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The purpose of this paper is to characterize pressure non‐uniformity in a wafer‐to‐wafer bond chamber using pressure sensitive paper.

Pressure non‐uniformity in a wafer‐to‐wafer bond chamber is characterized using pressure sensitive paper. The effect of poor pressure uniformity is discussed, and the non‐uniformity corrected for use in a eutectic Au/Sn based wafer‐to‐wafer bond.

Several types of under solder metallization were also investigated, with Nb/Au seed metal providing the best overall result with good solder compression, liquid proof seal and minimal solder spill‐out. Solder compression versus pressure applied was studied to achieve an excellent gap control (2‐3 μm) between the bonded substrates.

This paper shows that characterization of applied pressure measured directly at the substrate is an important aspect in the development of high yielding bond processes.

The purpose of this research is to examine the connections between liquidity risk, credit risk, and bank profitability in India.

In order to examine the interlinkage between liquidity risk, credit risk, and profitability of banks in India, the researcher has gathered data from all commercial banks in India from 2004–2005 to 2020–2021. The data sources included in this study encompass the International Country Risk Guide, World Development Indicators and Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR) has been utilised for the study.

Findings of this research identified that liquidity risk is inversely proportional to credit risk. Return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE) are both impacted negatively by liquidity risk. ROA is impacted positively by credit risk, while ROE is impacted negatively by it. The profitability of banks is harmed by the interaction between liquidity risk and credit risk. It also shows that law and order, are beneficial to bank earnings and risk management. The capital risk-adjusted ratio has a negative relationship with bank profitability, indicating the need for better capital allocation.

The originality of this work lies in its unique contributions, It emphasises explicitly the Indian context, thereby providing insights tailored to this particular setting. It employs the SUR methodology, a statistical approach allowing for a more comprehensive data analysis. Additionally, it identifies and explores interaction effects, which can shed light on the complex relationships between variables.

This study investigates the impact of insider-ownership of publicly traded firms on their performance, cost of debt (COD) and cost of equity. We use a sample of 104 non-finance listed companies of Pakistan for the period from 2006 to 2016. Our study is conducted in Pakistan as a developing country in which insider-ownership is dominant, and a weak external corporate governance mechanism increases the payoffs from insider-ownership. We use feasible generalized least square (FGLS) regression methods to examine these hypotheses. Based on agency theory, we find that insider-ownership enhances firm performance. Furthermore, our results show that insider-ownership reduced the COD and equity. Higher ownership decreases the opportunistic behavior of insiders. It also reduces the creditor’s perception of the likelihood of default on loan payments and reduces agency issues among shareholders. The insider will invest in positive NPV projects which will help maximize shareholders’ wealth and minimize the COD. Similarly, the relationship between insider-ownership and cost of equity is significant but negative. Supporting the convergence of interest increase in ownership helps in aligning the goals of managers and stakeholders whereby the insider will focus on value creation by minimizing equity cost.

This study aims to investigate the impact of audit partners’ narcissism on the readability of audit reports for companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE). It examines the effects of narcissism among both lead and review audit partners on the clarity of audit reports, considering the regulatory requirements and auditing practices within the Iranian financial reporting context.

This paper analyzed 2,691 firm-year observations from TSE-listed companies spanning 2011–2023, using ordinary least squares regression. Readability of audit reports was assessed using the FOG index, with the size of partners’ signatures serving as a proxy for narcissism.

The findings indicate a significant negative relationship between increased narcissism and audit report readability; higher levels of narcissism correspond with elevated FOG index scores. Narcissism in lead partners notably diminishes readability more than that of review partners. This pattern holds across various robustness checks, including alternative readability metrics, variations in auditor engagement complexity, auditor specialization, subsets of qualified audit reports and considerations for endogeneity. Audit reports for economically significant clients tend to be clearer, suggesting a preference for reputation management over yielding to client pressure. Although no direct link was established between partners’ quality and readability, a positive relationship exists between audit firm rank and partners’ narcissism. Furthermore, interactions between auditor and CEO narcissism increase report complexity, especially in contentious negotiation scenarios. Despite regulatory advancements such as International Auditing Standard 701, its moderating effects were found to be inconsequential, highlighting the persistent influence of narcissism on audit report outcomes.

