The role of corporate governance and reputation in the disclosure of corporate social responsibility and firm performance.

This aim of this research is to examine the role of Corporate Governance and Corporate Reputation (CR) in the disclosure of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSRD) and firm performance. A moderating - mediation model addresses this research objective based on 3588 observations from 833 firms from 31 countries between 2005 and 2011. Significant effect of CSRD on CR was observed, especially contributing to firm performance. The results verified a moderate effect of "corporate governance" on "CSRD" and CR. The study also demonstrated how CEO integrity, ownership concentration, and CR contribute to fostering CSRD and firm performance. This paper also discusses about the theoretical contributions and practical implications of the study.

Constructing internal audit quality evaluation index: evidence from listed companies in Jiangsu province, China.

Internal audit quality is the foundation for a company's survival and development across the world. As a result, global efforts have been made to develop a scientific and accurate evaluation index for internal audit quality. However, literature shows that existing internal audit quality evaluation indices have many flaws, such as a lack of systematic internal audit evaluation indicators, poor execution, and inability to identify priority areas. To address gaps in the literature, this study intended to construct an internal audit quality evaluation index utilizing the joint approaches of the Balanced Scorecard, Delphi Process, and Analytical Hierarchy Process. A systematic literature review, examination of companies' internal audit guidelines, Balanced Scorecard, and Delphi approaches resulted in a multilevel internal audit quality evaluation index with five dimensions (stakeholder satisfaction, stakeholder contribution, financial results, internal audit process, and learning and growth) and 36 indicators. The Analytical Hierarchy Process revealed that the most prioritized dimension is the internal audit process. The consistency ratio and evaluation feedback from the listed companies' internal auditors, management, and audit committee members revealed that the results are valid and reliable.

A Systematic Review of Barriers in Adoption of Environmental Management Accounting in Chinese SMEs for Sustainable Performance.

Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in sustainable development not only for their significant contribution to China's economy but also for their large share of total discharged pollutants. Despite the widely acknowledged importance and benefits of environmental management accounting (EMA), the level of adoption and implementation of EMA practice is still weak within SMEs in many countries, especially in China. The current systematic review aims to identify the barriers affecting the Chinese SMEs for adopting EMA practices along with the critical success factors required for adopting EMA practices by SMEs and their top management for ensuring sustainable corporate environmental performance in China. The study is carried out following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. In total, 73 articles were found to be eligible to be included in the systematic review, which was published on EMA in small- and medium-sized enterprises in China. Our study aims to document barriers to the adoption of EMA among Chinese SMEs. The review concluded that strict legislation and the availability of flexible financing options for SMEs can promote the adoption of EMA by SMEs. The establishment of environmental reporting systems and auditing mechanisms can further increase the utilization of EMA by small and medium firms. Barriers to EMA adoption can be mitigated after careful consideration of the current situation in SMEs. Documentation of significant barriers may help to form supportive policies which ultimately add to the efforts toward climate change mitigation.

The relationship between economic growth and environmental degradation: could West African countries benefit from EKC hypothesis?

There are growing concerns about environmental degradation and economic expansions in West Africa. Although there are several growth-environmental studies in Africa, there is limited empirical research exploring West African countries' potential of benefiting from the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis, with the few studies on this subject reporting diverse results based on selected West African countries. To fill this gap, this study explored the relationship between economic growth and environmental degradation within the EKC framework using 16 West African countries sub-grouped into low-income countries (LICs) and lower-middle-income countries (LMICs) between 1990 and 2018. This study implemented second-generation panel econometric estimators that are robust to cross-sectional dependent and parameter heterogeneity. The empirical results revealed that the data is cross-sectionally dependent, heterogeneous, integrated of order one, 1(1), and cointegrated. Controlling for other environmental determinants, panel estimates from the Augmented Meant Group and Common Correlated Effect Mean Group estimators revealed that economic growth accelerates environmental degradation in West African countries, with a greater impact on LMICs, followed by LICs in West Africa. The results also showed that West African countries especially LMICs could benefit from the EKC hypothesis. On the other hand, growth-environmental degradation among LICs in West Africa shows a monotonous increasing relationship. We found strong evidence to support for feedback hypothesis between economic growth and environmental degradation in LMICs, LICs, and West Africa as a whole. Based on the findings, policy recommendations that consider both LMICs and LICs and West Africa as a whole were offered to policymakers.

Trend and relationship between environmental accounting disclosure and environmental performance for mining companies listed in China.

We examined the effect of environmental disclosure on environmental performance for listed mining companies in China. Our analysis used China's Environmental Information Disclosure Degree (EIDD) and the Chinese Securities Regulatory Commission's disclosure guidelines to propose the Environmental Information Disclosure Index. Majority of previous studies on environmental disclosures focused on a particular company or city or province. Few studies considered a whole sector of a country. Among the few studies that considered a whole industry, none of such studies considered the mining industry. In addition, our study employed a recent environmental disclosure index and modified a recent index for environmental performance for the empirical analysis making our study unique. We also employed vigorous reliability and robustness test to ensure that our findings are valid and can be used by policy-makers. Using panel data for thirty-four mining companies from both Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchange for the period 2000-2018, our cointegration estimation analysis concluded that corporate environmental performance and environmental information disclosure has a positive and significant relationship at a 1% level. Trend analysis revealed that mining companies comply with environmental information disclosure in China. This was seen from the great improvement in the environmental disclosure for mining companies between 2008 and 2010 after the enforcement of EIDD. Our results contribute to the previous literature and open the way for further studies on industry level in other countries.

Financial Socialization, Childhood Experiences and Financial Well-Being: The Mediating Role of Locus of Control.

The present study evaluates an empirical model of financial well-being (FWB) based on early childhood consumer experiences (ECCE) and financial socialization (FS). FWB is the overall satisfaction with one's current financial situation, and that plays a vital role in the overall success and helps to overcome psychological health issues among adults. The results of the study suggested that ECCE has a significant direct effect on the FWB among adults. Moreover, FS agents such as peers harm the financial well-being of the adults. The results also revealed that financial locus of control (LOC) mediates the relationship between FS agents such as parents, teachers, and FWB. Surprisingly, FS agent peers and ECCE do not affect the FWB of adults when LOC works as a mediator. Possibly, when adults socialize more with parents and teachers, they often disregard the role of peers. Adults' belief and confidence in their skills are vital in explaining the above relationships. Educationists and practitioners should focus on improving discussions with parents and teachers about the financial matters that result in improvements in financial well-being. The present study also provides theoretical and practical implications for adults, parents, and policymakers.

Impact of board characteristics on environmental disclosures for listed mining companies in China.

This paper examines the impact of board characteristics on environmental accounting information disclosure for listed mining companies in China. Board characteristics were categorized into board size, independence characteristics, diversity characteristics, behavioral characteristics, and incentive characteristics. The study further extended to analyze the impact of board characteristics on environmental disclosure before and after the promulgation of Environmental Information Disclosure Degree (EIDD). Using multiple regression analysis with a sample of 34 listed mining companies from both Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges covering 2000-2018 period, we find a significant positive correlation between board size and Environmental Accounting Disclosure Index (EADI). Also, board independence measured by independent directors and the separation of the chief executive officer from board chairman revealed a positive and significant relationship with EADI. Similarly, behavioral characteristics measured by board meeting were positively correlated with EADI at 1% significant level. In terms of diversity characteristics, both females on board and foreign nationals revealed a negative and insignificant relationship with EADI, while incentive characteristics saw an inconclusive correlation with EADI. Our findings are useful to top managers and regulators who are interested in improving corporate governance practices and environmental information disclosure.