Government Guidelines Research Articles

Overview of AI regulation in healthcare: A comparative study of the EU and South Africa

This article provides a comparative analysis of the regulatory landscapes governing artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare in the European Union (EU) and South Africa (SA). It critically examines the approaches, frameworks and mechanisms each jurisdiction employs to balance innovation with ethical considerations, patient safety, data privacy and accountability. The EU’s proactive stance, embodied by the AI Act, offers a structured and risk-based categorisation for AI applications, emphasising stringent guidelines for risk management, data governance and human oversight. In contrast, SA’s regulatory environment is characterised by its infancy and lack of specificity, with existing legislation such as the National Health Act and the Medicines and Related Substances Act providing a foundational but limited framework for addressing the unique challenges posed by AI in healthcare. The article delves into the dynamic nature of AI technologies, highlighting the need for continuous risk assessment, the importance of transparent and responsible data governance and the critical role of human oversight in ensuring patient safety and autonomy. It discusses the obligation of clear liability frameworks to address potential malfunctions and security breaches in AI applications. Through this comparative lens, the manuscript identifies regulatory gaps and proposes that the South African Law Reform Commission (SALRC) should play a predominant role in developing draft legislation for AI prior to the evolution of challenges related to these technologies.

Food Industry Compliance With the Display of Front-of-Package Warning Labels at the Final Phase (2020) of Chile's Labeling and Advertising Law.

Objectives. To investigate food industry compliance with the display of front-of-package warning labels (FOPLs) on products that exceed regulatory thresholds for being high in calories, added sugars, sodium, or saturated fats after full implementation of Chile's Food Labeling and Advertising Law. Methods. In 2020, trained dietitians took pictures of nutritional information and FOPLs on packaged products in supermarkets. We categorized foods and beverages as requiring FOPLs (or not) using their nutritional composition and ingredients as set out in government guidelines. We compared these classifications with the actual display of FOPLs. Results. About 62.5% of packaged foods and beverages displayed any FOPL. The most frequent label was for energy (38.7%), followed by sugars (35.2%), saturated fats (26.2%), and sodium (22.6%). Compliance with FOPL display was high (93.6% for any "high-in" designation). Lower compliance was observed in nonsausage meat products (83.5%) and soups (84.5%). Candies and sweet confectionery and sausages contributed most to noncompliance with any "high-in" designation. Conclusions. Following the law's full implementation, the food industry complied with the display of FOPLs. Mandatory policies with clear guidelines and monitoring systems can contribute to ensuring and sustaining high compliance. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(12):1398-1405. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307843).

The effect of healthy food guidance for schools on food availability, purchasing, and consumption among school children in New Zealand and Australia: An integrative review.

Modifying the food environment holds promise for instilling healthier behaviours in children and may be an effective public health strategy for preventing childhood obesity and adverse health outcomes. The school food environment is a valuable setting to influence most children's dietary behaviours from an early age, yet evidence suggests that the New Zealand and Australian school food environment is not conducive to healthy food and drink consumption. The present study aimed to investigate the level of compliance in New Zealand and Australia with government guidelines for food and drink availability within schools and the subsequent effect on food consumption and purchasing behaviours of children. A systematic review utilising three databases; 'PubMed', 'Scopus', and the 'Cochrane Library' was conducted. The research covered peer-reviewed studies from both New Zealand and Australia that met predefined inclusion criteria. Fifteen studies focussed on assessing food availability within schools based on government guidelines, and ten studies explored food purchasing and consumption by students influenced by changes to the school food environment. Results showed low compliance with government healthy food guidelines for schools, and significant socioeconomic disparities. Western Australia's clear targets as well as the mandatory monitoring systems in place stand out as being a significant enabler of greater compliance with government food policies. Interventions aimed at improving healthy food availability and promoting healthy options in the canteen may positively influence student purchasing and consumption habits. Strategies such as feedback models and incentivisation hold promise for promoting healthier school environments and influencing children's food choices.

