Issue #3 (Volume 19 2024)

Integrating reporting strives to address issues with corporate reporting procedures and hold businesses responsible for their local surroundings, as well as additional stakeholders impacted by their operations in producing returns for investors. This study employed Nigerian deposit money banks to examine whether investor returns with profit after tax and integrated reporting are statistically and significantly related. Ex post facto research methodology was applied. Purposive sampling was used to sample ten Nigerian deposit money banks. Data were taken from the annual reports of the chosen banks. The international integrated reporting framework of 2021 checklist was utilized to extract integrated reporting data using the unweighted content analysis method. The integrated reporting disclosure index was used as a proxy for integrated reporting. Market price per share, dividend per share, and price-earnings ratio were used as proxies for investor returns. Profit after tax was used as a moderating variable. The results indicate that with the moderating variable, which is Profit after tax, integrated reporting and price-earnings ratio are related to coefficients of 9.9585. Integrated reporting and dividend per share are related to coefficients of 3.151612. Integrated reporting and market price per share are related to coefficients of 36.7535. Dividend per share and integrated reporting disclosure are significantly related to p-values of 0.001. Market price per share and integrated reporting disclosure are significantly related to p-values of 0.002. This study concluded that integrated reporting and investor returns are statistically and significantly related to the moderating role of Profit after tax of Nigerian deposit money banks.

Acknowledgment
The involvement of those who helped make this study successful is acknowledged below. We appreciate your involvement.

This study aims to explore the financial implications of intellectual capital in the Jordanian financial sector during the period 2009–2018. It uses Pulic’s (2004) value-added intellectual capital model, particularly capital employed efficiency, structural capital efficiency, and human capital efficiency, and tests its potential effect on firm financial performance measures, including return on assets, return on equity, asset utilization ratio, and Tobin’s Q. The study’s findings demonstrate that value-added intellectual capital positively influences the financial performance of Jordanian financial companies. Value-added intellectual capital is not found to have a significant impact on productivity, but it is strongly and positively related to firm profitability and market value. As for the main components of value-added intellectual capital, human capital efficiency has a significantly positive impact on a company’s performance, but regarding structural capital efficiency, the outcomes vary depending on the measure of firm performance. Notably, when firms are categorized into sub-industries (banks, insurance companies, and financial service companies), it is found that the profitability of insurance companies is more affected by intellectual capital than that of banks or financial services. The results also show that investors place great importance on the efficiency of intellectual capital, particularly within the banking industry. Furthermore, implementing Shariah compliance standards boosts the positive effect of structural capital efficiency on corporate market value and reinforces the positive influence of human capital efficiency on productivity.

This purpose of the study is to evaluate the influence of corporate governance mechanism factors: board size, board independence, capital adequacy ratio, as well as bank-specific factors: dividend payout ratio and firm size, on the performance of Nepalese commercial banks. The study covered 10 years’ secondary data from 2013/14 to 2022/23, derived from the annual reports and websites of four selected commercial banks that were listed on the Nepal Stock Exchange: Kumari Bank Limited, Himalayan Bank Limited, Prabhu Bank Limited, and Prime Commercial Bank. A non-probability sample method, especially the purposive sampling approach, was used in this study. Earnings per share (EPS) is regarded to be the dependent variable, whereas two elements, namely, corporate governance mechanisms and bank-specific factors, are considered to be independent variables. Data analysis was carried out using the SPSS 25 software, which includes descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression. The empirical results indicate that board size has a favorable influence on EPS, but this association does not reach statistical significance. In contrast, board independency has a notable and statistically significant negative impact on EPS. The capital adequacy ratio is positively correlated with EPS. However, the impact of firm size on EPS is not statistically significant. On the other hand, the dividend payout ratio has a significant positive effect on EPS.

