Correlation of stock market returns in the West African region from 2008 to 2016

This paper examines the macro-economic and bank-specific factors affecting non-performing loans in commercial banks. Using 47 listed commercial banks from six countries, namely 19 banks from Nigeria, 14 banks from Benin, 3 banks from Burkina Faso, 3 banks from Gambia, 3 banks from Guinea, and 5 banks from Liberia for the period 2008 to 2019, fixed and random effect model was used. The Hausman test favored the selection of fixed effect model, and it was found from the estimation that the liquidity ratio, capital adequacy ratio and inflation rate significantly affect non-performing loans. As a result, it is advised that banks depend not only on their ability to achieve the capital adequacy ratio, but also guarantee that loans are thoroughly scrutinized before being issued to beneficiaries. Bank managers should guarantee that banking staff is not simply awarding loans to secure their jobs by accumulating deposits from consumers at the price of the bank’s long-term stake. In addition, the economies of West Africa should keep their inflation rates low so that repayment of loans on time is cheap and realistic.

Acknowledgment
I would like to appreciate Fezile Nonjabulo Gcwabaza for love and support throughout this research project.

The current hyper-competitive environment offers many great opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), but on the other hand, this business environment is also hazardous. SMEs are a significant economic power and employer in the European Union. Their competitiveness and long-term stability are a crucial factor for European cohesion and economic growth. The research aim is to design a strategic management controlling system that should be implemented to SMEs and be useful for their long-term future development. The study was conducted in 2017–2020 based on data from 403 SMEs. The PAPI method was used to collect data. The implications between defined variables controlling, ROA, turnover, financial analysis, and strategic management were explained, and the results obtained from an in-depth analysis were indicated. The research was concluded by a model of strategic management controlling system tested by experimental in-practice implementation on SMEs and verified. The model and the research findings are suitable for business practice and should support the long-term stability and development of SMEs.

Acknowledgment
The paper has been prepared within the project “Risk Management in Industry 4.0” (7427/2019/02 IGA VŠFS) using the objective oriented support for specific university research of the University of Finance and Administration.

Two different types of banking systems, Islamic and conventional, dominate the banking structure in Saudi Arabia. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the ongoing debate as to which of the two is better. Using data for the period 2014–2018, the study compares Islamic and conventional banks. It combines traditional financial ratios, Return on Assets (ROA) and Return on Equity (ROE), with Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to perform a comprehensive analysis. In terms of ROA, the performance of conventional banks is better than that of Islamic banks, but in terms of ROE, vice versa. DEA results show that conventional banks are more efficient than Islamic banks. In fact, in terms of ROA and ROE, Al Rajhi Bank, an Islamic bank, is the best performer. But in terms of efficiency scores from DEA, Al Rajhi ranks seventh among all banks, while NCB, a conventional bank, ranks first. Issuing shares and utilizing funds in profitable options, such as loans and advances to increase net income, are the policy recommendations for Islamic banks to further improve. In addition, as the study finds no correlation between the ratio and efficiency scores, it proposes to use a combined measure of ratio analysis and efficiency analysis for a comprehensive assessment of bank performance.