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This paper has investigated the synergies between the UAE corporate social responsibility (CSR) laws and corporate governance (CG) frameworks. The purpose of this paper is to examine the collective impact of CSR laws and CG frameworks on fraud prevention and detection within the UAE business landscape.

The researcher used a secondary analytical method to examine the synergies between UAE CSR laws and CG frameworks, focusing on corporate fraud detection and prevention. This method involved a comprehensive analysis of secondary sources of information from various sources such as government reports, legislation, academics and other sources such as the organization’s CSR and other industry reports. The main secondary sources included the official documents of the UAE related to CG and legal requirements on CSR, the reports of the financial institutions of UAE and designated nonfinancial businesses and professions and international guidelines such as those from the financial action task force.

The UAE has various federal and emirate-level laws governing CSR and CG, emphasizing directors’ duties, disclosure and reporting. Therefore, CG and CSR have bidirectional relationship within the context of the UAE legislative framework. However, the existence of different legislation at the federal and emirate levels is undermining the effectiveness of existing laws and regulations. The UAE must now work toward harmonization of existing laws and regulations to enhance their effectiveness and enforceability across emirates. The UAE government should consider expanding CSR provisions under the CCL or amend the CSR law to include provisions on mandatory reporting for unethical practices across corporations. The evolving global regulatory landscape, including the European Union Artificial Intelligence Act (EU AI Act), highlights the UAE’s need for adaptive legal frameworks to integrate technological advancements into CG and CSR practices, ensuring ethical and transparent business conduct.

The researcher examined the collective impact of CSR laws and CG frameworks on fraud prevention and detection within the UAE business landscape. This examination also considers the broader implications for enhancing transparency and accountability in combating money laundering and other financial crimes. The research ultimately aims to provide insights into how UAE CSR laws and CG frameworks align to foster more robust and ethical corporate practices, contributing to a broader understanding of fraud prevention and governance best practices.

This paper aims to critically analyse the evolving anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CTF) framework in Saudi Arabia, focusing on the intersection of Shari’ah and international AML standards. The study explores Saudi Arabia’s efforts to combat money laundering (ML) and terrorism financing (TF) within its global engagement, assessing the challenges and opportunities posed by emerging financial technologies and transnational financial crime.

The research uses a legal doctrinal analysis of Saudi Arabia’s AML/CTF laws, integrating a review of FATF reports, international guidelines and Shari’ah-compliant financial regulations. The study also evaluates Saudi Arabia’s participation in international AML/CTF cooperation efforts, drawing on case studies of the country’s involvement in global initiatives and bilateral agreements. In addition, the research examines policy recommendations and explores the role of new financial technologies, such as cryptocurrencies and blockchain.

Saudi Arabia has made significant progress in aligning its AML/CTF framework with global standards, particularly following its full membership in the FATF. However, challenges remain, especially in addressing vulnerabilities within non-financial sectors and regulating emerging financial technologies. The study finds that integrating Shari’ah into the country’s AML/CTF system enhances cultural and religious relevance while contributing to global compliance efforts. International cooperation and technology adoption are essential for staying ahead of evolving threats.

This study uniquely examines the interplay between Shari’ah and global AML standards in Saudi Arabia, offering insights into how religious principles coexist with international regulatory requirements. It also addresses the rising challenges of cryptocurrencies and blockchain, providing actionable policy recommendations for policymakers and financial institutions to enhance Saudi Arabia’s AML/CTF efforts. The research highlights Saudi Arabia’s role as a regional leader and global contributor to financial crime prevention.

Motor vehicles play a vital role in the economic and social growth of any country. However, they have recently become instruments and a source of illegally obtained financial gains for criminal bodies and individuals. This study aims to assess the laws of Mauritius on AML procedures to prevent money laundering through vehicles transactions.

To achieve the research objective, the black letter research method was used by analysing laws, regulations and case laws on the subject matter. A desk-based and doctrinal approach was also used by examining policy papers, scholarly articles and newspaper materials on the researched topic. Additionally, the research adopted a comparative analysis by assessing how the laws of another country address the issue of money laundering through vehicle transaction and the selected country is the UK.

The research concluded that Mauritius AML laws are lagging behind of the UK laws and accordingly, some measures were suggested to deal with the issue of money laundering through vehicles transactions. Accordingly, this research recommended that motor vehicle dealers who are high value dealers engaged in cash transactions above certain threshold, must also be categorised as reporting persons under the FIAMLA such that the prescribed AML measures apply to them. Additionally, it is convenient for the FCC to be embodied with some additional punitive and corrective powers to assist the Commission in its fight for the prevention and elimination of financial crimes in Mauritius.

At present, this study will be among the first academic writings on the intersection between money laundering and the automobile industry and on the effectiveness of the legal and regulatory measures undertaken by the Mauritian authorities to prevent money laundering through vehicles transactions. The study is carried out with the aim of combining a large amount of empirical, theoretical and factual information that can be of use to various stakeholders and not only to academics.

This study aims to assess how ethical sales behaviour affects switching costs typology, mediated by trust and moderated by brand affiliation, monthly contributions and the number of dependent beneficiaries in medical schemes in South Africa.

