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This examine the impact of environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance on financial reporting quality (FRQ) before and during COVID-19 in the Egyptian market.

This study uses quarterly data from 2017 to 2021 to draw conclusions, with a sample consisting of 486 firm-year observations for 27 Egyptian companies listed on the Standard and Poor’s/Egyptian Stock Exchange ESG index. This study uses both firms’ ESG scores and the Beneish Model, an earnings detection model, as proxies for FRQ. COVID-19 effects on ESG performance and FRQ were examined by using Pearson’s correlation coefficient and two-stage least squares.

COVID-19 has a significant impact on the link between ESG and FRQ. This implies that corporations with high ESG performance are less likely to manipulate earnings (having a low M-score) and thus provide high FRQ during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, there is a significant positive relationship between firm size, leverage and M-Score, indicating that large firms typically present a high FRQ.

The sample size and data availability are the main research limitations. Additionally, this study only considers the effects of firms’ ESG performance on FRQ during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, future research should consider other factors associated with investors’ corporate social responsibility (CSR).

This research has practical implications for market regulators seeking to establish a legislative framework and enhance guidance to mandate managers to provide ESG data and CSR reports appropriate for Egypt and other developing economies in times of crisis.

Promoting the adoption of ESG practices in business, particularly during crises, has the potential to effectively provide high-quality and reliable financial reporting required for investment.

This study aspires to address notable deficiencies in the pertinent literature concerning the relationship between ESG performance and FRQ during COVID-19. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, little is known about how ESG performance changes in response to pandemics in emerging markets. To address this gap, this study examines the effects of COVID-19 on the relationship between ESG performance and FRQ in Egyptian-listed firms from 2017 to 2021.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted existing business models, forcing managers in the manufacturing industry to look for new strategies that could help their firms bounce forward. The situation calls for a rethink, redesign, and development of new business models (BMs) using digital capabilities. Drawing from the dynamic capability theory, this paper investigates how digital transformation (DT) influences business model innovation (BMI) through technology orientation (TO). The paper further examined the moderating role of competitive intensity (CI) in the DT-TO link.

The model was tested using survey data from 208 senior managers in manufacturing firms in Ghana. SPSS 23 and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used for the analyses.

The results revealed that both DT and technology orientation directly influence all four dimensions of BMI. The result further showed that technology orientation indirectly mediates the relationship between DT and all four dimensions of BMI. The findings further showed that the DT-BMI link is amplified at varying levels of competitive intensity.

Although recent research has highlighted the pertinence of embracing DT to foster innovation, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study among the first few attempts to shed light on the role of DT for sensing, seizing, and (re) configuring firms’ resources to renovate manufacturing business models to stay competitive. In addition, to date, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no study exists that has examined the conditions and mechanism through which optimal BMI can be achieved through DT. The paper offer practical guidance to managers of manufacturing firms by developing an actionable framework to effectively leverage digital transformation for business model innovation through enhanced technology orientation, offering clear guidelines for assessing and aligning organizational capabilities with digital strategies.

The purpose of this study is to propose and develop a zakat model for digital assets from the Sharīʿah perspective.

This research adopts a qualitative research method while studying the literature thoroughly, and it analyzes the data through an exploratory research approach to propose a zakat model for the digital assets.

This research aims to develop a zakat model for digital assets within the framework of Sharīʿah. Using a qualitative research method, the study thoroughly examines existing literature and uses an exploratory research approach to propose this zakat model. The findings suggest that digital assets hold the potential to be considered for zakat in the contemporary digital age. Previous studies indicate that both commodity-based and currency-based digital assets meet the criteria for zakat imposition. Given zakat’s significant impact on socioeconomic development, it is imperative to carefully manage these assets to maximize their potential benefits. However, variations in interpretations by different jurisdictions and Sharīʿah scholars regarding the understanding and classification of digital assets lead to ongoing scrutiny from legal and religious perspectives. This research aims to contribute to the discourse by proposing a zakat model for digital assets and identifying potential assets eligible for zakat.