This study aimed to explore the relationship between three factors: enforcement of labor social welfare labor laws, internal corporate social responsibility (CSR) implementation, and job satisfaction as perceived by managers in the commercial banking sector. The research utilized a qualitative research method – in-depth interviews based on a semi-structured questionnaire with 20 experienced managers from 11 commercial banks in Vietnam, an emerging economy. Findings indicated a positive reciprocal relationship between enforcement of social welfare labor laws and internal CSR responsibilities of enterprises. Additionally, enforcing labor social welfare laws and internal CSR implementation positively impacted employee job satisfaction. The study also identified five aspects of internal CSR implementation towards employees: (1) timely and full payment of wages, bonuses, and benefits; (2) establishing a conducive work environment; (3) policies addressing human rights, health, and safety at work; (4) fair and democratic treatment, providing training and career advancement opportunities, and protecting employees through organizational activities; (5) having legal norms, procedures, mechanisms for recording, feedback, monitoring, and reasonable evaluation of job performance. These findings contribute to enriching both theoretical understanding and practical implications regarding the interplay of these three factors in commercial banks, encouraging managers to effectively implement social welfare laws and internal CSR implementation.

Acknowledgment
This collaborative research involves scholars from the University of Law - Hue University and Duy Tan University. The authors extend their gratitude to both institutions for their support and assistance in facilitating the publication of this research. In addition, the authors would like to thank the Editor-in Chief and a reviewer for their helpful comments that in our view have helped to improve the quality of the manuscript significantly. This study was conducted based on decision No. 4741/QD-ĐHDT dated October 18, 2023 of Duy Tan University, Vietnam.

This study aims to determine the extension of implicating risk factors in strategic planning for internal audit in Yemeni commercial banks, including inherent risk factors and control risks, whether caused by internal or external influences, and focuses on the strategic purpose of internal audit. A questionnaire instrument, specifically designed for this research purposes, was distributed to 58 respondents comprising internal auditors of commercial banks, as well as auditors of the External Control Department of the Central Bank of Yemen. The study determines whether Yemeni commercial banks include internal auditing in their operational structure. It also determines the risks that internal auditors prioritize while developing their internal audit strategies. This study uses Smart PLS methodologies to evaluate the hypotheses through data analysis. The results indicate that internal audit is considered one of the important operational activities in the structure of commercial banks of Yemen, and that the planning process for internal audit largely takes into account the inherent risk factors and control risk factors, whether the audit process is carried out by internal auditors or auditors of Central Bank of Yemen.

Acknowledgment
The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Khalid University for funding this work through a large-group Research Project under grant number (RGP.2/131/45)”.

The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of financial regulations on bank lending in emerging economies in Sub-Saharan Africa. The dynamic system-generalized method of measures (GMM) is used to address difficulties such as unexplained periods and nation-specific implications, besides the endogeneity of the variables in question. Spanning from 2012 to 2022, the research used data from 80 banks in 20 sub-Saharan African nations. The findings show that expansive financial regulation, which includes a boost in the amount of cash in circulation, induces bank lending. At the same time, restrictive financial regulations, with the value as an improvement in interest rates by central banks, lead to credit contractions, albeit with little impact because of the attainable poverty of banking sectors, organizational limitations, bank-focused attention, and additional system rigidity typical of developing nations, which compromises the efficiency of the system. Other characteristics that substantially impact bank lending routes include capital sufficiency ratios and the scale of economic activity. Sub-Saharan African countries may boost the efficiency of financial regulations propagation on bank lending by making better use of the transfer process of fluctuations in cash supplies and interest rates.

