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Digital transformation provides a new impetus for the development of declining firms. However, there is currently a lack of sufficient research on whether digital transformation is beneficial for the turnaround of declining firms. This paper aims to explore the relationship between digital transformation and the turnaround of declining firms.

Drawing on the theoretical foundations of the resource-based view and dynamic capabilities theory, this research uses a comprehensive dataset of Chinese A-share listed companies from 2010–2021 to explore the influence of digital transformation on the turnaround of declining firms.

The research findings show that digital transformation contributes to the turnaround of declining firms. Mechanism analyses demonstrate that digital transformation enhances dynamic capabilities and attracts more analysts, thereby facilitating the turnaround process. Moreover, the moderation analysis reveals that CEO equity incentives strengthen the positive correlation between digital transformation and the turnaround of declining firms. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that the association between digital transformation and the turnaround of declining firms is particularly significant for firms with low financing constraints and high-tech firms. Moreover, this research reveals that digital transformation can facilitate the turnaround of firms in deep and long-term decline.

This research contributes to the literature on the digital transformation of enterprises and provides important insights for the turnaround of declining firms.

The research investigated relations between factors used to evaluate the quality of buyer-supplier relationships (BSRs): perceived performance of the supplier, satisfaction with supplier, and trust in the supplier; and to develop an instrument to evaluate BSRs (a BSRs evaluation scale).

We applied the psychometric testing of the BSRs measurement using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. We applied structural equation modeling (SEM) to understand the interrelations of factors underlying BSRs.

The BSRs evaluation scale consists of three factors: perceived performance of the supplier, satisfaction with the supplier, and trust in the supplier. The results provide empirical evidence of the validity, reliability, and generalizability of the presented measurement.

The study developed a novel measurement instrument that integrates BSRs’ multidimensional constructs. It explains and confirms the significant roles of satisfaction with the supplier, trust in the supplier, and perceived performance of the supplier in shaping the BSRs’ quality. Furthermore, we provide evidence that in BSRs goodwill- and competence-based trust integrate into a single factor.

Political factors play a crucial role in China's initial public offering (IPO) market due to its distinctive institutional context (i.e. “economic decentralization” and “political centralization”). Given the significant level of IPO underpricing in China, we examine the impact of local political uncertainty (measured by prefecture-level city official turnover rate) on IPO underpricing.

Using 2,259 IPOs of A-share listed companies from 2001 to 2019, we employ a structural equation model (SEM) to examine the channel (voluntarily lower the issuance price vs aftermarket trading) through which political uncertainty affects IPO underpricing. We check the robustness of the results using bootstrap tests, adopting alternative proxies for political uncertainty and IPO underpricing and employing subsample analysis.

Local official turnover-induced political uncertainty increases IPO underpricing by IPO firms voluntarily reducing the issuance price rather than by affecting investor sentiment in aftermarket trading. These relations are stronger in firms with pre-IPO political connections. The effect of political uncertainty on IPO underpricing is also contingent upon the industry and the growth phase of an IPO firm, more pronounced in politically sensitive industries and firms listed on the growth enterprise market board.

Local government officials in China usually have a short tenure and Chinese firms witness significantly severe IPO underpricing. By introducing the SEM model in studying China IPO underpricing, this study identifies the channel through which local government official turnover to political uncertainty on IPO underpricing.

This paper aims to investigate materiality judgement providing insights, critiques and future research paths in light of the open debate on the role of materiality in corporate financial disclosure, highlighting potential connections and implications with sustainability and intellectual capital (IC) reporting.

The research presents an overview of the analysis of financial materiality, including new stimuli from recent studies and regulatory requirements for financial and non-financial reporting. Accordingly, this study used a systematic literature review (SLR) based on a combination of content, text and bibliometric analysis of materiality in accounting research studies, collecting data from the Scopus database as one of the most relevant repositories.

The SLR identified four relevant research trends, concerning: (1) the relevance of materiality principles in corporate disclosure; (2) financial reporting practices and materiality; (3) theories and approaches in defining financial materiality and (4) the existence of quantitative and qualitative thresholds in the materiality judgement.

The results provide theoretical and practical implications when comprehending the development of the concept of financial materiality in financial statements and whether they can be appropriate in reporting IC as well. We identified future research paths.