Legal Challenges of Artificial Intelligence in India’s Cyber Law Framework: Examining Data Privacy and Algorithmic Accountability Via a Comparative Global Perspective

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been quickly evolving and disrupted many domains such as cybersecurity, governance, law enforcement etc. But with this evolution comes several legal questions to consider, in many cases, the current laws just don't fit. The complexities surrounding AI technology, particularly regarding issues of algorithmic bias and automated decision-making, present new challenges for which the Information Technology Act, of 2000, was not originally designed. This research focuses on two critical factors that demand urgent attention: Algorithmic Accountability and Data Privacy. While algorithmic accountability concerns the need for transparency and the ability to trace decision-making processes, data privacy revolves around safeguarding personal information from unethical AI usage. The absence of clear provisions/interpretation addressing these two factors not only weakens the Indian legal regime but also threatens the protection of individual rights. To address these issues, this research provides a comparative analysis using global models, using information gathered from frameworks like the Algorithmic Accountability Act in the US and the AI Act in the EU. These frameworks have established worldwide guidelines for AI governance by introducing extensive procedures to control algorithmic bias/inaccuracy and enhance data privacy. On the other hand, India's legal system remains disorganized and does not have an effective strategy to address the special threats and capabilities of AI. In addition to legal reform, the research illustrates a more effective explanation of how AI might misuse data and encourage biases, particularly in a large and diverse culture like India. Thus, the research emphasizes the need for immediate and focused reforms to establish a strong framework for regulation that takes AI's complexities into account. This involves implementing strict data protection regulations and required transparency guidelines for AI systems to guarantee that AI technologies are developed and implemented responsibly, preserving digital rights and trust among individuals.

Does China Need a Carers’ Policy? A Reflection Based on the Caregiving Experience of Older Carers

This study investigated the caregiving capacity of older Chinese carers and discussed whether the Chinese government needs to offer more support to them. In-depth interviews were conducted with forty older respondents aged sixty years or over caring for frail or sick family members. It was found that most respondents demonstrated firm traditional Chinese values by treating relatives bound by blood or marriage as family members and exhibiting a strong obligation towards them. However, the older carers bore a considerable burden and suffered from deteriorating physical and mental health. The Chinese government needs to introduce a nationwide policy for carers, defining its main support and providing clear guidelines for the local government to tackle the caregiving pressures of older carers. Moreover, the concept of ‘common prosperity’ can be adopted as an empowerment strategy by encouraging poor older carers to seek external support without feeling ashamed or dependent on others.

Do long-term institutional investors constrain managerial disclosure opportunism? Evidence from insurance ownership

ABSTRACT Focusing on the relationship between insurance ownership and firms’ incentives to report small positive earnings surprises, this study examines whether long-term institutional investors constrain short-term opportunistic disclosures. This study finds that firms display a salient bunching of small positive earnings surprises owing to adverse regulatory consequences for loss firms and insurance ownership significantly constrains such behaviours. The mechanisms are mainly through strengthening internal monitoring and attracting external attention. Meanwhile, this negative relation is more pronounced when other investors have a shorter investment horizon, or managers have stronger incentives to exaggerate earnings escorting their insider selling. By using Growth Enterprise Market reform as a quasi-natural experiment, the results remain consistent. This study more fully explains the economic consequence of investor horizon and provides a new perspective on the motivation of managerial disclosure opportunism. Furthermore, this study draws important implications for emerging markets for encouraging value investment and provides important guidelines for governments to better leverage the leading role of insurance institutions when setting policies to maintain the healthy and sustainable development of the capital market.

Reconciling British Values with Professional Identity: The Pursuit of Ontological Security Among Muslim Teachers in England

This article aims to investigate how the legal requirement to promote fundamental British values (FBVs) impacts Muslim teachers’ professional identity formation, utilising Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with self-identified Muslim teachers, including both male and female individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds, employed in secondary schools across England. This study seeks to interpret Muslim teachers’ experiences through Anthony Giddens’ ontological security theory. Firstly, Muslim teachers expressed pride in being British and their successful integration into society. Secondly, the meaning of Britishness was elucidated by the participants through references to the values described in the current government guidelines on promoting FBVs. Finally, the impact of the obligation to promote FBVs on the professional identity formation of Muslim teachers points to a degree of ambivalence rooted in seeking ontological security. Certain teachers adopted an uncritical stance towards FBV policy, prioritising ‘values’ within the debate and thereby normalising the discourse surrounding FBVs. In contrast, others engaged in a critical analysis of FBV rhetoric, highlighting its adverse impact on academic discussions and their professional identities. From the perspective of ontological security theory, Muslim teachers are situated in a fragile position; while the majority grapple with ontological insecurity, others exist in a realm between ontological security and insecurity.

