147 research outputs found
Sharia supervisory boards, governance structures and operational risk disclosures: evidence from Islamic banks in MENA countries
No full textThis paper examines the impact of Sharia supervisory board (SSB) and governance structures on the extent of operational risk disclosures (ORDs), using a sample of 63 Islamic banks from 10 (i.e., Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the UAE) countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region for the fiscal years 2006 to 2013. Drawing on Sharia compliance, Islamic banking and corporate governance literature, our findings are as follows. We find that SSB, block ownership, board independence, and country-level governance quality are statistically significant and positively associated with ORDs. Our results are robust when controlling for several bank- and country-level variables. Our study has implications for policy-makers and regulators in the MENA region with respect to the development and implementation of SSB and governance mechanisms that can improve operational risk disclosures. Finally, the findings highlight the need to enhance current understanding of SSB structures and governance mechanisms that can best help Islamic banks towards engaging in effective compliance with recent governance and accounting reforms.Keywords: Operational Risk Disclosure; Sharia supervisory board; Corporate Governance; Country Governance; Islamic Banks; MENA countriesJEL classification: G21, G32, G34, G38, M4
Implications of job satisfaction shifts with different merger categories: Study of mergers & acquisitions in Georgian financial market
No full textThis paper provides an important finding for the managers who believe that employee job satisfaction is a vital factor for the organisational health. Findings of this paper are especially useful for Georgian managers who are involved in M&A process and want to identify a crucial motivation determinant that shapes and influences job satisfaction. This research examines the theory developed by Price Pritchett, Donald Robinson and Russell Clarkson stating that adversarial merger types tend to decrease employee job satisfaction and undermine economical benefit of particular M&A. Theory divides all mergers in four basic categories: Rescues, Collaborations, Contested situations and Raids according to their degree of collaboration. Authors illustrate M&A case studies demonstrating success of collaborative mergers and failure of adversarial ones. Researcher tests precision of above mentioned theory in three Georgian post merger companies. Based on the interviews with the managers who have personally witnessed merger process of companies, researcher allocates merger deal to above mentioned four M&A categories. Then researcher measures shifts between employee pre and post merger job satisfaction using the satisfaction determinants proposed by famous satisfaction measurement instrument JDI (Job descriptive index) developed by Smith, Kendall, and Hulin. Putting together merger categories and job satisfaction shifts in three specific Georgian companies' researcher examines relationship between cooperativeness of mergers and shifts in employee job satisfaction
Surgical Education: the RACS Model
No full textThe Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) administers selection, education, training and examinations, as well as post graduate professional development in nine specialties over two countries to 8000 surgeons. In conjunction with the government of both countries, it also endorses all International Medical Graduates.No Full Tex
Risk factors for poorer breast cancer outcomes in residents of remote areas of Australia
No full textTo investigate patient, cancer and treatment characteristics in females with breast cancer from more remote areas of Australia, to better understand reasons for their poorer outcomes, bi-variable and multivariable analyses were undertaken using the National Breast Cancer Audit database of the Society of Breast Surgeons of Australia and New Zealand. Results indicated that patients from more remote areas were more likely to be of lower socio-economic status and be treated in earlier diagnostic epochs and at inner regional and remote rather than major city centres. They were also more likely to be treated by low case load surgeons, although this finding was only of marginal statistical significance in multivariable analysis (p=0.074). Patients from more remote areas were less likely than those from major cities to be treated by breast conserving surgery, as opposed to mastectomy, and less likely to have adjuvant radiotherapy when having breast conserving surgery. They had a higher rate of adjuvant chemotherapy. Further monitoring will be important to determine whether breast conserving surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy utilization increase in rural patients following the introduction of regional cancer centres recently funded to improve service access in these areas.David Roder, Helen Zorbas, James Kollias, Chris Pyke, David Walters, Ian Campbell, Corey Taylor, Fleur Webste
