Corporate governance: A review of the fundamental practices worldwide

This paper focused on the concept of corporate governance based on shareholders’ and stakeholders’ perspectives and the development of corporate governance around the world, including the UK, the US, and Australia. The OECD Principles of Corporate Governance were presented, including shareholders’ rights, the equitable treatment of shareholders, disclosure and stakeholders’ rights and transparency practices, and the responsibilities of board of directors. Numerous corporate collapses have highlighted the call for the management and directors of companies to be more accountable, and they have led governments and international organisations such as the OECD to be more active in establishing principles of corporate governance. It was concluded that the system of corporate governance has increased in different countries in relation to the nature of the economy, legal systems, and cultural norms

An Overview of Corporate Governance Practice in Companies Listed on the Libyan Stock Market

The corporate governance concept has recently become a major issue in the corporate practices of both developed and developing countries alike. Corporate governance is considered to be a tremendously important topic in many countries around the world; specifically within the emerging stock markets in order to protect the minority of shareholders. The aim of this research is to investigate corporate governance practices in companies listed on the Libyan stock exchange. In particular, to investigate whether corporate governance practices in these companies meet international standards of corporate governance and to identify the main obstacles to implementing them. The concept of corporate governance, corporate governance practices in developing countries, the Libyan stock market and OECD principles of corporate governance were discussed. A close-ended questionnaire was the main method for data collection. 100 questionnaires were distributed to the participants of the study, and only 76 questionnaires usable for analysis were received. Several issues related to corporate governance, depending on OCED principles, were investigated. The results revealed that corporate governance practice in the companies under investigation fit with OCED principles of corporate governance in some aspects and do not fit in others. Furthermore, the most important obstacles were perceived impeding corporate governance practice in companies listed in the Libyan stock market are "lack of compliance with the laws governing the work of companies" and "high cost of applying corporate governance rules". (JEL G30) Keywords: Corporate governance, the Libyan stock exchange, developing countries, OCED principles of corporate governance

Eco-Innovation Analyses in the Management of Drinking Water Provided by the Main Suppliers in Romania

The transition to a circular economy with an emphasis on eco-innovation is just beginning both in Europe and in Romania, as a member country of the European Union. The whole economic system in which people operate must be circular, which means that it must eliminate conflicting aspects related to regulation, collaboration, governance, supply chain dynamics, and data transparency. However, the barriers to the transition to a circular economy are substantial, and it is up to states to work together to find innovative solutions to society’s problems. This article focuses on aspects related to eco-innovation in the field of drinking water quality in all administrative regions of Romania. In this regard, a study was undertaken, and the main objective pursued in was to identify and highlight the degree of eco-innovation of drinking water suppliers in seven underdeveloped regions of Romania. Starting from an analysis of the water management framework through the OECD Principles on Water Governance, it was possible to develop a study on drinking water supply companies in Romania. This study was performed based on specific indicators grouped by categories, and it aimed in two directions: on the one hand, the identification of drinking water distributors with a high degree of eco-innovation, which leads to quality certification of the drinking water supplied and which has the impact of encouraging household consumers to mainly use this type of supplied water to the detriment of PET bottled water (which has well-known major disadvantages in relation to environmental pollution and user health); on the other hand, the identification of drinking water supply companies with a low degree of eco-innovation, which is proof of the need for mandatory measures to improve drinking water quality, measures that can be taken at the supplier level but especially with support from the administrative and political environment.

Water governance assessment at different scales: a reservoir case study in the Brazilian semiarid region

ABSTRACT This article analyses the application of OECD water governance principles to the semiarid region of Brazil. Between 2012 and 2017, the Paraíba River basin (macroscale) and its Epitácio Pessoa reservoir – EPR (microscale) suffered a severe drought. The reservoir came close to collapse in 2017, which led to water use conflicts that were aggravated due to water mismanagement. Four evaluation criteria were considered: policy alignment to the OECD principles, its implementation, on-ground results, and policy impacts. The outcomes indicate water management fragilities, even after 24 years of the Brazilian National Water Resources Policy enactment, and the need for a better water management integration at different scales: National, State, and River Basin. By considering a smaller scale (a basin and its main reservoir), it was possible to observe water governance failures that lead to water crises since the best practices performed by the national agency, at the national scale, have not been verified at the local scale.