The interaction effect of family ownership, board gender and skills on CSR strategy with ESG performance: evidence from ASEAN-5 countries

Purpose This study aims to examine how corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy impacts environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance in public listed firms across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-5 countries. Additionally, it examines the interaction effect of family ownership, board gender diversity and board skills on the relationship. Design/methodology/approach This study used a fixed-effect panel regression to analyse 1,212 observations collected from ASEAN-5 public listed firms, covering the years 2017–2022. To address the endogeneity problem, this study used a two-step GMM. Findings The findings indicate that the ESG performance of firms in ASEAN-5 countries is significantly and positively influenced by their CSR strategy, suggesting that robust CSR strategies lead to superior ESG performance. Family ownership is found to weaken the positive impact of CSR strategy on ESG performance, indicating that family firms prioritize CSR less. Furthermore, female and skilful boards are more likely to implement effective CSR strategies, as reflected in their improved ESG performance. Practical implications This study urges firms, particularly family-owned firms, to enhance their CSR strategy. It also recommends that policymakers integrate gender diversity and a variety of skills into corporate boards, possibly by revising regulatory frameworks and corporate governance guidelines. Originality/value The results of this study are novel and specifically tailored for ASEAN firms. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first to examine the roles of board skills, gender diversity and family ownership in the relationship between CSR strategy and ESG performance in the ASEAN context.

Credit Risk Management Practices and Asset Quality of Deposit Taking Savings and Credit Co-operative Societies in Kenya

Despite the key role DT-SACCOs play towards the growth of Kenyan economy, there is reported increasing occurrence of unsustainable levels of NPLs among these financial institutions. The increasing occurrence of NPLs are significantly obstructing asset quality; highly threatening their survival. This study closed this gap by assessing; risk identification, risk measurement, risk monitoring, and risk governance.as determinants of Kenya DT-SACCOs. The study used descriptive research design with the credit managers of Kenya's 176 licensed DT-SACCOs as the target population. The study employed census because the sample size was modest, easily accessible, and controllable. The data for the study was gathered from primary sources utilizing questionnaire. To create descriptive statistics for the study, the data was analyzed using quantitative analysis. Inferential statistics was then used to obtain a model. The study found that, at 5% significance level, risk identification has positive significant effect on asset quality of DT-SACCOS in Kenya in Kenya (p=0.015; β= 0.337; r= 0.394). risk measurement has a statistically significant and positive effect on asset quality of DT-SACCOS in Kenya (p=0.023; β=0.212; r= 0.358), risk monitoring has positive significant effect on asset quality of DT-SACCOS in Kenya (p= 0.049; β= 0.182; r= 0467) and risk governance positively and significantly affects asset quality of DT-SACCOS in Kenya (p= 0.034; β= 0.236; r= 0.470). The study recommends that the DT-SACCOS in Kenya should; enhance their risk identification policies by ensuring that their procedure authenticity of business proposal and business plan are effective to bale to identify credit risks and net worth of the borrowers, enhance their risk measurement procedure to ensure that there is thorough analysis and appraisal of the borrower before approving loan. enhance their risk monitoring polices and procedures to ensure approval authorities are well specified and empowered, and ensure their risk governance guidelines correctly address credit procedures and policies on review and recommendations and clearly spell out the requirements concerning checks on collateral of the borrower during credit review.

Organizações militares prestadoras de serviços no SISMA - Uma necessidade

The article discusses the need for a new management model in Aeronautics, considering the significant budget reduction since 1995. The implementation of the OMPS System is proposed, aiming to optimize the use of financial resources and improve operational efficiency. The system is based on cost accounting and service billing, aligning Aeronautics management with Federal Government guidelines. The implementation phases include awareness, accounting adjustments, and personnel training, with the goal of promoting cost rationalization and increasing operational productivity.

Chief medical officers in the United Kingdom: maintaining 'independence' inside government.

