Board composition is one of the distinct characteristics of Governance that is believed to contribute significantly to firm value. This study examines the impact of board composition, presence of nomination, audit and remuneration committees on companies' performance. Additionally, the moderating effects of political affiliation on the relationship between board composition and companies' performance is also tested. A sample size of 2280 companies from Bursa Malaysia for the period 2010 to 2012 is used. Hypotheses are tested using multiple linear regressions. The results indicate a positive relationship between board size and companies' performance but a negative relationship is noted between independent directors and performance. No significance is noted for non-executive directors whilst the presence of committees indicates mixed results. As for political affiliation, it negatively moderates the relationship between independent directors and companies' performance. These empirical evidences are in line with the Agency Theory, suggesting that board composition, presence of committees and politically affiliated members in the board do have an impact on companies' performance.

The aim of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework for wealth maximization. The paper defines and presents conclusive issues pertaining to financial literacy, financial planning and wealth maximization and expect to paradigm a conceptual framework for a prospective investigation. The research attempts to ascertain the significance of demography, perception towards money and parental role on financial literacy, financial planning and wealth maximization. Further research is obligatory to validate empirically the framework through systematic investigations and to assess its viability as a wealth maximization model. It is envisioned that the creation of awareness and transfer of financial literacy and planning to individuals will liberate the government to delve on macro level issues for economic prosperity. The theme is original and positions itself as the beginning stream of financial literacy and planning research, ultimately crafting foundational contribution to wealth maximization.

This study investigates the relationship between two governance issues, i.e., ownership and board structure of Malaysian listed firms (between 2010 and 2012) and their performance in terms of profitability, liquidity and gearing. Structural Equation Modeling is applied and the data analysis tool used is Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE). The dependent variables used as proxies for financial performance are; profitability, liquidity and gearing, whilst the independent variables are; ownership retention (OR), board size (BS), percentage of executive directors (ED), percentage of independent directors (ID) and percentage of non-independent non-executive directors (NINED). It is conjectured that there is consistency across all components of ownership and board structure in terms of its relationship with the gearing of companies. With the exception of non-independent non-executive directors, all other components of board structure in this study seem to have an impact on the gearing of companies. In that respect, it can be concluded that a company's ownership structure and board of directors who represent the shareholders have major concerns on the gearing of companies compared to other financial indicators, as the level of gearing of a company has important and long-lasting effects on the profitability and liquidity of companies. This study leads the path for further research on all aspects of a company's gearing.

This study explores the effects of interactions among key stakeholders, i.e., auditors, underwriters, and firm owners on IPOs’ first-day returns in selected OECD nations. It also examines the alteration effects of legal origin (Common law and Civil law) on the relationship between the interacted key stakeholders and IPOs’ first-day returns. A total of four thousand one hundred and sixty-four IPOs from twenty-eight OECD nations are included in this study. Since it is cross-sectional data, a two-stage least square regression is applied. The empirical outcomes indicate that, in general, the interacted reputable underwriters and auditors have a positive impact on IPOs’ first-day return. The relationship is modified between common law and civil law nations, whereby in civil law nations, no significance is demonstrated except for the interaction between the reputable auditors and underwriters. In the common law nation, interactions between reputable auditors and ownership retention have an impact on IPOs’ first-day return. The research findings provide outlooks into an IPO framework for issuers, investors, and regulators. Issuers may want to weigh carefully the costs and benefits of hiring credible auditors and underwriters when going public as they act as signaling agents. As for the investors, they should take into consideration the involvement of reputable underwriters and auditors and the degree to which the IPO firms retain ownership, as the interactive effects give clear signals on firm valuation and IPOs’ first-day returns. Regulators may find the findings informative concerning the creation of a more organized regulatory and financial system that could lead to a deeper and more open financial market.

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