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1 – 10 of 10Nourhen Sallemi and Ghazi Zouari
This study examines the impact of external corporate factors (external auditors, insured satisfaction and corporate social responsibility) on the performance (ROA, ROE, ROI) of…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines the impact of external corporate factors (external auditors, insured satisfaction and corporate social responsibility) on the performance (ROA, ROE, ROI) of takaful providers of distinguishable Muamalah contracts (wakalah and Hybrid).
Design/methodology/approach
The full sample includes 30 Takaful insurance companies listed in Southeast Asia (SEA) and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries over the period 2011–2021. We use the FGLS method for data analysis.
Findings
Our results reveal that Takaful insurance, which holds one of the Big Four with qualified Shariah members as external auditors, leads to improved performance (ROA, ROE and ROI). In addition, our findings show that Takaful insurance should be concerned with insured satisfaction to determine its success and generate higher performance for both the wakalah and hybrid contracts (ROA, ROE and ROI). Furthermore, Corporate Social Responsibility is considered a source of efficiency that enhances Takaful’s performance for the two types of wakalah and hybrid models (ROA, ROE and ROI).
Practical implications
Some suggestions may be useful for Takaful insurance regulatory authorities to intensify CSR activities, hold one of the Big Four as an external auditor and realize insured satisfaction.
Originality/value
This study highlights that it is beneficial for policymakers, insurers and investors to explore external factors that influence financial performance (return on assets, ROA; return on equity, ROE; return on investment,) in the Takaful insurance market, which uses wakalah and hybrid contracts.
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Kawther Dhifi and Ghazi Zouari
Integrated reporting (IR) has been proposed to “reform” corporate financial statements, fill gaps in existing reporting practices and provide a better understanding of financial…
Abstract
Purpose
Integrated reporting (IR) has been proposed to “reform” corporate financial statements, fill gaps in existing reporting practices and provide a better understanding of financial and nonfinancial information in an integrated manner. The purpose of this study aims to provide empirical evidence of the role of IR in mediating the effect of ownership structure on firm performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Structural equation modeling on panel data are used to study the impact of the role of IR in mediating the effect of ownership structure on firm performance. The present empirical study was based on a sample of 431 European firms belonging to common or civil law between 2012 and 2020.
Findings
Based on empirical results, this study shows that IR plays a mediating role in the relationship between ownership structure attributes (ownership concentration, institutional ownership and managerial ownership) and the performance of European common law firms. In civil law countries, it only has a mediating effect on the relationship between institutional ownership and performance.
Originality/value
This study provides evidence for IR, ownership structure and firm performance. This chapter highlights the global need for a generally accepted set of standards for sustainability and IR practices.
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Nourhen Sallemi, Rim Zouari Hadiji and Ghazi Zouari
This paper aims to examine the effect of governance mechanisms (board size, board independence, duality, the Sharia board size, Sharia board meetings and ownership concentration…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the effect of governance mechanisms (board size, board independence, duality, the Sharia board size, Sharia board meetings and ownership concentration) on the performance of insurance providers of distinguishable Muamalah contracts (wakalah and hybrid), moderated by the length of senior leaders’ servicing time.
Design/methodology/approach
The full sample includes 21 listed Takaful companies divided into two subsamples – 12 insurance wakalah contracts offered in the South East Asian (SEA) countries and 9 insurance hybrid contracts offered in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries over the period of 2012–2018. The methodology is informed by Baron and Kenny’s (1986) moderation process approach.
Findings
The results of this study indicate that the larger the size of directors’ board and the higher the number of outside directors, the greater the SEA wakalah Takaful insurance performance. Nondual functions and a larger size of Sharia board along with a highly-concentrated ownership structure have a positive effect on the Takaful insurance performance in both the SEA and GCC regions. Furthermore, the higher the Sharia board meetings, the higher performance of all types of Takaful insurance providers in the sample. As for the moderating effect of the director’s seniority, it is found to negatively moderate the relationship between the governance mechanisms and the Takaful performance in both regions.
Originality/value
This paper highlights that the leader’s entrenchment stands as an obstructing factor impeding the governance mechanisms from enhancing Takaful performance. Thus, it serves to contribute to clearly understanding the appropriate governance mechanisms usefully fit for a Takaful insurance effective performance, applying the wakalah and hybrid contract types. Such a contribution should be appreciated by the concerned regulators engaged in setting up limited serving periods for the directors whereby the Takaful insurance practice could be efficiently managed and supervised.