The Chief Medical Officer (CMO), one of the UK's most senior public health leadership roles, was crucial in supporting policymakers in responding to COVID-19. Yet, there exist only a handful of (largely historical) accounts of the role in England. This article is the first to empirically examine how the scope, focus and boundaries of the CMO role vary over time across the four UK nations, including during public health emergencies. We undertook semi-structured interviews with 10 current and former CMOs/Deputy CMOs in the four UK nations and analysed relevant documents. The CMO role is not clearly defined in contemporary UK legislation and is instead shaped by iterative policies, incumbent preferences, and organizational needs, leading to variation over time and between nations. Nonetheless, most participants framed the role as primarily providing 'independent' advice to government despite being senior civil servants who, in communicating with the public, sometimes speak 'on behalf' of government. The flexibility of UK CMO roles allows for responsive adaption but poses risks for how well these roles are understood. A potential tension between providing 'independent' policy advice and a need to publicly communicate government policies and guidelines may be exacerbated in emergency contexts.

Challenges Facing Children Reintegration in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya

This study sought to establish challenges facing children reintegration in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. The study used a sequential mixed method approach. The population included reintegrated children and community members within the Uasin Gishu County. The sample included 32 respondents from Ainabkoi, 46 from Kapseret, 36 from Kesses, 42 from Moiben and 54 from Soy sub-counties. Instruments for data collection were questionnaire Focus Group Discussion guide and an in-depth interview guide. The quantitative data was analysed through descriptive statistics. Qualitative data was transcribed, categorized into themes and then analysed through content analysis approach. The study concludes that lack of prior reintegration visits and non-adherence to government guidelines on children reintegration inhibited warmer reception to the returning children. Cultural-related challenges, settling in a new environment and protection and safety-related concerns existed as challenges but in low intensity. Some of the recommendations are that CCIs/CBOs be encouraged to follow the guidelines set out by the government of Kenya. Following the guidelines will guarantee meaningful participation of children, families and the community in the reintegration process. Finally, the Government of Kenyan should re-examine its social safety initiatives towards vulnerable households.

Job Involvement among ICDS Scheme Functionaries in India: Assessing Extension Needs for Enhanced Performance

Job involvement is psychological identification with one’s work as well as degree to which the job situation is central to person and his identity. Human behavior plays a pivotal role in maximizing organizational effectiveness irrespective of the technological support and their involvement in their job is critical for successful achievement of its objectives. ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services) is a comprehensive scheme of Govt. of India enriches human resource and tackles malnutrition and health problems in children below six years of age and their mothers. The services to the beneficiaries, who are pregnant women, Lactating Mothers, children under 5 years, adolescents and adult women, are provided at Centre called as Anganwadi. The grass-root level functionaries at the center are called Anganwadi workers (AWW) who executes ICDS scheme as per the Government guidelines to raise the level of health and nutrition, create proper mental, physical and social development of children below six years; to reduce mortality and malnutrition and dropouts. Since job involvement contributes to overall availability of human resource, the success of the ICDS programme extents to effective and successful working of AWWs. The study was conducted to know the job- involvement of AWWs and AWHs – the grass-root functionaries of ICDS scheme. The conducted in one of the blocks of Faizabad District situated in Eastern part of Uttar Pradesh state. One hundred AWWs were randomly selected from 182 AWWs in the block and administered interview schedule and standardized Job Involvement scale by Dr. A.P Singh. The data collected revealed that AWWs were highly involved (47%), moderately involved (37%) and rest (16%) had low involvement. Analysis further found that job involvement and income of the workers; educational qualification and work experience are significantly dependent.