From a practical perspective, this study is useful for companies implementing financial materiality based on stakeholder engagement and improving their transparency in financial and non-financial reporting practices.

The research investigates if the process for assessing materiality is in line with the expectations of all stakeholders involved in financial and non-financial reporting.

This research is the first to investigate the scientific basis and applicability of the concept of financial materiality to sustainability and IC reporting.

This study aims to critically evaluate resource dependence theory’s (RDT) assumptions and explanations about dependence and the dependent firm’s strategic options. The authors argue that RDT’s perception of dependence is problematic because it evaluates dependence as a purely negative situation in which all firms, by definition, seek to develop strategies to change the power structure of such relationships. On the contrary, the authors argue that there are situations in which dependent firms are in agreement with dependence and, therefore, develop strategies that do not aim to change the balance of power in the relationship, but rather to strengthen their position within the relationship.

The research is designed as a theoretical discussion. The authors critically evaluate and discuss current understanding and assumptions about RDT’s dependence explanations. Drawing on insights from the strategic management literature, the authors offer a new perspective on the problematic areas in the dependence explanations of the RDT.

Drawing on insights from the strategic management literature, the authors argue that dependent firms enjoy certain advantages due to the dependence relationship to gain sustainable competitive advantages over their rivals and potential competitors. These advantages include factors such as increasing growth potential, developing capabilities and competencies, building relationships of trust with powerful firms and leveraging their reputations and references that contribute to the sustainable strategic advantages of dependent firms. The authors believe that this study has the potential to spur new research that further challenges the assumptions of the RDT and empirically tests its propositions.

The authors propose a research framework on dependence as a strategic option that has the possibility of expanding RDT’s current dependence explanation.

This study aims to describe the conversion of rice straw (RS) as an agricultural plant waste to high-performance cationic flocculant for kaolin clay suspension in wastewater treatment as an alternative to synthetic ones.

This was done by grafting rice straw after pretreatment with acrylamide (Aam) using microwave irradiation technique without using an initiator in an open vessel container for wastewater treatment. Radiation time, monomer and rice straw pulp concentration as well as microwave power were scrutinized to examine their impact on maximizing the graft yield %. Application of the resultant copolymers as flocculants for kaolin clay suspension was willful by studying the foremost influences inducing the flocculation process, for instance, flocculent dose, pH, stirring speed and extent of grafting.

It is seen from the obtained results that both FTIR, SEM, X-Ray diffraction, Thermo gravimetric analysis and Zeta potential confirmed the formation of the cationic amide group onto the graft copolymer chain in comparison with the ungrafted one; the microwave initiation method proved to be a very efficient tool concerning maximizing the graft yield % with no harsh chemicals used for initiating grafting; the flocculation efficiency of the prepared copolymers augmented by increasing the flocculant dose, pH and stirring speed to a maximum value signified at 2.0 g, 6.0 and 75 r/min, respectively, then decreased thereafter while increased by increasing the extent of grafting within the range studied; the flocculant reserved high flocculation efficiency even after five cycles of flocculation/regeneration; preliminary bridging mechanism demonstrating the attraction between the kaolin anionic suspended particles and cationic poly (Aam)-rice straw graft copolymer has been predicted.

The novelty addressed here is undertaken by preparing a very efficient cationic flocculant using rice straw waste with different degrees of grafting for the treatment of wastewater using this kind of microwave irradiation approach as an eco-friendly tool. As far as the authors are aware, no thorough investigation has been done in the literature until now dealing with the above-mentioned preparation process.

This study aims to examine the mediating role of green finance in the relationship between green banking practices and the sustainability performance of banking institutions in developing economies.

The authors performed an empirical investigation by applying the “partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM)” based on a representative sample of 414 bank employees working in the National Capital Region, India.

The study’s outcome confirms that employee, top-management, operation and policy related practices substantially influence green finance and banks’ sustainability performance. On the contrary, customer related practices insignificantly influence banks’ sustainability performance. Further, green finance substantially influences the sustainability performance of banking institutions.

This study shed light on green banking practices that can assist in achieving the vision of the “Clean India Mission” of the Indian government. In addition, it encourages policymakers and bank managers to fulfill their social responsibility by engaging employees and customers in cleaner operations to promote banks’ sustainability performance.