This research expands the understanding of how auditor personality traits, particularly narcissism, affect audit outcomes. By exploring the influence of narcissism on report readability within the Iranian context, this study fills a notable gap in the literature on emerging markets and non-Western reporting environments, providing valuable insights into global audit practices.

This study aims to examine whether audit partners’ gender affects the year-to-year changes (year-to-year additions and drops) of key audit matters (KAMs) identified in the audit report. This study also examines whether female audit partners’ audit experiences, accounting education and narcissism reduce the difference in time variances of KAMs reporting between female and male audit partners. This study defines the year-to-year additions and drops of KAMs as the time variance of KAMs.

Data of this study includes the audit reports of Australian Securities Exchange 300 companies for the period from 2017 to 2021. This study also applies the theory of female auditors’ preference for anchoring and availability heuristics. This study uses multivariate regression with robust standard errors clustered by the firms. This study also uses several robustness tests.

The findings suggest that female audit partners disclose fewer time variant KAMs in that they have a lower tendency both to add new KAMs and to drop old KAMs. Further analysis suggests that the differences between female and male audit partners decrease as the female audit partners’ experience increases or if the female audit partner possesses a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Female audit partners’ narcissism also reduces the gender gap in the time variances of KAMs.

The fact that female audit partners report more stable KAMs implies that there are differences between female and male audit partners in the way audit risk assessments are conducted, audits are planned and professional judgement is applied by female and male audit partners.

The findings imply that female audit partners’ experience, accounting education and narcissistic personality can play a significant role in explaining the differences in audit outcomes produced by male and female audit partners.

This study is novel in showing that female audit partners report more stable and less time-variant KAMs. The findings of this study may inform audit firms and regulators that female audit partners’ experience, tertiary qualifications in accounting and narcissistic personality traits may be effective means of reducing the gender gap in auditing. The findings also imply that auditors’ observable and unobservable personality traits affect audit outcomes.

This paper aims to examine the informational value of credit rating changes for investors. The article analyses whether credit rating changes indicate the future financial performance of a firm.

The study employs pooled time-series cross-section regression technique and two-sample t-test for analysis. The paper utilizes a firm's operating profit as a proxy of its future financial performance to understand what inference can be drawn about future financial performance from a change in a firm's credit rating.

The paper finds that a firm operating profit declines in the year after a credit rating downgrade. However, no such significant relationship is evident in the case of a rating upgrade. The results are consistent across rating categories and individual years of the sample period.

The study uses non-financial corporate rating data; hence, the findings may not apply to credit rating changes in financial corporates and structured finance.

Investors and analysts can incorporate credit rating downgrade by CRAs as a key input in a firm's future financial forecast. Analysts and investment managers can also look at credit rating changes of firms in the same industry and draw a definite conclusion about which firm is likely to see a higher deterioration in performance.

The author has not come across any literature that directly investigates credit rating changes from the perspective of information content about future financial performance.

The study examines the impact of income diversification on cost efficiency of Vietnamese commercial banks over the period 2005–2017.

Income diversification indicators are designed based on measures of diversifying loan portfolio. Besides the traditional model, we use the Fractional Regression to estimate the model with dependent variables defined on the unit interval.

Through the two-stage DEA analysis, we find that the income diversification has a positive impact on the cost efficiency of banks. In addition, this impact is stronger for unlisted banks and in the phase of banking system ongoing restructuring.

The use of a variety of income diversification measures and estimation methods for models with bounded dependent variable has provided a reliable empirical evidence of the advantages of implementing a strategy on structural diversity of both interest and non-interest income in the emerging banking markets such as Vietnam.