공공기관의 ESG 경영전략과 사회적 책임과의 영향 분석 : 2023년도 공기업과 준정부기관 경영평가 결과를 중심으로

Cmporate social responsibility or ESG is an international trend and is becoming standardized. Public instituticms in Korea have also been evolving into social contnbuticm, social value, and ESG activities, starting with ethical management in the early 2000s. The management evaluation system fur public instituticms is also expanding its evaluation content and weight to include govemmentreconmmded policies, social values, and indicators of social responsibility. Acoording to Werther and Chandler (2011 ), in order to implement corporate social responstbility (CSR) or ESG, companies or public instituticms must establish an integrated, mid-tenn to long-tenn management strategy. Currently, public eoterprises and quasi-govemmeotal organizations in Korea are being criticiz.ed fur eogaging in reactive and passive CSR or ESG activities in accordance with the management evaluation system of the Ministry of Strategy and Finance. Therefore, the public institution management evaluation manual stipulates that CSR or ESG should be promoted at the level of mid-tenn to long-term management strategy, but empirical analysis through the results of management evaluation shows that social responsibility activities rather than ESG management strategy affect management perfurmance. Orlitzky, Schmidt, and Rynes(2003) shows that it is tmre effective as a parameter for financial budget perfurmance than for public oommunicaticm, as shown in the research results. Therefore, looking at the pmpose of the new ''Public Entetprises and Sustainability'' chapter in the May 2024 OECD Public Entetprise Governance Guidelines, it is important for public eoterprises and quasi-govemmmtal organiWinns to improve short-tenn management efficiency and profitability, but it is also important to improve the e:fficieocy and profitability of public eole!prises in the mid-tenn to long-term. This meaos that social responsibility and ESG activities must be promoted at the strategic level of public instituticms for sustainability, and it can be empirically confinu:d that social resporunbility activities and ESG management have an impact on management performance such as financial budget performance.

From gender policies and practices to organisational performance of sport governing bodies

ABSTRACT Research question Gender policies reflect identity-conscious human resource management structures that aim to reduce unfair treatment based on gender. Drawing on signalling theory and the categorisation-elaboration model, the literature suggests that the relationship between gender policies and organisational performance is moderated by several factors (gender practices, organisational culture, decision-making quality), which have not yet been empirically studied. The purpose of this study is to investigate the presence of gender policies in sport governing bodies (SGBs) and examine their relationship with organisational performance. Research methods An online questionnaire was sent to representatives of German SGBs (n = 202). Structural equation modelling was used to examine the relationships between gender policies, gender practices (i.e. board gender diversity), organisational culture, decision-making quality, and organisational performance. Results and findings Gender policies are rarely present in German SGBs, and can only shape the organisational culture when they are connected to daily routines (in contrast to the simple presence of a written statement). Gender policies and practices are positively associated with decision-making quality and organisational performance. Implications The findings contribute to the literature by shedding light on the theoretical mechanisms (i.e. organisational culture, decision-making quality) through which group diversity affects organisational performance. Sport managers should connect gender policies to the daily work instead of simply including them in good governance guidelines, especially because they also benefit the organisation in terms of better performance. Politicians should consider mandatory regulations to make gender policies more effective.

A transcontinental threat: Plastic waste from Africa invades Brazil's coast

Identifying the origin of plastic pollution is essential for the development of effective preventive and mitigatory strategies and guidelines for companies, governments, and stakeholders. In 2022, a considerable amount of plastic waste stranded on beaches of the northeastern coast of Brazil. A preliminary analysis of this waste revealed that most of the items were likely foreign made, and a brand auditing approach was applied to identify the brands, parent companies, and potential origin of the plastic waste. The items were also examined to determine their degree of degradation, polymer resin codes, colors, and probable uses. Given their probable foreign origin, a numerical simulation was employed using the OpenDrift dispersion model to determine the likely route each item would have taken before reaching the Brazilian coast. The brand audit confirmed that most of the plastic waste came from Africa (78.5 % of the items), followed by Brazil (15.7 %), and other nations (5.8 %). A total of 31 brands from seven African countries were identified, of which, >90 % originated from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Drift simulations were consistent with the results of the brand audit, indicating that the plastics originated from the west coast of African, primarily between latitudes 5° N and 10° S. This analysis indicated that the Congo river was the principal source of the plastic waste that found its way to the Brazilian beaches. The present study highlights the widespread occurrence of plastic pollution across the Atlantic Ocean and underscores the need for mitigatory and regulatory measures that consider foreign sources, as well as local drivers of pollution. In this context, continuous monitoring programs will be essential to advance our understanding of the magnitude of the international plastic pollution problem, and provide insights to delineate specific enforcements dealing with this issue.

