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This study examined the impact of; COVID-19 investor sentiment, COVID-19 cases, geopolitical risk (GPR), economic policy uncertainty (EPU), oil returns and Islamic banking on bank stock returns. In addition, it examined whether Islamic bank stock returns differed from conventional banks when interacting with selected variables.

This study consisted of 137 conventional and Islamic stock market listed banks in 16 Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries from February 2020 to July 2021. Monthly data were used for bank stock returns, number of COVID-19 cases, COVID-19 investor sentiment, oil price and EPU, while GPR data were obtained annually. This paper used unconditional quantile regression (UQR) in its analysis.

COVID-19 investor sentiment and EPU negatively influenced bank stock returns. However, oil returns were only positive and significant in first quantile. Conversely, GPR negatively impacted bank returns up to the median quantile, while the impact was positive in upper quantiles. Islamic banks outperformed conventional banks in all quantiles. Additionally, GPR negatively influenced Islamic bank returns up to 75th quantile, while oil returns negatively impacted Islamic bank returns up to 95th quantile. Ultimately, COVID-19 investor sentiment and EPU positively influenced Islamic bank returns up to 95th quantile.

Market conditions must be considered when implementing investment decisions and policies, as the effects of market shocks are mostly asymmetrical. For example, it is important for international investors to take into consideration asymmetric factors, such as market uncertainty in oil market. Especially in bearish Islamic markets, bad news concerning uncertainty can be perceived as riskier than good news.

A change in health sentiment, such as COVID-19 cases and COVID-19 investor sentiment, can be used to determine future direction of conventional and Islamic stock markets. Asymmetric effects associated with market news can make portfolio management more effective. COVID-19 investor sentiment states can be used to predict Islamic market index dynamics in MENA region.

This paper offered insight into heterogeneity of market conditions and dependencies of Islamic banks' stock market returns on COVID-19 investor sentiment and uncertainty, among others that should be considered when implementing investment decisions and policies.

Let E be an elliptic curve with Weierstrass form y2=x3−px, where p is a prime number and let E[m] be its m-torsion subgroup. Let p1=(x1,y1) and p2=(x2,y2) be a basis for E[m], then we prove that ℚ(E[m])=ℚ(x1,x2,ξm,y1) in general. We also find all the generators and degrees of the extensions ℚ(E[m])/ℚ for m=3 and m=4.

This study aims to develop a strategic framework for the success of coastal urban projects in Vietnam, which is one of the Asia Pacific countries significantly affected by climate change.

A questionnaire was used to collect data from practitioners in Vietnam. Principal component analysis (PCA) technique was used to identify critical success factors (CSFs) of coastal urban projects. A strategy map for the success of coastal urban projects was also proposed using the balanced scorecard (BSC) method.

This study identified 41 project success factors that could contribute to project success, and thence, extracted 11 CSFs for coastal urban projects using the PCA technique. In addition, 11 key performance indicators (KPIs) for coastal urban projects were listed and their linking with project success factors and CSFs was explored. Furthermore, a strategy map for the success of coastal urban projects was proposed using the BSC method. The strategy map included five perspectives: learning and growth, internal processes, social and environmental performance, financial performance, and stakeholders' satisfaction.

This study identified 11 CSFs for coastal urban projects and proposed a strategy map for the success of coastal urban projects.

This research will analyze the traditional Iranian buildings according to the climatic factors by the use of graph theory. By this way, the hypothesis that climate factor has a major effect on the organization of the spaces in traditional Iranian buildings will be tested. Access graphs have been used to clarify the connectivity and depth of a building’s spaces from the socio-cultural point of view. However, it cannot be applied to climate studies. Thus, this study developed the existing technique to define building layouts in terms of climate and thermal comfort. The thermal comfort was graphically evaluated by the two main factors like solar gain and wind effect, with the use of a simple multi-attribute rating technique. All the analysis had been done in the interval of zero (the worst condition) to three (the best condition). The proposed orientation-weighted graph method proved that the thermal comfort factors of the buildings under study match the seasonal movements of their inhabitants. Consequently, the developed orientation-weighted graph method can be used to study space organization in traditional Iranian building in terms of solar gain and wind effect.

This paper aims to explore the role of perceived organizational injustice (POI) leading to workplace conflict in determining organizational performance (OP) among healthcare employees. This paper also examines the serial mediating effects of moral disengagement (MD) and knowledge hiding (KH).

In all, 244 public and private hospital employees in Pakistan provided the data set.

