Drawing on the upper echelon’s theory and the resource-based theory, the purpose of the study is to examine the impact of board diversity on the Chinese A-listed firm’s performance. The data were collected from A-listed companies registered in Shanghai SSE 180 and the Shenzhen 100 from the period 2007 to 2016. Since some of the companies got listed after 2007, our data is unbalanced. Both fixed effects model and a more robust dynamic panel generalised method of moment estimation are applied to cater the endogeneity problem. After controlling for several firms and board characteristics, we found gender diversity, education diversity and foreign national diversity measured through Blau index have a positive and significant effect on the Chinese A-listed firm performance for both the accounting and market measures. The age diversity and independence diversity seem not to be an essential determinant of firm performance in Chinese A-listed firms. The results supported the efficient monitoring hypothesis and managerial networking theory, which suggests that the director’s diversity reduces the managerial entrenchment on the one hand, while, through networking, increases the resources of the firms on the other side.

Chickpea is the third most important crop of rainfed areas of Pakistan, and it is severely affected by noxious weed Asphodelus tenuifolius. Therefore, a field trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of different allelopathic weed extracts, herbicides and mulches in controlling A. tenuifolius and other associated weeds in chickpea at “District Karak” Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-Pakistan. The experiment was carried out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) and replicated thrice using a chickpea cultivar (Chattan) which was grown for the experimental trial. There were 9 treatments along with control for comparison. The treatments Stomp 330 EC (Pre-emergence) at 2.5 L ha-1, Fenoxaprop-p-ethyl, Bromoxanil+MCPA (Tank mix), Starane-M, mulching (Eucalyptus leaves), mulching (Wheat straw mulch), allelopathic weed extract (A. tenuifolius) + Stomp, allelopathic weed extract (Cyperus rotundus), allelopathic weed extract (Sorghum halepense) and control treatment were used in this trial. Data were recorded on A. tenuifolius density m-2 before and after application of weed management practices (m-2), A.tenuifolius fresh weight (m-2), seed yield (kg.ha-1), biological yield (kg ha-1) and cost-benefit ratio. Weed density before weed management was found to be non-significant. The data showed that minimum A. tenuifolius density after weed management and fresh weight (m-2) were found for Stomp 330 EC (6.33 m-2 and 1.98 kg m-2), which is statistically similar to Fenoxaprop-p-ethyl 6.9 EC (10.33 m-2 and 3.03 kg m-2) while maximum A. tenuifolius density and fresh weight (m-2) were recorded for control plots (74.33 m-2 and 287.46 kg m-2). Maximum seed yield (1,781.7 kg ha-1), biological yield (3,823 kg ha-1) and cost-benefit ratio (3.47) were recorded for plots treated with Stomp 330 EC, while the lowest seed yield (851.7 kg ha-1), biological yield (3,126.3 kg ha-1) and cost-benefit ratio (1.53) were observed for the control plot. Among the nutritive parameters in chickpea, maximum crude protein (17.40%), crude fat content (4.90%) and oil content (5.98%) were recorded for plots treated with Stomp 330 EC, while minimum crude protein (16.18%), crude fat content (4.12%) and oil content (5.01%) were found in the control plots. Thus, it is recommended that herbicides Stomp 330 EC and Fenoxaprop-p-ethyl should be used at pre-emergence at their recommended doses for control of A.tenuifolius and other associated weeds in chickpea crops.

No abstract