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In order to follow the international trend of increasing transparency in financial statements, Taiwan began to implement regulations on expensing employee bonuses in 2008, a process that involves the use of specific dates as the basis for issuing the bonuses but which may also have the drawback of resulting in some degree of unfairness. The purpose of this paper is to study and solve the above problem.

The present study used Markov regime-switching models to obtain durations of different states, thereby obtaining average stock durations for use as the basis to calculate the number of shares to be distributed.

Empirical results show that replacing share prices on specific dates with those of average durations when issuing employee bonuses could better reflect employee-deserved real wages while keeping a company’s managers and management teams from being motivated to manage real earnings and manipulate share prices. When stock prices are higher, companies will tend to issue cash rather than stock bonuses, and vice versa when the prices are lower.

This study proposes a different point of view with regards to the basis for the allotted number of shares for employee bonuses under current laws and regulations, and suggests using the concept of average stock prices in place of the single-price concept implemented under the current system in order to avoid incentives to manipulate by people, so as to fairly express the true state of the enterprise.

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 purpose of the paper is to evaluate the essential role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on SMEs' performance by exploring the mediating role of corporate image (CI), corporate reputation (CR) and customer loyalty (CL) between CSR and firm performance (FP) in the context of an emerging country.

Based on an extended literature review on CSR, CI, CR and CL studies, the authors evaluate the impact of these four constructs on SMEs' performance in an emerging market. The paper follows a quantitative approach. The study sample was composed of 482 responses covering top executives, managers and experts. The Smart PLS SEM version 3.3.2 was used to analyse the data of the small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) of Vietnam in the year 2020–2021.

The authors' findings reveal significant and positive relationships amongst CSR, FP, CSR and CI, CSR and CR, CSR and CL, and most importantly, the findings add value to the current knowledge by exploring the mediating effect of CI, CR and CL between CSR and FP.

The study was conducted in Vietnam. As a result, the findings of the study might not be applicable for other countries, if the economic and environmental settings are different from that of Vietnam. Therefore, future research should consider for other countries, other regions. Second, due to the purpose and priority of the study, CI, CR, and CL was employed as mediators amongst the relationship between CSR and FP. Thus, future research should consider other mediators or moderators in such a relationship to see how CSR generates outcomes in the new associations.

The study regarding the role of CSR in enhancing the performance of SMEs can motivate firm's chief executive officers (CEOs) to be proactive in getting involved and practising CSR in a consistent manner. Second, the above discussion draws a very important implication for the executive level, the management level of the enterprise, which enterprises should balance the interests of business, customers, other stakeholders, the environment and society in order to optimise CSR outcomes for improving competitiveness and developing sustainably. This implication is particularly important to the survival and development of SMEs in a challenging emerging economy.

The study widens the literature regarding relationship between CSR and SMEs' performance. Besides, the study supports stakeholder theory that explains why CSR positively affects firm's performance. The significant mediating roles of CI, CR and CL were positively confirmed in the study. Although previous studies determined that such roles are strategic source of competitive advantages of enterprises, however, how CSR involved in enhancing the roles has not been deeply explored and integrated. Third, the findings of the study support the resource-based view (RBV) and resource-based perspective that explains why firm should engage in CSR activities, and CI, CR and CL can enhance firm's performance by providing strategic source of competitive advantages that facilitate business to improve its performance in sustainable direction.

To the best of the authors' knowledge, the current literature on CSR and FP shows that, to date, there has been little empirical research on the mediating mechanism of CI, CR and CL in the link between CSR and FP for SMEs. The findings of the study may have great implications for entrepreneurs and top management with respect to the strategic perspectives to drive the businesses and to improve firm's performance in a sustainable direction in the context of emerging markets. In addition, the finding might be of great interest to – and motivate – SMEs' managers to engage with CSR actions where such businesses were or are situated during and after the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. By that understanding, the Government might allow for innovative and groundbreaking policies or the reformation of old policies to leverage businesses to promote their strengths towards sustainable development in the new economic settings. The findings of the study may be a significant contribution to SMEs in Vietnam and in other emerging economies.

Blogs have become a widespread means for the exchange of information, where topics regarding food and nutrition feature with increasing prominence. In the sphere of online risk communication, food bloggers are relevant actors because they pass on practical information about food preparation and crucial phases of food safety (preservation, handling and cooking of food). Moreover, they have the ability to reach user networks in a rapid and capillary manner. This paper focusses on the figure of the food blogger, the context in which he/she acts and his/her perceptions and type of communication of food safety issues.

Quantitative and qualitative data were collected using an online survey and an online training programme was implemented to actively engage food bloggers in the creation of food risk communication.

This study showed that a common reason for the creation of a food blog is the love for food and the practice of caring for themselves and others through food. Food bloggers feel responsible for taking care of their users by providing accurate information related to health and safety. Communication via blogs is based on the shared experiences of users, thereby representing a type of knowledge that is closer to direct practice. Interacting with these new actors in the field of food is important for institutions traditionally committed to promoting public health and food safety.

The research stands out for its innovative purpose of using the network of food blogs as a communication tool that overcomes the traditional linear communication model (top-down) to experiment with a new participatory model and spread to Internet users good practices related to food management.