Mahmoud Arayssi

Women on Boards, Sustainability Reporting and Firm Performance

Purpose As pressures mount for women directors on corporate boards (WDOCBs) from different stakeholders, companies become more interested in finding out how WDOCBs impact sustainability disclosure. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of gender-diverse boards on the association between sustainability reporting and shareholders’ welfare. Design/methodology/approach This paper examines the implications of women on board for firm-related factors, particularly environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosure and firm performance. The firms studied are all listed in the Financial Times Stock Exchange 350 index between 2007 and 2012. Bloomberg social disclosure score is used and panel data through a regression model are applied. Findings The results reveal that the presence of WDOCBs favorably influences on firm’s risk and performance through promoting a firm’s investment in effectual social engagements and reporting on them. The desirable effect of WDOCB on the ESG-performance relationship leads to increased risk-adjusted and buy-and-hold abnormal returns and reduced firm risks, measured by both volatility of returns and systematic risk. Originality/value The research contributes to the literature on the relationship between women participation on corporate boards and firms’ good citizenship and enhanced shareholders’ welfare. The empirical findings contribute to providing statistical and economical validity to the UK Corporate Governance Code 2014 recommendation on the importance of board gender diversity for effective board functioning.

Institutions and Development in MENA Region: Evidence from the Manufacturing Sector

This paper examines the role of institutions (including civil law origin), financial deepening and degree of regime authority on growth rates in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region using panel data through a fixed effect model. The results reveal that English civil law origin and the establishment of the rule of law work with the development of financial institutions to increase economic growth in these economies; however, the democratization of the political institutions and foreign direct investment do not assist financial development in promoting economic growth. The findings emphasize the prominence of overcoming institutional weaknesses and establishing transparent public policy governing businesses as a pre-requisite for successful universal integration in developing countries.

The Value of Life: A New Labor Theory-Based Model

This paper develops a labor-based model where a worker chooses between not only work and leisure, as the traditional labor models have argued, but rather between labor, leisure and the purchase of insurance. The model allows the insurance buyer to determine the amount of insurance he is willing to work for and purchase while maximizing utility and derives the shadow price of risk, thus the value of life. The model is applied to quadratic, logarithmic, and exponential utility functions. Results can help insurance companies determine the cost of insurance associated with a specific job and related risk.