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Yamina Chouaibi and Ghazi Zouari
The goal of this article was to look into the direct and indirect links between corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and the cost of equity, using real earnings…
Abstract
Purpose
The goal of this article was to look into the direct and indirect links between corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and the cost of equity, using real earnings management (REM) as a mediator.
Design/methodology/approach
To test the hypotheses, the authors applied linear regressions with panel data using the Thomson Reuters ASSET4 and I/B/E/S database on a sample of 540 European companies selected from the environmental, social and governance (ESG) index over the period 2011–2019.
Findings
The results show that REM partially mediates the relationship between CSR practices and the cost of equity in European firms belonging to the ESG index.
Practical implications
Instead of beautifying their business, companies should make efficient managerial and organizational improvements to meet their social duty. Regulators in Europe must strive for tighter enforcement while also attempting to raise public awareness of CSR. CSR can be profitable and helpful for primary stakeholders, according to the research.
Originality/value
Although previous literature has investigated the direct correlation between CSR practices and the cost of equity, the present work focuses on considering the direct and indirect association between CSR and cost of equity through the mediating effect of REM, which has not been widely used in CSR studies so far.
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Salim Chouaibi, Yamina Chouaibi and Ghazi Zouari
The aim of this study is to analyze the possible relationship between board characteristics and integrated reporting quality in an international setting.
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study is to analyze the possible relationship between board characteristics and integrated reporting quality in an international setting.
Design/methodology/approach
To test the study's hypotheses, the authors applied linear regressions with a panel data, and the authors collected data from the Thomson Reuters database (ASSET4) and from the annual reports from European companies to analyze data of 253 listed companies selected from the environmental, social and governance (ESG) index between 2010 and 2019.
Findings
The reached empirical results prove to indicate well that both of the board size, independence and diversity appear to have a significantly positive effect on the integrated reporting quality. Noteworthy, also, is the fact that the appointment of an independent nonexecutive chairman is positively associated with the integrated reporting related quality, and holds for firms with a nonindependent chairman.
Practical implications
Beyond the theoretical implications, our study also has several practical implications. These findings are particularly relevant for managers, shareholders, and policymakers. Thus, stakeholders should consider the accuracy of disclosure in determining the optimal reporting strategy (reducing risk estimation, returns' stock volatility, increasing long-term shareholder value and reputation of the firm).
Originality/value
This article is motivated by the low number of works in the context about the corporate social responsibility and sustainability issues. It makes an important contribution to the academic literature by adding to the limited body of research on integrated reporting and corporate governance in an ESG company setting. The study is also important for practitioners seeking to improve the quality of their integrated reports.
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Kawther Dhifi and Ghazi Zouari
Integrated reporting (IR) is the latest development in corporate reporting. It is a tool capable of better representing the ability of companies to create value over time. The…
Abstract
Purpose
Integrated reporting (IR) is the latest development in corporate reporting. It is a tool capable of better representing the ability of companies to create value over time. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between the CEO’s characteristics (age, gender, education and experience) and firm performance through a mediating variable, namely, IR.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is a quantitative research and used panel data. Based on a sample of 449 UK firms or using a sample of 449 UK companies between 2010 and 2020 on STATA17 and structural equation model was used to analyze data and test hypotheses.
Findings
The results show that IR has only indirect mediation on the relationship between CEO’s characteristics and firm performance but mediates the relationship between CEO experience and performance in a complementary manner.
Originality/value
This article is motivated by the low number of works in the context about the corporate social responsibility and sustainability issues. It makes an important contribution to the academic literature by adding to the limited body of research on CEO’s characteristics, IR and firm performance. This study focuses primarily on the importance of integrated reporting in UK.
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Jamel Chouaibi, Ghazi Zouari and Sawssen Khlifi
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of R&D intensity on the real earnings management index.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of R&D intensity on the real earnings management index.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors proceed with dividing the full sample into two sub-samples, in accordance with the R&D associated intensity median. The final test sample proves to involve 73 firms along with 949 relating observations, while the control sample appears to enclose 65 firms and 845 relevant observations for the period 2000-2012.
Findings
The main finding of this study is the great influence of R&D intensity on the real earnings management index on the test sample. Accordingly, the proposed hypothesis stipulating that the innovative firms engage in upward real earnings management turns out to be strongly supported.
Research limitations/implications
The study was conducted using robust methods to test the effect of R&D intensity on the real earnings management index. The generalized least squares method was used to fit panel data and overcome heteroscedasticity and autocorrelation problems. The aim of the study was to prove the great effect of R&D intensity on the real earnings management index. As this study was based on data from American companies, the results cannot be generalized to all contexts.