A LoRaWAN-based environmental sensing network for urban green space monitoring with demonstrated application for stormwater management

Monitoring urban green spaces (UGSs) is crucial for achieving sustainable urban development and ecological resilience. Leveraging LoRaWAN technology, a wireless environmental sensing system was developed and implemented to monitor soil moisture dynamics across seven diverse UGSs over a year. Analyses revealed notable variations in soil moisture influenced by vegetation types, soil conditions and physical settings. Seasonal trends indicated lower summer soil moisture in some UGSs resulting from increased evapotranspiration, while others maintained higher soil moisture due to more frequent irrigation. The soil moisture response to rainfall was quantitatively modeled, demonstrating the increase in soil moisture is highly positively dependent on rainfall amount and negatively dependent on initial moisture level. Both factors were significant (p<0.001) in most cases, and the models’ adjusted R2 values were all above 0.65 except for one node. The findings also unveiled more dynamic ranges of UGS runoff coefficients than government guideline values, especially high runoff coefficients (0.4 to 1.0) for rainfall events above 50 mm. Therefore, although existing UGSs can help absorb smaller storms, proactive drainage systems are needed for UGSs to handle extreme events. The study highlights LoRaWAN's efficacy in urban environmental monitoring and provides valuable insights for managing and optimizing UGSs, especially in stormwater management.

A localised perspective in educational policy studies: understanding actor interaction in a Hong Kong school through mohap

ABSTRACT Asia as Method, in decolonial thinking, endorses the value of local knowledge while concurrently recognizing colonial and global knowledges’ ongoing influence and potential value in knowledge production. The author takes such a decolonial approach to examine how actors interact in translating the Fine-tuning Medium of Instruction Policy in a Hong Kong school. To grasp the nuances of actor interaction, the Cantonese term mohap (wearing in) is employed. Three concepts from distinct traditions are used to explain mohap: meritocracy, harmony and agency. This study examines actors’ mohap process through three stages: How actors perceive the government guidelines, form the school-based policy, and develop the school-based policy. The findings show that actors’ mohap in the local context entails the meritocracy ideology, sought-after harmony, and actor agency. It reveals the need and the potential of localised approaches to educational policy studies in the Global South.

Urea Concentration Detection in Milk Using Microscopic Image Processing Algorithm under Ultraviolet Light Approach

The adulteration of milk is a pressing concern for the citizens of India and people all around the globe. Due to a lack of regulation compliance and insufficient surveillance infrastructure, it is noticeably worse in emerging and slow-growing nations. One of the most common and dangerous adulterants in milk is urea. If the permissible quantity of urea in milk is surpassed, it could have a major negative impact on people's health. All existing methods of urea detection require time, expertise, costly chemicals, and enzymes, along with exorbitant instruments and instrument-specific expertise. The key to overcoming this challenge is having the infrastructure to detect adulterated milk. This study aims to identify a cost- effective and largely implementable system for quantitative detection of urea content to identify adulterated milk primarily for milk distribution centers in India. The proposed milk adulteration detection system, dubbed the MADS, entails a cost-effective, rapid, accurate, precise, and completely novel method for the quantitative computation of urea levels in adulterated milk. It is a device that detects the concentration of particles of urea in milk using a microscopic image processing algorithm under ultraviolet light. Using ultraviolet light and a proprietary program in Python, the isolation of the urea particle from the rest of the milk solids is done and the area concentration, as an average of the value calculated in each of the frames of the video captured through the microscopic camera, is computed. This gives the final urea concentration in milk, which can be used to check whether the concentration follows the government guidelines and exceeds the legal limit.

Corporate Governance and Capital Structure Decisions: Moderating Role of inside Ownership

This study empirically investigates the association between board attributes and capital structure decisions of non-financial listed firms in Bangladesh. This study also investigates how this association is shaped and moderated by the level of insider ownership. The current study takes 3096 firm-year observations of firms that are listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange from 2004 to 2023. Multiple regression analysis on panel data was used, and pooled OLS was selected by resolving stationary issues. Moreover, this study used lagged variables and a GMM estimator to address endogeneity. The results show that both board size and board independence are more positively correlated with a firm’s leverage under conditions of a high level of inside ownership. On the other hand, without the moderating effect of inside ownership, gender diversity on the board does not have any significant impact on a firm’s leverage, and it turns into a positive association due to the moderating effect of inside ownership. This result is consistent with the existing theory and previous findings. After the introduction of corporate governance guidelines, the inside owners’ effect on board size and board independence became substantial, indicating that corporate governance guidelines with the moderating role of inside ownership play a significant role in capital structure decisions in Bangladeshi listed firms.