Income smoothing in banks and insurance companies and its impact on earnings per share – evidence from Jordan

The facilitation of economic transactions and friendly investor environment is undertaken through effective performance of financial systems. Mobilization of savings and funding the profitable business opportunities are essential in improving the efficiency of intermediation. The study aims to evaluate the effects of nationalization and privatization on Indian banks. Various factors have been considered to examine the effects of privatization and nationalization, including sources of public sector inefficiency, measures of firm performance, econometric issues, and the mode of privatization. The data was collected for the period of 1998 to 2016 from Indian banks. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was used to evaluate the financial reports of the banks selected to evaluate the efficiency of input and output variables. Positive results were observed, concerning the efficiency and profitability of banking industry after banks’ privatization. Performance of private banks has been observed effective and efficient as compared to the public sector banks. Privatization of banks must be increased and maintained to sustain the efficiency of the banks and implement strategies to maintain the assets. Future studies may recruit more appropriate sample size to evaluate the privatization and nationalization effects of Indian banking industry. Greater number of banks will provide more precise results, using data envelopment analysis.

The study aims to measure the extent of implementing ERP systems in the banking sector in Jordan, and identify the main factors that influence the implementation decision, in addition to measure the impact of the post-implementation of the ERP system on the financial performance. The study utilized a content analysis as a research instrument. The study of population consisted of all the banks in Jordan, where the study applied ‘Purposive Sample’ type. Therefore, the study included 11 banks from 2011 to 2016.
The study indicated that the implementation year of the ERP system started in most of the Jordanian banks in 2013, and the rates vary from bank to bank according to their importance and the level of awareness. Training courses are considered the main variable that these banks face in the process of implementation. In addition, awareness of the advantages, the cost, and supporting the infrastructure are the core factors needed to influence the implementation decision.
There is no impact when implementing an ERP system on the financial performance of the Jordanian banks in regard to the ROI and the DPS; on the other hand, there is an impact of the ERP system on the overall performance of the banks.
The study recommends to disseminate knowledge on the advantages of implementing of ERP system in Jordanian banks and to develop the IT department efficiency. Moreover, it will be worthwhile to examine the effect of ERP systems by utilizing financial and non-financial measurements.

This study seeks to verify the contribution of internal audit (IA), especially its role in improving financial performance in Yemeni commercial banks, with a specific focus on three factors, namely: the independence and objectives of IA, the quality of IA and the size of IA. This study reviews some existing literature on the contribution and role of IA in improving financial performance. It relies on available data from questionnaires. 90 questionnaires were distributed to nine commercial banks in Yemen (23 branches) working under the supervision of the Central Bank of Yemen; 81 questionnaires (90%) were regained and used in the process of analysis. To analyze the data, three analysis approaches were used, including description, correlation, and regression. The results showed that the IA has a significant impact on the overall performance of Yemeni commercial banks. Furthermore, the results showed that the auditors’ efficiencies, as well as their financial and accounting experiences, have a significant and positive impact on financial performance. It was revealed that the independence and objectivity of internal auditors are highly insignificant for financial performance. However, the size of IA and the frequency of the auditors’ meetings have a negative and significant effect on financial performance. This study provides some recommendations for improving the effectiveness of IA, which in turn will contribute to improving financial performance.