Interpretable SMILES-based QSAR model of inhibitory activity of sirtuins 1 and 2

Background: Sirtuin 1 (Sirt1) and sirtuin 2 (Sirt2) are NAD+ -dependent histone deacetylases which play important functional roles in removal of the acetyl group of acetyl-lysine substrates. Considering the dysregulation of Sirt1 and Sirt2 as etiological causes of diseases, Sirt1 and Sirt2 are lucrative target proteins for treatment, thus there has been great interest in the development of Sirt1 and Sirt2 inhibitors. Objective: This study compiled the bioactivity data of Sirt1 and Sirt2 for the construction of quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models in accordance with the OECD principles. Method: Simplified molecular input line entry system (SMILES)-based molecular descriptors were used to characterize the molecular features of inhibitors while the Monte Carlo method of the CORAL software was employed for multivariate analysis. The data set was subjected to 3 random splits in which each split separated the data into 4 subsets consisting of training, invisible training, calibration and external sets. Results: Statistical indices for the evaluation of QSAR models suggested good statistical quality for models of Sirt1 and Sirt2 inhibitors. Furthermore, mechanistic interpretation of molecular substructures that are responsible for modulating the bioactivity (i.e. promoters of increase or decrease of bioactivity) was extracted via the analysis of correlation weights. It exhibited molecular features involved Sirt1 and Sirt2 inhibitors. Conclusion: It is anticipated that QSAR models presented herein can be useful as guidelines in the rational design of potential Sirt1 and Sirt2 inhibitors for the treatment of Sirtuin-related diseases.

Preventing Racial Bias in Federal AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems are increasingly used by the US federal government to replace or support decision making. AI is a computer-based system trained to recognize patterns in data and to apply these patterns to form predictions about new data for a specific task. AI is often viewed as a neutral technological tool, bringing efficiency, objectivity and accuracy to administrative functions, citizen access to services, and regulatory enforcement. However, AI can also encode and amplify the biases of society. Choices on design, implementation, and use can embed existing racial inequalities into AI, leading to a racially biased AI system producing inaccurate predictions or to harmful consequences for racial groups. Racially discriminatory AI systems have already affected public systems such as criminal justice, healthcare, financial systems and housing. This memo addresses the primary causes for the development, deployment and use of racially biased AI systems and suggests three responses to ensure that federal agencies realize the benefits of AI and protect against racially disparate impact. There are three actions that federal agencies must take to prevent racial bias: 1) increase racial diversity in AI designers, 2) implement AI impact assessment, 3) establish procedures for staff to contest automated decisions. Each proposal addresses a different stage in the lifecycle of AI used by federal agencies and helps align US policy with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Principles on Artificial Intelligence.

Regulation and ethics in artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies: Where are we now? Who is responsible? Can the information professional play a role?

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies are rapidly maturing and proliferating through all public and private sectors. The potential for these technologies to do good and to help us in our everyday lives is immense. But there is a risk that unless managed and controlled AI can also cause us harm. Questions about regulation, what form it takes and who is responsible for governance are only just beginning to be answered. In May 2019, 42 countries came together to support a global governance framework for AI. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Principles on Artificial Intelligence (OECD (2019) OECD principles on AI. Available at: https://www.oecd.org/going-digital/ai/principles/ (accessed 2 March 2020)) saw like-minded democracies of the world commit to common AI values of trust and respect. In Europe, the European Commission’s (EC) new president, Ursula von der Leyen has made calls for a General Data Protection Regulation style. As a first step the EC has published a white paper: ‘On Artificial Intelligence – A European Approach to Excellence and Trust’ (European Commission (2020) Report, Europa, February). In February 2020, the UK government has published a report on ‘Artificial Intelligence in the Public Sector’ (The Committee on Standards in Public Life (2020) Artificial intelligence and public standards. Report, UK Government, February). This article discusses some of the potential threats AI may hold if left unregulated. It provides a brief overview of the regulatory activities for AI worldwide, and in more detail the current UK AI regulatory landscape. Finally, the article looks at the role that the information professional might play in AI and ML.