A quantitative study targeted a non-probability judgement sample of 250 main members of medical schemes, elicited near health-care facilities in South Africa’s Gauteng province. Data was collected in a face-to-face survey and analysed using structural equation modelling on AMOS version 29 and PROCESS procedure for Statistical Package of Social Science release 2.041.

The results show that ethical sales behaviour negatively affects trust and positively affects evaluation, monetary and personal relational loss costs. Trust positively affects personal relational loss costs, economic risk, evaluation, monetary and benefit loss costs. Moreover, trust mediates the effect of ethical sales behaviour on evaluation, monetary and personal relational loss costs. Finally, the number of dependent beneficiaries, monthly contributions and brand affiliation significantly moderate these interactions.

The paper validates the application of commitment-to-trust theory in mediating how the effects of the general theory of marketing ethics on switching costs typology differ according to the number of dependent beneficiaries, monthly contributions and brand affiliation with medical schemes.

This study aims to examine whether and how the presence of co-opted directors (directors appointed after the incumbent CEO) influences corporate climate risk disclosure.

This study comprehensively analyses 2,975 firm-year observations of US-listed companies, using ordinary least squares with industry and year-fixed effects. To confirm the reliability of the study results, the authors used several techniques, including propensity score matching, to address potential issues with functional form misspecification, analysed a subset of companies where co-option persisted over two consecutive years to mitigate concerns regarding reverse causality and difference-in-differences estimation, using the cheif executive officer’s (CEO’s) sudden death as an exogenous shock to board co-option to mitigate endogeneity concerns.

The findings indicate that the presence of a large number of co-opted directors negatively influences corporate climate risk disclosure. Mediation analysis suggests that managerial risk-taking partially mediates this negative association. Moderation analyses show that the negative impact of co-opted directors on climate risk disclosure is more pronounced in firms with greater linguistic obfuscation, limited external monitoring and in environmentally sensitive industries. Moreover, co-opted directors intentionally withhold or obscure the disclosure of transition climate risks more than physical climate risks.

This research has important implications for policymakers, regulators and corporate governance practitioners in designing board structures by highlighting the adverse impact of co-opted directors in contexts with lax regulatory enforcement and managerial discretion. The authors caution against relying on such directors for providing climate-related risk disclosures, especially in companies with poor external monitors and based in environmental sensitivities, as their placement can significantly undermine transparency and accountability.

This study adds to the existing body of knowledge by highlighting the previously unexplored phenomenon of intentional obscurity in disclosing climate risks by co-opted directors. This research provides novel insights into the interplay between board composition, managerial risk-taking behaviour and climate risk disclosure. The findings of this study have significant implications for policymakers, regulators and corporate governance experts, and may prompt a re-evaluation of strategies for improving climate risk disclosure practices.

The current research investigates how the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI)—a set of technologies designed to enhance decision-making and automate processes—impacts Integrated Financial Reporting (IFR) in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) listed firms, which present the typical features of emerging economies. It is postulated that their IFR is enhanced as firms within these markets experience AI adoption. In addition, the study also focuses on the role of audit quality towards AI adoption and the IFR relationship within these regions. To this effect, the study examines the moderation effect of audit quality (using its sub-components i.e. audit fee, audit industry specialization and restatement) on the relationship between AI adoption experience and IFR in GCC.

The investigation draws upon panel data consisting of 2,912 non-financial firm-year observations covering the period from 2010 to 2023 across GCC markets. To achieve its purpose, the study applies the conventional ordinary least square (OLS) to estimate the effect of AI adoption experience on IFR. Subsequently, to guarantee the robustness of the results, this study utilizes the propensity score matching (PSM) technique.

The results from empirical analysis disclose a direct impact of AI adoption on the IFR of the firms within GCC markets. Furthermore, the study also discovers that the high level of audit quality moderates this positive relationship. Therefore, in the GCC regions, firms with higher AI adoption show higher IFR effectiveness, mainly in the presence of specialized auditors and increased audit fees, whereas their relationship is stronger in the absence of restatements. The results are robust when tested through the PSM technique.

The results of this study highlight the significance for policymakers to ensure comprehensive AI adoption in GCC markets, as well as the appointment of industry specialists and the standardization of audit fees to support the improvement of IFR in the regions.

This study aims to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the relationship between auditors’ work stress and client participation with audit quality (AQ).

This study is a descriptive-survey type and the data were collected through a questionnaire distributed online. The statistical population consisted of auditors working in audit firms in Iran and the sample was selected using a random sampling method. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data.

The findings of this study suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the negative relationship between auditors’ work stress and AQ. In addition, the results indicate that client participation in the audit process did not significantly impact AQ during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Given the global and widespread impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals’ lives and work settings, this study provides an opportunity to explore the challenges auditors face concerning health protocols and their well-being during the pandemic, specifically within the context of Iran. The unique circumstances of the pandemic have placed additional pressure on auditors to navigate and address the challenges arising from COVID-19 in their workplaces. Although research on the effects of the pandemic on accounting and auditing is ongoing, this study contributes to the literature by expanding our understanding of the specific implications and circumstances faced by auditors during the COVID-19 outbreak.