According to partial least squares-structural equation modeling findings, the negative association between POI and OP was serially mediated by KH and MD. The recovery process underlying the linkage between POI and OP is tested and highlighted in this paper as a first step in unraveling it.

The findings highlight the significance of taking moral and KH models into account when attempting to understand the moral cognitive processes that employees go through when they see injustice. Organizations should guarantee the equitable distribution of incentives and resources, as distributive and procedural justices are concerned with organizations.

By directing actions meant to prevent MD and KH, the findings may potentially inspire new, more focused treatments to safeguard patient safety and avoid losses in the healthcare industry. One way to reduce unethical conduct and MD is to have people declare or agree to a code of ethics.

The authors have determined whether the points fixed by all the full and the partial Atkin–Lehner involutions W_Q on X₀(N) for N ≤ 50 are Weierstrass points or not.

The design is by using Lawittes's and Schoeneberg's theorems.

Finding all Weierstrass points on X₀(N) fixed by some Atkin–Lehner involutions. Besides, the authors have listed them in a table.

The Weierstrass points have played an important role in algebra. For example, in algebraic number theory, they have been used by Schwartz and Hurwitz to determine the group structure of the automorphism groups of compact Riemann surfaces of genus g ≥ 2. Whereas in algebraic geometric coding theory, if one knows a Weierstrass nongap sequence of a Weierstrass point, then one is able to estimate parameters of codes in a concrete way. Finally, the set of Weierstrass points is useful in studying arithmetic and geometric properties of X₀(N).

This study aims to examine the effect of risk disclosure (RD) on commercial banks’ credit rating (CR) in the context of Bangladesh. It also explores the factors influencing RD in both Islamic and conventional banks.

The sample includes 200 bank-year observations consisting of 20 commercial banks (15 conventional and 5 Islamic banks) from 2010 to 2019. The sample is further segregated into Islamic and conventional banks. Ordered logit and random effect ordinary least square models are used to analyze the data. Furthermore, the two-stage least squares approach is used to perform a robustness test.

This study shows that RD significantly positively impacts CR, with a stronger effect in Islamic banks than in conventional banks. This study also finds that banks’ age and leverage negatively influence CRs. Moreover, banks’ size and total capital have a positive and negative influence on CRs, respectively. This study also shows that the age of Islamic and conventional banks positively and negatively influences the RD scores, respectively. In contrast, the RD score of conventional banks is positively impacted by bank size.

By examining which variables substantially impact RD and, hence, CR scores, bank stakeholders may make better financing, investment and other policy decisions. Investors may choose stocks with a high level of RD in the annual reports as the earlier studies imply that higher RD enhances CR.

Only a few studies have examined the relationship between RD and CRs, while, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the maiden attempt in the Bangladesh context. This study also compares the link between Islamic and conventional banks.

Over the last few decades, microfinance industry is argued to have played a constructive role in alleviating poverty level and providing the underprivileged with access to financial services. Statistics from the World Bank reveal that, currently, only 4% of the underprivileged have been served out of the 3 billion+ potential clients. Such results are due to several claims, particularly the operational and financial challenges faced by microfinance institutions (MFIs) in the constant flux inviting more attentions towards its performance. While explicit attention is given by many researchers towards mobile banking and information and communication technology (ICT) in improving the MFIs’ performance, the study on how social media, as a rapidly growing online phenomenon, can impact on the MFIs’ performance remains scarce. As such, this study aims to investigate this impact based on four dimensional performance indicators: efficiency, financial sustainability, portfolio quality and outreach.

A model is proposed and tested to ascertain the relationship between social media applications and organisational performance. In so doing, web-based questionnaires have been used to collect data from MFI employees in developing countries. Results reveal a significant influence of the social media over the MFIs’ performance, offering valuable insights into both researchers and practitioners in the domain of microfinance, as well as social media—conforming that the adoption of social media as marketing, advertising and communication tools may significantly improve the MFIs’ performance.

The results demonstrate that there is a positive and significant impact of social media use within microfinance on the key indicators of MFIs. They also show that the highest impact of social media usage within the microfinance is on the portfolio quality. In addition, it was found that marketing and advertising; communication and sales and distribution are the main areas where social media is able to support while social networking websites are the most popular platforms employed in MFIs.

This study adds to the existing literature few theoretical and practical aspects. First, this study developed a model for assessing the value of social media as a new phenomenon within this type of organisation. Second, it offers microfinance sponsors, managers and policy makers with a frame of reference to understand what social media platform can be deployed for each purpose. Third, with the identification of the main MFIs’ performance indicators, this research provided a reference of performance measurement guide for microfinance industry when assessing different technological employment.