This study investigates the impact of perceived inclusion among healthcare employees on intrinsic motivation and its subsequent effects on work engagement and stress levels. Drawing from multiple theoretical frameworks, the study hypothesizes the following: (a) perceived inclusion positively influences employees' intrinsic motivation, and (b) perceived inclusion and intrinsic motivation serve as resources that enhance employee well-being by promoting work engagement and reducing stress.

Data were collected from 407 healthcare workers across the European Union. The research objectives were achieved through statistical analysis of the gathered responses.

The results indicate a positive relationship between perceived inclusion and intrinsic motivation. Importantly, both perceived inclusion and intrinsic motivation emerged as significant predictors of work engagement. Additionally, perceived inclusion was found to have a negative association with stress levels, underscoring its importance in healthcare management.

The study is subject to certain limitations, including the cross-sectional design and reliance on self-reported data, which may affect the generalizability of the findings.

The findings highlight the importance of fostering perceived inclusion and intrinsic motivation among healthcare employees to enhance work engagement and reduce stress, thus offering valuable insights for healthcare management practices.

This study contributes to the existing literature by examining the complex interplay between perceived inclusion, intrinsic motivation, work engagement and stress within the healthcare sector. It also identifies avenues for future research in this area.

This study comprehensively reviews the global literature on busy boards and audit committees.

Six eight articles on busy boards and audit committees from prominent accounting journals are reviewed and analyzed under the “reputation” and “busyness” premise.

Most studies advocating the “reputation” hypothesis have the consensus that busy directors have their benefits (knowledge spillovers), particularly regarding sharing their in-depth knowledge, experiences and expertise. This phenomenon is pronounced for younger and IPO firms, which have high advising and financing needs. From the “busyness” perspective, busy directors are too overboard in carrying out their duty effectively and responsibly.

This study identifies future research avenues on busy boards/audit committees and suggests that policymakers and regulators should limit the number of board appointments.

This is the first study to extensively amalgamate research on busy directors and audit committees. It reveals the various proxies used to measure the busyness of board and audit committee members and the consequences of busyness.

The existing literature asserted that the Islamic banking industry progress significantly, but it has increasingly found asset deficient which assaulted the performance of Islamic banks (IBs). The aim of this study to examine the mediating role of intellectual capital (IC) on the relationship between corporate governance (CG) mechanisms and IBs performance is examined (ATO, NPM).

A panel sample of 129 IBs is drawn from the 29 organisation of Islamic cooperation (OIC) countries from 2008 to 2017. Two-step system generalized method of moments (2SYS-GMM) was used to account for the unobserved endogeneity and heteroscedasticity problem.

The empirical findings demonstrate that there is a significant impact of the CG mechanism on IC. Moreover, the empirical findings indicate that CG has a direct influence on banking performance but it affects indirectly through IC. IC also appears to have a mediation role in the relationship between the CG mechanism and the performance of IBs.

As the empirical research on IC from CG point of view in Islamic banking is generally new in the banking literature, the output of this research will contribute to the building up of empirical framework and practices regarding IC in the Islamic banking industry by using the resource-based theory as a leading theory and agency theory as a sub theory. It is anticipated that this study provided a superior comprehensive discussion of the IC in IBs across OIC countries which discovers the CG mechanism to influence the IC to improve banking performance.

This study offers useful insights to the regulators and practitioners to draw the rules and regulations in improving the CG mechanism and the effectiveness of internal controls by acknowledging the importance of IC in Islamic banking institutions. Particularly, the findings of this study may be of benefit to bankers to efficiently use the IC as a premise to design new and creative strategies to achieve a competitive advantage in the banking industry.

The study is unique in its nature because it presents a successful model for IBs to concentrate more on the role of IC in enhancing banking performance, which might be used by the banks to rearrange the roles within CG, to place their priorities regarding the internal governance system and financial plans for competency enhancement.