Subsequent axillary surgery after sentinel lymph node biopsy: results from the BreastSurgANZ quality audit 2006-2010
No full textObjectivesTo use data from the BreastSurgANZ Quality Audit (BQA) to examine the patterns of completion axillary lymph node dissection (cALND) after sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy in women treated for early breast cancer in Australia and New Zealand and to compare it to the Australian and New Zealand guidelines in cases of both positive and negative SLN results.Materials and methodsPatients were sub grouped as having primary tumours ≤3 cm and >3 cm and further analysed according to year of surgery, SLN status and final nodal status where cALND was recorded. Multivariate analysis was performed examining tumour size, grade, presence of lymphovascular invasion (LVI), HER2 and oestrogen receptor status, patient age and number of positive sentinel nodes as predictors for subsequent axillary surgery.Results14879 patients were identified from 2006 to 2010. 79.8% of patients with a positive SLN result underwent cALND. Age >70 years and a greater number of involved SLN predicted no cALND among SLN positive patients. 10.3% of patients who had a negative SLN result underwent cALND. Younger age, higher grade, lymphovascular invasion and tumour size >3 cm predicted cALND among SLN negative patients.ConclusionsAccording to the BQA from 2006 to 2010 the Australian and New Zealand guideline recommendations for SLN positive patients to have cALND and SLN negative patients not to have cALND were adhered to in 79.8% and 89.7% of cases respectively.Chilton Chong, David Walters, Primali de Silva, Corey Taylor, Andrew Spillane, James Kollias, Chris Pyke, Ian Campbell, Guy Madder
Survival from breast cancer: an analysis of Australian data by surgeon case load, treatment centre location, and health insurance status
No full textOBJECTIVE: Early invasive breast cancer data from the Australian National Breast Cancer Audit were used to compare case fatality by surgeon case load, treatment centre location and health insurance status. METHOD: Deaths were traced to 31 December 2007, for cancers diagnosed in 1998–2005. Risk of breast cancer death was compared using Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: When adjustment was made for age and clinical risk factors: (i) the relative risk of breast cancer death (95% confidence limit) was lower whensurgeons’ annual case loads exceeded 20 cases, at 0.87 (0.76, 0.995) for 21–100 cases and 0.83 (0.72, 0.97) for higher case loads. These relative risks were not statistically significant when also adjusting for treatment centre location (P_0.15); and (ii) compared with major city centres, inner regional centres had a relative risk of 1.32 (1.18, 1.48), but the risk was not elevated for more remote sites at 0.95 (0.74, 1.22). Risk of death was not related to private insurance status. CONCLUSION: Higher breast cancer mortality in patients treated in inner regional than major city centres and in those treated by surgeons with lower case loads requires further study.David Roder, Primali de Silva, Helen M. Zorbas, James Kollias, Peter L. Malycha, Chris M. Pyke and Ian D. Campbel
Age effects on survival from early breast cancer in clinical settings in Australia
No full textBACKGROUND: The study aim was to determine whether age is an independent risk factor for survival from early invasive breast cancer in contemporary Australian clinical settings. METHODS: The study included 31 493 breast cancers diagnosed in 1998–2005. Risk of death from breast cancer was compared by age, without and with adjustment for clinical risk factors, using Cox proportional hazard regression. RESULTS: Risk of breast cancer death was elevated for cancers of larger size, higher grade, positive nodal status, oestrogen receptor negative status, vascular invasion and multiple foci. Ductal lesions presented a higher risk than other lesions. Adjusting for these factors, the relative risk of breast cancer death (95% confidence limits) was lower for 40–49-year-olds at 0.80 (0.66, 0.96) than for the reference category under 40 years, but higher for 70–79-year-olds at 1.64 (1.36, 1.98) and women aged 80 years or more at 2.19 (1.79, 2.69). The risk for 50–69-year-olds and women under 40 years was similar. Risk-factor adjustment reduced the difference in risk between the reference category under 40 years and 40–49-year-olds, largely eliminated the lower relative risk for 50–69-year-olds, and increased the relative risks for women aged 70–79 years and older. DISCUSSION: Survivals in women under 40 and over 70 years of age are poorer than for 40–69-year-olds. Research is needed into the best treatment modalities for younger women and older women with co-morbidity.David M. Roder, Primali de Silva, Helen M. Zorbas, James Kollias, Peter L. Malycha, Chris M. Pyke and Ian D. Campbel
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