ◽  
Mena Countries ◽  
Institutional Infrastructure ◽  
Executive Remuneration ◽  
Corporate Governance Codes ◽  
Country Analysis ◽  
Cross Country ◽  
Country Specific

The Interest in corporate governance is not a new phenomenon in the transition economies of the Middle East, but corporate governance is especially important in these economies since these countries do not have the long-established (financial) institutional infrastructure to deal with corporate governance issues. This article focusses on a cross-country analysis of the most important topics in corporate codes – shareholder rights, board systems and executive remuneration. By analysing three representative MENA countries, we discuss if codes based on directives or standards are better for these economies. The introduction of corporate governance codes for these economies seems useful but should not rely on broad standards but on legally enforced binding rules accounting for the discussion of directives versus standards. The paper argues against the blindfold implementation of corporate governance codes and argues for country specific solutions.

Critical International Relations Theories and the Study of Arab Uprisings: A Critique

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-150
Author(s):  
Ahmed M. Abozaid
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Critical Theory ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Arab Spring ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
The Other ◽  
Arab Uprisings ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Arab Spring ◽  
Western Perspective

This study articulates that most of the critical theorists are still strikingly neglecting the study of the Arab Uprising(s) adequately. After almost a decade of the eruption of the so-called Arab Uprisings, the study claims that the volume of scholarly engaging of dominate Western International Relations (IR) theories with such unprecedented events is still substantially unpretentious. Likewise, and most importantly, the study also indicates that most of these theories, including the critical theory of IR (both Frankfurt and Habermasian versions), have discussed, engaged, analysed, and interpreted the Arab Spring (a term usually perceived to be orientalist, troubling, totally inappropriate and passive phenomenon) indicate a strong and durable egoistic Western perspective that emphasis on the preservation of the status quo and ensure the interests of Western and neoliberal elites, and the robustness of counter-revolutionary regimes. On the other hand, the writings and scholarships that reflexively engaged and represent the authentic Arab views, interests, and prospects were clearly demonstrating a strong and durable scarce, if not entirely missing. Keywords: International Relations, Critical Theory, Postcolonial, Arab Uprising(s), Middle East, Revolutions.

M. Video-Eldorado: improving corporate governance to increase efficiency

2021 ◽  
pp. 69-71
Author(s):  
A.V. Butov
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Board Of Directors ◽  
General Meeting ◽  
Annual General ◽  
Independent Directors ◽  
Annual General Meeting ◽  
The Board Of Directors ◽  
Increase Efficiency

M. Video reports that the company’s board of directors has decided to hold an annual general meeting of shareholders on May 7, 2021. As part of the implementation of measures to improve corporate governance, the Board of Directors approved the list of candidates for the new composition of the Board. If appropriate decisions are made by the shareholders, the share of independent directors in the board of directors will increase to one third.

Online transparency and corporate governance in Spanish governmental agencies

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 653-675 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicente Pina ◽  
Lourdes Torres
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Board Of Directors ◽  
Previous Literature ◽  
Independent Directors ◽  
Political Dimension ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Eu Directive ◽  
The Board Of Directors ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Spanish Legislation

Purpose Online transparency has become a tool to increase legitimacy and trust in governments. The purpose of this paper is to study the online transparency of Spanish Central Government agencies and analyze whether their corporate governance (CG) structures influence their online transparency. Design/methodology/approach The information used for building an online transparency index and about the board of directors has been collected from the websites of the 168 agencies and from their statutes and activity reports. Ordinary least squares analysis is used. Based on a previous literature review and the requirements of the EU Directive and Spanish legislation, 108 items included in the websites have been analyzed. Findings The average information displayed through the website agencies is significantly less than the information considered as relevant in previous literature and in the Spanish legislation. The highest values are presented by the technical dimensions and the lowest by the organizational/political dimension. The presence of independent directors and women on the boards of directors are revealed as the most important explanatory factors of online transparency. Practical implications Practical implications to improve online transparency are related to the organizational/political dimension – including the positions and CVs of members of governing bodies, minutes, etc. and to the presence of independent directors and, to a lesser extent, of women, on the board of directors. Originality/value The contribution of this paper is the identification of some online transparency determinants in public entities under the same general legal framework. This is the first paper that analyzes the relationship between online transparency and CG in public agencies.

Moral Agency and International Society

2001 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Brown
Keyword(s):  
Board Of Directors ◽  
Security Council ◽  
International Society ◽  
Moral Agency ◽  
Important Variable ◽  
Gulf War ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Governing Committee ◽  
Interesting Possibility ◽  
The Status

There is no body that has the legal right to exercise agency on behalf of international society (IS), even though the notion of “society” encapsulated in IS is, in principle, close to that conveyed by bodies such as clubs and associations that can be represented by, for example, a board of directors or governing committee. Some have argued that the UN or the Security Council can exercise agency on behalf of IS, but in view of the “underinstitutionalization” of IS in the UN, a more interesting possibility is that groups of states may authorize themselves to act on the behalf of IS as “coalitions of the willing.” However, the contrasting experience of the Gulf War of 1990/91 and the Kosovo campaign of 1999 suggest that the degree of ideological coherence of the coalition in question is an important variable here - in 1999, NATO was able with some plausibility to represent the wider international society because of its commitment to certain core democratic values, while in 1991 the Gulf War coalition could only act conservatively in restoring the status quo because of its diverse nature.

