Corporate cash holdings and disclosure violations: an empirical investigation of Jordanian listed companies

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of low-quality financial statements; that is, disclosure violations reported by the Securities Exchange Commission related to the level of cash holdings (CH) of firms listed on the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE). Design/methodology/approach Using panel data from 107 ASE-listed companies from 2009 to 2018, the study uses generalized method of moment estimation to examine the research hypothesis. This study hypothesize that disclosure violations can affect the level of CH and control for several variables that affect this level. Findings The results show that disclosure violations significantly affect the level of CH and that cash flow, capital expenditure and debt issues have a significantly positive impact on corporate CH. On the other hand, the market to book ratio and sales growth were found to be insignificant. Research limitations/implications The limitations of the research include the fact that information on research and development and equity issues were not available, so were not included in the examination. Practical implications It is recommended that managers enhance the quality of disclosures since this allows them to hold lower levels of cash and exploit more investment opportunities. Policymakers are recommended to supervise firm disclosures closely and create ratings for disclosure quality. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first empirical research on the association between proven low-quality disclosures and the level of corporate CH among Jordanian listed companies.

Equal Opportunities in Learning in Diverse Groups in Nepal in the Pre-COVID Realm: Socioeconomic Status, Mathematics Learning, and the Diverse Groups

The article discusses the diversity and equity issues behind the learning outcomes of mathematics in the pre-COVID context in Nepal. The article intends to give a baseline for the further studies on the effect of COVID-19 pandemic in the educational realm. Datasets from the national assessment of student achievement in Nepal at grades 3 and 5 and grade 8 are reanalyzed based on socioeconomic status (SES), gender, caste-ethnicity, language, and geographical variables. In Nepal, where the society is customarily highly structured, gender-biased, and poverty-driven, SES influences remarkably in mathematics achievement. The datasets show notable relationships between SES and mathematics achievement (r = 0.35, 0.27 and 0.30 in grade 3, 5 and 8, respectively). In lower grades, the difference between the highest and lowest SES in the achievement of girls is wider than boys and it is reverse in grade 8. Nepali speakers had high scores when they had high SES but, when SES was very low, the non-Nepali speakers performed better in all grades. The advantageous castes tended to always perform higher irrespective of their level of SES. Nevertheless, it is difficult to know with certainty when average and marginalized caste/ethnic groups perform better.

Equity in Urban Climate Change Adaptation Planning: A Review of Research

A growing number of cities are preparing for climate change by developing adaptation plans, but little is known about how these plans and their implementation affect the vulnerability of groups experiencing various forms of underlying social inequity. This review synthesizes research exploring the justice and equity issues inherent in climate change adaptation planning to lay the foundation for critical assessment of climate action plans from an equity perspective. The findings presented illuminate the ways in which inequity in adaptation planning favours certain privileged groups while simultaneously denying representation and resources to marginalized communities. The review reveals the specific ways inequity is experienced by disadvantaged groups in the context of climate change and begins to unpack the relationship between social inequity, vulnerability, and adaptation planning. This information provides the necessary background for future research that examines whether, and to what extent, urban adaptation plans prioritize social vulnerability relative to economic and environmental imperatives.

How Korean K-12 Educators Adapted to Online Teaching and Promoted Digital Equity During COVID-19: A Mixed-Method Study on Practices and Perceptions

The abrupt transitions to online teaching during COVID-19 have exacerbated educational discrepancies worldwide. South Korean schools faced similar challenges primarily due to the insufficient infrastructure and pedagogical guidelines for online teaching. This mixed-method case study investigated how Korean K-12 teachers and administrators converted to online teaching and addressed related digital equity issues during their first semester of online teaching in response to the pandemic. Interviews, as well as survey responses at the beginning and end of the semester, were analyzed through Activity Theory (AT) and Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) frameworks. The study's key insights were that the digital equity issue is related to quality teaching issues beyond infrastructural problems and that teachers took various strategies to maximize the effectiveness of their blended teaching. We aim to shed light on supporting equitable online learning and sustaining positive changes in the post-COVID era.

Exploring the social aspects of student collaboration in online learning

Social interaction is seen as a key tenet of constructivist approaches to learning. There is a significant body of literature looking into online collaboration for learning, however less is known about how students experience collaboration more broadly. Understanding student experience may help to understand ways of ensuring online collaboration is successful. This student-led study aimed to explore what can be learnt from student perspectives of online collaboration. This study is embedded in a larger research program surrounding a 2019 course renewal project. Ten undergraduate law students were interviewed as part of the overall study but with additional semi-structured questions regarding collaboration. Participants were enrolled in a mix of online and blended units. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed. Four themes were interpreted: 1) pre-existing social relationships facilitate online collaboration; 2) social media platforms enable interpersonal interaction and, as a result, online collaboration; 3) university-provided platforms lacked social elements of collaboration; and 4) face-to-face collaboration appears frictionless compared to online only collaboration. This study indicates the value of exploring collaboration as a broad social phenomenon rather than one purely focussed on educational designs that promote collaboration. Results suggest a considerable interaction between the interpersonal (friend focus) and study (learning focus). In the online space, collaboration was mediated by pre-existing embodied relationships and social media forums. There was a sense that social media activity would be difficult to mandate. This raises challenges, including how to manage equity issues around access to informal platforms; and how to incorporate into learning environments technologies that are experienced as ‘frictionless’ (i.e., easy and achievable without thought) and which appear to promote collaboration.

Is Medical Tourism Really Unethical? An Alternate Perspective for Developing Countries

This article makes a case for leveraging medical tourism (MT) from the perspective of improving healthcare access in developing countries. The expansion of MT at an unprecedented rate has given rise to a number of ethical concerns in both home and destination countries. Ethical debates in this field have transcended the realm of global public health and have emerged across various disciplines including development, social justice, legal, trade and policy studies. Much of the academic literature in these domains has categorically held MT responsible for commodification of healthcare, creating a duality in healthcare systems of developing countries and making healthcare inaccessible and unaffordable for the disadvantaged sections of the population. While all these claims normatively seem justified, this article asserts that despite the several ethical concerns that have been raised, MT may not necessarily exacerbate healthcare equity issues in developing countries. In fact, MT may benefit destination countries by creating a highly specialised private sector which may provide services not only to foreign patients but also to wealthier domestic patients. Voluntary opting-out of domestic patients from public healthcare will result in decongestion of public healthcare facilities, which in turn could be accessed to a greater extent by the underprivileged population at affordable cost. In addition to contributing to the limited academic literature on this particular aspect of MT, this article presents an alternate view to promote MT in developing countries from the perspective of addressing challenges related to healthcare access.

To what extent does a pharmacy curriculum foster diversity and inclusion through paper-based case scenarios?

Background: There is increasing awareness of diversity and inclusion needs within health and education systems to help address access and equity issues for minority groups. Although these calls are well known, there is little guidance for those working within these systems to create meaningful change. The purpose of this study was to critically review case-based teaching material within the authors' programmes through the lens of equity, diversity, and inclusion. Methods: A document analysis of clinical workshop cases extracted from all integrated therapeutics courses administered in 2020 was conducted. Results: Sex, age, and employment status were most commonly presented in cases (84.0%, 97.1%, 49.0% respectively). The majority (90.0%) of cases did not have ethnicity defined. The overwhelming majority of cases did not have living situation (68.3%) or sexual orientation (78.0%) defined. Conclusion: Case-based teaching material within a pharmacy programme was largely undefined according to patient demographics and diversity markers. Findings support the notion that teaching material may have a contributory role towards systemic racism, prejudice, and implicit bias.