Originality/value
This paper differs from previous work and tests the effect of innovative firms, the market-to-book ratio on real earnings management. The findings of this study will enrich the literature on real earnings management by suggesting R&D intensity that can significantly enhance the real earnings management index. Therefore, these findings will be helpful to investors, managers and regulators because they have implications for the interactive decision-making process.
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Nourhen Sallemi and Ghazi Zouari
The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of board characteristics (board size, board independence and duality) on the performance of takaful insurance providers with…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of board characteristics (board size, board independence and duality) on the performance of takaful insurance providers with distinguishable muamalah contracts (wakalah and hybrid) moderated by ownership concentration.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample consists of 30 takaful insurances. The authors divided it into two subsamples: 18 insurance companies using wakalah contracts provided by Southeast Asia and 12 insurance companies using hybrid contracts provided by the Gulf Cooperation Council over the period 2010–2020. For data analysis, the authors used the partial least squares path modeling method.
Findings
The results show that the larger the board of directors and the higher the number of independent directors, the greater the takaful performance in both the wakalah and hybrid subsamples. Nondual functions improve the takaful performance in both the wakalah and hybrid subsamples. The results also reveal that a highly concentrated ownership structure positively (negatively) moderates the relationship between board size and takaful performance in the wakalah (hybrid) subsamples. Moreover, highly concentrated ownership insignificantly (negatively) moderates the relationship between independent directors and takaful’s performance in the hybrid (wakalah) subsample. Furthermore, a highly concentrated ownership structure insignificantly (negatively) moderates the relationship between the nondual structure and takaful performance in the wakalah (hybrid) subsample.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the understanding of the moderating role of a highly concentrated ownership structure between the characteristics of the board of directors and the performance of takaful insurance, which applies wakalah and hybrid contracts. In addition, this study contributes to takaful insurance by determining the appropriate board characteristics that must be adopted to achieve oversight and improve performance. Regulators should appreciate this contribution to the formulation of suitable approaches for efficiently supervising takaful insurance activities.
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Ghazi Zouari and Kawther Dhifi
Within the theoretical framework of corporate governance, the article aims to examine the impact of ownership structure on the level of disclosure of financial and non-financial…
Abstract
Purpose
Within the theoretical framework of corporate governance, the article aims to examine the impact of ownership structure on the level of disclosure of financial and non-financial information in integrated reporting (IR), and the effect is sensitive to national legal systems.
Design/methodology/approach
Regressions on panel data are used to study the impact of ownership structure on IR. The present empirical study was based on a sample of 431 European firms belonging to common or civil law for the period spanning 2012 and 2019.
Findings
The results of the linear regressions corroborate the existence of relationships between the ownership concentration, institutional ownership as well as managerial ownership and IR.
Research limitations/implications
The study have limitations as follows: the role of the ownership structure studied here, the model should incorporate other internal and external control mechanisms to represent reality more fully. The mechanisms include board characteristics, financial market, labor market, the goods and services market, etc. that affect managerial latitude and, therefore, the adoption of IR. Finally, the authors will consider future theoretical and empirical improvement. For example, it would be interesting to extend the theoretical framework to the contributions of cognitive governance and to empirically examine the modeling with a larger sample of firms, including an international comparison.
Originality/value
The study provides evidence as to the disclosure of IR and ownership structure. The originality/value chapter highlights the global need for a generally accepted set of standards for sustainability and IR practices.
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Hamadi Fakhfakh, Ghazi Zouari and Rim Zouari‐Hadiji
This research attempts to explain the decentralization of investment decision. To do so, it highlights the role of the internal capital market in the allocation of decision rights…
Abstract
Purpose
This research attempts to explain the decentralization of investment decision. To do so, it highlights the role of the internal capital market in the allocation of decision rights and control as a factor explaining the effectiveness of investment management. The authors aim to apply the theory of the organizational architecture to the investment decision to understand its complexity and its efficiency.
Design/methodology/approach
An empirical test was realized on a sample of 63 Tunisian firms using the methods of canonical correlation and cross tabulations.
Findings
Even if organizational complexity has a linear and negative impact (opposite sign to what is expected) on the investment decision decentralization, which creates value, it appears that there is a positive association with the uncertainty of the environment, and a negative one with the scarcity and sharing of financial resources between units on the internal capital market.
Originality/value
The authors show that the role played by the internal capital market in the value creating requires the setting of a centralized organizational structure.
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