This research seems to be the pioneer in providing a zakat model for digital assets, combining different segments of digital assets.

This study aims to examine the impact of intellectual capital on the underwriting risk of insurance companies in Pakistan.

The study used a quantitative research approach and a longitudinal research design, gathering data from 23 insurance companies listed on the Pakistan stock exchange from 2010 to 2022. The value-added intellectual coefficient (VAIC) was used to measure intellectual capital (IC), and unbalanced panel data were analyzed using static and dynamic regression analyses.

The findings demonstrate a significant association between intellectual capital and underwriting risk in insurance companies in Pakistan. Specific components of intellectual capital, such as human capital efficiency (HCE), structural capital efficiency (SCE) and capital employed efficiency (CEE), have a strong negative impact on underwriting risk. Control variables like return on assets, insurer size and leverage also showed significant relationships with underwriting risk.

This research provides new insights into the theoretical understanding of the insurance industry by establishing a direct link between intellectual capital and underwriting risk in the context of Pakistan. It suggests that by improving aspects of intellectual capital, specifically HCE, SCE and CEE, policymakers and managers can reduce underwriting risk.

This study aims to explore the safe-haven properties of sukuk and analyze the co-movement and interdependence between sukuk and conventional bond indices to provide insights into the potential role of diversification.

The study uses the data set from 2012 to 2022, retrieved from the Eikon Reuter database. Different machine learning tools such as decision trees, random forests, gradient boosting and deep neural networks have been applied to capture the non-linear relationship and co-movement among the variables. Furthermore, K-clustering captures the hidden patterns and periods of high and low co-movements.

The results state that the sukuk and conventional bond indices exhibit various degrees of co-movement influenced by regional and global market sentiments. The clustering analysis shows strong positive and negative correlations. The sukuk shows some instances of zero co-movement, but the results are inconsistent across all scenarios. Moreover, investors need to do their research first before investing in sukuk.

This study uniquely applies K-clustering and advanced machine learning tools to understand the nonlinear relationship among variables better. In contrast, the previous studies mainly focused on linear relationships. It is critical to understand that financial variables tend to have nonlinear relationships, and these techniques best suit those needs.

This paper aims to deepen the understanding of robust food supply chains (FSC) in SMEs by exploring and analyzing the literature through the lenses of digital technologies.

The study collected data from Scopus spanning from 2010 to 2024, employing selected keywords, and processed it using VOS-viewer and Biblioshiny to derive valid inferences and theoretical arguments.

The review paper identified several key themes shaping the future of supply chain management – Sustainability in SCM, Industry 4.0, Digitalization with FSCM, Circular Economy, Food Waste with Supply Chain, Food Security and Climate Change. These themes collectively bring transformative opportunities for both the adoption of digital technologies and sustainable practices in food supply chains.

The review found limitations are rooted in financial constraints, institutional barriers and expertise-related challenges encountered within the realm of Digitalization and FSC. Government and corporate houses should focus on these limitations as well as convert them to strengthen the SMEs of FSC.

The study stands out as a pioneering review that not only explores Digitalization in FSC but also explores the link and evidence of SMEs in the unorganized sector, providing unique insights into a previously underexplored area.

This study aims to assess whether non-financial corporate social responsibility (CSR) information decreases audit risk and audit scope and enables speedier completion of audit reports. The study also investigates whether institutional investors’ ownership (IIO) has an influence on the association between CSR disclosures and audit report lag (ARL).

This study uses a sample of 154 Saudi firms over 2016–2021 (837 observations) and applies ordinary least square regression to examine the study hypotheses.

This study’s results show that ARL is significantly shorter for firms with higher CSR disclosures. Furthermore, the findings show that IIO has no significant impact on the association between CSR disclosures and ARL.

This study offers new insights into how auditors respond to CSR disclosures and whether institutional investor monitoring influences the audit process in an emerging economy.