A Situational Analysis of the Status of Midwifery in North Africa and the Middle East

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atf Ghérissi ◽  
Judith Marie Brown
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Arab Countries ◽  
Situational Analysis ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Midwifery Education ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
The Status ◽  
Strategic Goals ◽  
First Time

Midwives from the Middle East and North African (MENA) region convened in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in 2012 to engage for the first time ever in a discussion concerning regional strategic interventions to strengthen midwifery and the work of midwives in the Arab countries. The workshop was an opportunity to establish a culture of positive and balanced collaboration and mutual understanding among midwives and between midwives and other maternity care professionals including nurses and obstetricians. Key challenges and opportunities in midwifery in the MENA region were identified. Participants agreed on strategic goals to strengthening midwifery education, regulation, and associations in the MENA region.

scholarly journals Christians and Jews in the Ottoman Arab World

2003 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 134-136
Author(s):  
Magnus T. Bernhardsson
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Arab World ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Jewish Communities ◽  
Arab Nationalism ◽  
Christian Communities ◽  
Important Study ◽  
The Status ◽  
Advantageous Position ◽  
Muslim Majority

1n this interesting and well-researched book, Bruce Masters analyses the historyof Chris tian and Jewish communities in the Ottoman Empire's Arabprovinces and how they fared within a Muslim majority and hierarchy. Byand large, this important study is a story of modernization, identity, and ecclesiasticalpolitics that focuses primarily on Christian communities in Aleppo,Syria. The book's main themes are somewhat familiar: How Christian andJewish communities were in an advantageous position to benefit fromincreasing European influence in the Middle East, and how a secular politicalidentity (Arab nationalism) emerged in the Levant. The book's value liesnot in its overarching thesis, but rather in the details of the story and theimpressive research upon which this well-crafted narrative is based.Masters chronicles how the identities of Christians and Jews evolveddue to their increasing contact with western influences, or, as Masters labelsit, "intrusion." The status quo was forever transformed because manyChristians began to distance themselves, economically and socially, fromtheir Muslim neighbors. Masters, a historian who teaches at Connecticut'sWesleyan University, contends that the western intrusion altered Muslimattitudes toward native Christians. In the nineteenth century, local Christianswould serve for some Muslims as "convenient surrogates for the anger thatcould only rarely be expressed directly against the Europeans."Although the Arab provinces experienced serious sectarian strife in thenineteenth century, these antagonisms were, by and large, absent in the ...

scholarly journals Corporate Governance Independence in the Board of Directors and The Firms Financial Performance: Empirical Analysis of Cement Sector Firms Listed on Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX)

2021 ◽  
Vol 09 (01) ◽  
pp. 01-24
Author(s):  
Muhammad Noman Ansari ◽  
◽  
Dr. Sayed Fayaz Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Financial Performance ◽  
Board Of Directors ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Agency Cost ◽  
Independent Directors ◽  
Return On Assets ◽  
Return On Equity ◽  
Board Committees ◽  
The Board Of Directors

The corporate governance measures emphasize on presence of independence of the board of directors to bring objectivity and reducing the agency cost; whereas the institutions have the ability, skills and time to supervise the activities of the management and channelize it to better financial performance. The objective of this study is to explore the effect of independence of the board of directors on the financial performance of the firms. The independence was gauged by number of independent directors and non-executive directors, chairing of board committees by independent directors, institutional holding in the firm, and presence of institutional directors on the board. The financial performance of the firm is gauged using the return on equity (ROE) and return on assets (ROA). The corporate governance and financial performance data comprising of 75 firm years from 2014 to 2018 of the firms listed in the cement sector of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) were selected. GLM regression was performed to study the relationship between the variables. The results suggest that the majority of independence on the board of directors do not affect the financial performance of the firm; the independence in the board committees negatively affects the financial performance, whereas the presence of institutional holding and director in the firm does not have any effect on the performance of the firm. The study will provide a basis for future studies to find the association that independence can bring objectivity, reduce agency cost, and affect the performance of the firm.

scholarly journals The influence of cultural values on the board of directors: Lessons from five corporations

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (4-2) ◽  
pp. 221-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elsa Satkunasingam ◽  
Aaron Yong ◽  
Sern Cherk
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Board Of Directors ◽  
Senior Management ◽  
Independent Directors ◽  
Board Members ◽  
Differences Of Opinion ◽  
The Board Of Directors ◽  
Code Of Corporate Governance

The Malaysian Code of Corporate Governance 2000 emphasises the monitoring role of the Board of Directors, especially that of independent directors. It has not however taken into account the cultural values in Malaysia which do not encourage differences of opinion or criticisms and has failed to provide sufficient safeguards for directors to exercise their role effectively. As a result, it is relatively easy for dominant Chairmen or CEOs especially in government-linked companies or CEO dominated companies to control the Board or senior management with very little opposition. This paper will discuss several incidences of financial mismanagement in companies caused by dominant directors with very little opposition from the rest of the board. It will highlight that the law has to take cultural values more seriously in order to equip the Board and especially independent directors with the ability to challenge dominant Board members.

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