Purpose This paper aims to examine the relation between chief executive officers (CEOs) compensation and organizational performance in KSA listed companies. It also aims at investigating the effect of corporate governance mechanisms according to this relation. Design/methodology/approach The researcher uses unbalanced panel data regression analysis on a sample of 181 KSA listed companies from 2005 to 2014. Findings The estimation result suggests that CEO Compensation is positively associated with firm performance. The results also show that corporate governance positively and significantly affect the relation between CEO Compensation and performance. Research limitations/implications This research, like any other, has some limitations that can be addressed by future research. The important limitation of this research is that the generalizability of the results is limited by the fact that the majority of the firms in the sample are from material sector which is represented by 42 (32 per cent) firms versus pharmaceutical sector which is represented by only one (1 per cent) firm. Therefore, a future research can tackle the effect of CEO compensation, corporate governance on future firm performance independently. Practical implications The findings have some important implications for stakeholders such as policymakers, listed firms managers, business owners and academic researchers in the emerging KSA market. Besides, understanding the relation between CEO compensation, corporate governance and firm performance can aid the success of corporate modernization and economic reform in KSA. Originality/value The research attempts to fill a substantial gap in the literature by providing the first rigorous econometrics evidence on CEO compensation, corporate governance and firm performance. In addition, it provides interesting insight for researches, decision-makers and board members in KSA.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of board gender diversity on firm financial distress for a sample of 367 non-financial firms listed on Bursa Malaysia over the period from 2011 to 2019.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs both panel logistic regression and dynamic generalized method of moments estimator to determine the impact of board gender diversity on the likelihood of financial distress. Altman Z-score model is used as a proxy for financial distress indicator. The bigger the Z-score, the smaller the risk of financial distress.FindingsThe results show that board gender diversity could help to improve board effectiveness by preventing corporations from being too exposed to financial distress and bankruptcy. In particular, whether they are independent or inside members, women directors are likely to reduce the likelihood of financial distress. The results also show that the effect of female directors on the likelihood of financial distress is strengthened through more board independence. The results are consistent with those in prior research that documents the benefits of board gender diversity.Practical implicationsThis paper provides insights for corporate decision makers in emerging economies, helping them to determine the board's design in terms of roles and composition that promote governance practices and prevent financial troubles. Furthermore, the findings of this study may be useful regulators as they shed light on the importance to undertake measures and reforms to promote board effectiveness by the introduction of gender diversity. Finally, this study also offers implications for society in general, considering that the practice of enhancing board gender diversity can significantly safeguard the interest of a wide range of stakeholders by reducing the chances of corporate bankruptcy.Originality/valueWhile prior research has examined the effect of board gender diversity on firm performance, this study is the first to investigate the effect of board gender diversity on the likelihood of financial distress in Malaysia.

Purpose This study aims to explore the role of board gender diversity in enhancing the allocation of free cash flow (FCF). It examines the direct effect of board gender diversity, as well as its indirect effect, through debt and dividend policies, on the level of FCF. Design/methodology/approach This study applies a three-stage least squares regression analysis for a sample of 367 Malaysian listed firms over the period 2011–2019. Findings The results show that female directors significantly deter the opportunistic behavior of managers. The authors find that gender diversity – as measured by the percentage of women on the board and the percentage of female independent directors are likely to reduce excess funds. Moreover, the results reveal a significant indirect effect of board gender diversity, through dividend payouts, on the efficient allocation of FCF. The results are consistent with those in prior studies that document the benefits of board gender diversity. Practical implications The research findings are beneficial to policymakers, as it allows them to assess the importance of diversity on boards in the monitoring of the managers, particularly as it pertains to the allocation of excess funds. Furthermore, these findings have implications for regulators as they shed light on the importance to undertake measures and reforms to promote board effectiveness by the introduction of gender diversity. Originality/value While prior research has examined the effect of board gender diversity on firm performance, the study is the first to investigate both the direct and indirect effect of board gender diversity on the allocation of FCF.

Private sector organizations of 21 st century face local and international challenges resulted from the revolution of information, technological development, globalization, market liberalization and knowledge explosion, therefore strategic planning in private sector became an urgent necessity. The aims of this study, is an attempt to study the impact of strategic planning activities on private sector organizations in Sudan. The study comprises four variables of strategic planning process indicators. Those indicators represent each a component of strategic planning process and were obtained from inclusive review of the literature of strategic planning which are mission statement, implementation, internal &external analysis and control and evaluation. Organizational performance is measured by productivity and turnover dynamic. Data (N= 60) for this study were collected through questionnaires which were accompanied by a letter expressing the research project and promising respondents of the privacy of their answers. Those participants were managers of ten private sectors organizations in Sudan-Khartoum state. Statistical tools such as Spearman's Rank Correlation was used to test hypotheses and achieve the objectives, and the statistical package for social science was used to coordinate the data, thus the research is descriptive and as a result quantitative methods have been used. The result confirms that all four variables of strategic planning activities are positively correlated with organizational performance in Sudanese private sector organizations.

Purpose This study aims to examine the mediating effect of board independence on the relationship between ownership structure and audit quality. Design/methodology/approach The research uses generalized methods of moments regression to test the relationship between ownership structure and audit quality. The sample consists of 162 non-financial firms listed on the Gulf Cooperation Council stock markets between the years of 2009 and 2016. To test the significance of the mediating effect, this paper uses the Sobel test. Findings Empirical findings show that companies with higher family ownership are less likely to demand extensive audit services and, as a result, pay lower audit fees. Conversely, this study finds that companies with higher active and passive institutional ownership are more likely to engage high-quality auditors and pay larger audit fees. As for government ownership, it has no significant impact on audit fees. The results also reveal that the negative (positive) effect of family (institutional) ownership on audit quality follows the path through reducing (enhancing) board independence. Further tests are conducted and support the main findings. Practical implications This study has important implications for policymakers and regulators to address the conflict between controlling shareholders and minorities by promoting higher standards of audit quality. The study findings may be useful to investors, assisting them in making better-informed decisions and aids other interested parties in gaining a better understanding of the role played by ownership structure in audit quality. The study also contributes to the strategic board behavior by bringing a new perspective on how boards engage in monitoring by requesting external audit services. This behavior is likely to be influenced by the type of controlling shareholder. Originality/value The main contribution of the present paper is to examine the board composition as a potential mediating variable between ownership structure and audit quality. Moreover, it highlights the issue of improving governance mechanisms.