This study aims to examine the financial investigation system in Ghana in relation to tax evasion and money laundering practices among multinational corporations (MNCs).

The study adopted the qualitative case study design. The population was 15 officials, comprising 14 highly qualified tax enforcement and anti-money laundering officers from key state agencies, as well as a tax consultant. The data was gathered using a semi-structured interview and analysed thematically.

The study found that there is an effective financial investigation system in Ghana that regulates tax evasion and money laundering practices among MNCs; however, more can be done to perfect the system. There is an effective collaboration among financial investigation agencies in terms of intelligence sharing, although it is often marred by bottlenecks and unnecessary bureaucracies. Finally, there was no consensus that the financial investigation system in Ghana has helped to prevent/retrieve the proceeds of tax evasion and money laundering among MNCs. The study concludes that Ghana’s financial investigation system is well-placed to deal with tax evasion and money laundering practices among MNCs. Notwithstanding, there is room for improvement.

This study only focused on the financial investigation system in Ghana in relation to tax evasion and money laundering practices among MNCs. It did not give attention to other entities, individuals or crimes.

The study offers an inside perspective into the financial investigation system in Ghana in relation to tax evasion and money laundering among MNCs. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no study of this nature has been conducted in Ghana or elsewhere.

This study aims to conduct a comprehensive literature review to examine the relationship between corporate governance characteristics and firms’ engagement in environmental, social and governance (ESG) activities. The review focuses specifically on academic papers published in ranked accounting and finance journals.

The analysis combines a structured literature review with citation analysis, topic modeling using a machine learning (ML) approach and a manual review of selected articles published between 2000 and 2021.

This paper contributes to corporate governance and ESG literature by conducting an in-depth review, offering a comprehensive analysis of the existing findings and identifying future research directions. From the reviewed literature, this paper proposes the following thematic areas: board characteristics, ownership structure and their impact on a company’s engagement in ESG activities; CEO characteristics and their influence on a company’s involvement in ESG activities; corporate governance and ESG as sources for transparency and legitimacy; internal and external assurance of a company’s involvement in ESG activities; and gender diversity and a company’s involvement in ESG activities.

The study provides a comprehensive understanding of corporate governance and ESG literature. The innovative combination of methods, including ML and manual techniques, enhances the ability to identify key research topics and uncover research directions in the field. Moving forward, this paper suggests several promising directions for future research, including examining the influence of emerging technologies on ESG reporting and assessing the impact of regulatory changes and context on the link between corporate governance and firms’ involvement in ESG practices.

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of adopting artificial intelligence (AI) on the quality of corporate sustainability reporting. The role of sustainability committees, including specialist environmental, social and governance (ESG) committees, in moderating this dynamic is also examined.

Regression analysis is used to analyze the quality of ESG/sustainability disclosures of listed Chinese companies from 2015 to 2022. Robustness is ensured through fixed effects analysis, while endogeneity concerns are addressed using one-year lagged measures and the three-stage least squares (3SLS) approach. Sustainability committees are categorized based on their ESG specific focus areas, and aligned with the corresponding ESG disclosure pillars. In addition, for the governance pillar, the analysis is extended by segmenting the sample based on state ownership status. Stakeholder theory and the dynamic capability view are used to frame the analysis.

The results reveal that AI adoption enhances overall sustainability reporting quality and pillar-specific ESG disclosure quality. This positive effect is amplified by the presence of sustainability committees. Examining the heterogeneous impact of these committees revealed stronger associations between sustainability committee specialization and relevant ESG pillar disclosure quality (except for governance), suggesting that use of specialist committees can improve disclosure outcomes. Notably, within non-state-owned enterprises, governance-focused committees positively moderate the AI−disclosure relationship, highlighting a nuanced effect based on ownership structure.

The findings offer empirical support for companies to leverage AI in sustainability reporting. This study finds evidence to support the creation of sustainability committees, as a key corporate governance mechanism to drive corporate sustainability reporting. The use of specialist sustainability committees can drive improvements in disclosure quality relating to specific ESG pillars. The research indicates that disclosure over governance remains poor and will require additional regulatory effort to encourage entities to provide higher quality governance-related disclosures. In terms of ownership structure, the study found that non-state-owned enterprises are more efficient in using specialist sustainability committees to improve disclosure quality.

The findings highlight the potential of AI in supporting high-quality sustainability reporting and the strategic role of sustainability committees in this dynamic. The publication of high-quality sustainability reports is critical in meeting stakeholder demands for transparency and corporate accountability on sustainability.

The findings offer insights into AI’s role in supporting high-quality sustainability reporting. By examining the moderating effects of sustainability committees, the research goes beyond examining a general impact to exploring how corporate governance mechanisms impact this relationship. In addition, the unique data on Chinese companies highlights differences between state-owned and non-state-owned enterprises, with the latter exhibiting greater potential to leverage specialist sustainability committees for improving sustainability reporting.