This is ground-breaking research that enriches the understanding of green banking practices and green finance by providing a novel theoretical framework concerning the sustainability performance of banking institutions. Theoretically, this paper also broadens the scope of corporate social responsibility literature by applying the resource-based view theory in finance and banking.

Material extrusion (ME) is a low-cost additive manufacturing (AM) technique that is capable of producing metallic components using desktop 3D printers through a three-step printing, debinding and sintering process to obtain fully dense metallic parts. However, research on ME AM, specifically fused filament fabrication (FFF) of 316L SS, has mainly focused on improving densification and mechanical properties during the post-printing stage; sintering parameters. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effect of varying processing parameters during the initial printing stage, specifically nozzle temperatures, T_n (190°C–300°C) on the relative density, porosity, microstructures and microhardness of FFF 3D printed 316L SS.

Cube samples (25 x 25 x 25 mm) are printed via a low-cost Artillery Sidewinder X1 3D printer using a 316L SS filament comprising of metal-polymer binder mix by varying nozzle temperatures from 190 to 300°C. All samples are subjected to thermal debinding and sintering processes. The relative density of the sintered parts is determined based on the Archimedes Principle. Microscopy and analytical methods are conducted to evaluate the microstructures and phase compositions. Vickers microhardness (HV) measurements are used to assess the mechanical property. Finally, the correlation between relative density, microstructures and hardness is also reported.

The results from this study suggest a suitable temperature range of 195°C–205°C for the successful printing of 316L SS green parts with high dimensional accuracy. On the other hand, T_n = 200°C yields the highest relative density (97.6%) and highest hardness (292HV) in the sintered part, owing to the lowest porosity content (<3%) and the combination of the finest average grain size (∼47 µm) and the presence of Cr23C6 precipitates. However, increasing T_n = 205°C results in increased porosity percentage and grain coarsening, thereby reducing the HV values. Overall, these outcomes suggest that the microstructures and properties of sintered 316L SS parts fabricated by FFF AM could be significantly influenced even by adjusting the processing parameters during the initial printing stage only.

This paper addresses the gap by investigating the impact of initial FFF 3D printing parameters, particularly nozzle temperature, on the microstructures and physical characteristics of sintered FFF 316L SS parts. This study provides an understanding of the correlation between nozzle temperature and various factors such as dimensional integrity, densification level, microstructure and hardness of the fabricated parts.

This study aims to explore the impact of environmental sustainability on government health expenditure in Africa for the period 2000–2021.

The study employs the generalized method of moments (GMM) technique and utilizes a sample of 43 African countries.

The study reveals that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and renewable energy consumption have a positive relationship with health expenditure. For the control factors, we demonstrate that economic growth, urbanization and industrialization have a significant negative influence on health expenditure, while the impact of education on health expenditure is positive.

The study proposes several policy recommendations, including prioritizing investment in renewable energy sources and promoting the use of cleaner energy sources such as wind, solar and hydroelectric power. These measures would help improve environmental quality and reduce government health expenditure.

The study contributes to the limited research on the relationship between environmental quality and health expenditure in Africa. Moreover, it goes beyond previous studies that only considered CO2 emissions and explores the impact of adopting cleaner energy sources on health expenditure.

Environmental threats are becoming severe in developing and undeveloped countries. It urges to know how green banking operations can foster sustainable development in these regions. This study aims to provide empirical evidence of the determinants of green banking operations in Bangladesh.

Based on the socially responsible investing (SRI) theory, this study examined the hypothesized relationships using a partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach. The Bayesian SEM (BSEM) through a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach was also used to validate the study's first-order model.

The findings show that sustainable innovativeness, green investment and green banking policy substantially and positively change green banking operations. Notably, green investment is the most influential predictor of green banking operations, driving banks to establish sustainable economic systems within the country.

The findings offer valuable guidance for scholars, financial institutions, policymakers and bank managers to develop and implement effective strategies for green banking operations. These strategies may significantly contribute to achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in Bangladesh.

This study is ground-breaking in associating sustainable innovativeness and green banking operations from a developing country. It enriches our understanding of green banking, aligning with existing literature. Additionally, PLS-SEM and BSEM provide strong validation of the proposed theoretical model.