This study investigated the influence of digital payment systems on banks’ stability by exploring their effect on the Z-score of the Jordanian banking sector during the period from 2004 until 2022. It specifically focused on liquidity risks generated from e-payment transactions and how sufficient capital adequacy ratios enhance banking sector stability over both short-term and long-term periods by standing against sudden volatilities yielded from large amounts of transactions executed through digital payment systems. To achieve this objective, the study utilizes time series dual regression analyses of vector autoregression and vector error correction models on E-views 12 to cover the time variation influences of digital payment on the banking sector Z-score. The regression results indicate varied effects between the benefits and risks of digital payment systems on a bank’s Z-score that influence the immediate sector’s stability, indicating that while digital payment systems can initially hold liquidity risks, leading to short-term instability; the strategic implementation of robust capital adequacy ratio stands as a protective buffer by fostering long-term banking sector resilience. The results also suggest future predictions and insights for financial sector legislators and regulators emphasizing the need for monitoring strategies that stimulate continuous innovations in the digital payment infrastructure while constantly ensuring the stability and resilience of the banking sector. Thus, prudent liquidity management and the reinforcement of capital buffers are encouraged to pilot the dual challenges and opportunities that appeared at the stages of the digital payment process, ultimately guiding the sector toward continuous growth and sustainability.

Acknowledgment
The author is grateful to the Middle East University, Amman, Jordan for the financial support granted to cover the publication fee of this research.

The outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020 has caused a crisis in various sectors, including the economic sector. In fact, its impact on the performance of Islamic banks in the ASEAN region is currently still unknown. Therefore, this study aims to obtain empirical evidence regarding the effect of COVID-19 on profitability performance and maqashid sharia performance in Islamic banks in the ASEAN region. Profitability performance is measured by return on equity (ROE) and return on assets (ROA). The number of observations from this study was 202 with a sample of 30 Islamic commercial banks in the ASEAN region in 2015–2021. The data analysis technique used is EViews 12. The results show that COVID-19 has no significant effect on profitability performance in Islamic banks, whether measured by ROE or ROA. On the other hand, COVID-19 has a significant effect on reducing the maqashid sharia performance. In addition, company size has been proven to positively affect profitability performance and maqashid sharia performance in Islamic banks before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Operating expense ratio (OER) has been proven to affect ROE and ROA, whereas FDR and non-performing financing (NPF) have been proven to only affect ROA. OER influences promoting welfare, while FDR and NPF influence establishing justice. The study results confirm the ability of Islamic banks to generate profits amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. They also confirm the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on three aspects of maqashid sharia performance.

The relationship between bank performance and bank value is a crucial area of study, particularly in the context of emerging economies like Jordan. This study aims to investigate the moderating effect of bank performance on bank value, providing insight into how performance metrics influence overall valuation. The study employs a comprehensive methodological approach, utilizing panel data regression analysis to examine data from a sample of Jordanian banks over the period from 2014 to 2022. Key performance indicators such as Tobin’s Q, accounting conservatism, debt ratio, current ratio (CR), return on assets (ROA), and asset turnover are factors that influence bank value in the Jordanian market. The results reveal that bank performance significantly moderates the relationship between bank-specific factors and bank value. Specifically, the study finds that return on assets has a positive and statistically significant effect on bank value. The analysis reveals a significant positive correlation between bank value and profitability, as evidenced by a moderate positive correlation coefficient (0.26) between Tobin’s Q and ROA. However, weak or non-significant correlations are observed between bank value and accounting conservatism, debt ratio, and asset turnover.

Disruption in the business environment imposes undeniable realities that require effective strategic management; therefore, the need to develop a particular type of force capable of achieving proactive strategies, influencing competitors’ behavior, and balancing competitive forces has arisen. This study aimed to examine the impact of absorptive capacity on achieving strategic supremacy and the mediating role of organizational ambidexterity within Jordan’s commercial banking industry. It employs 513 questionnaires from middle and upper management through proportionate stratified random sampling. It adopts a quantitative approach through partial least squares structural equation modeling to construct a research model comprising factors affecting strategic supremacy and the mediating role of organizational ambidexterity and validate the research hypotheses. The study revealed that absorptive capacity significantly impacts organization ambidexterity (β = 0.764, t = 33.939, p = 0.000) with explanation power (R2 = 0.584). Organizational ambidexterity has a significant positive impact on strategic supremacy (β = 0.561, t = 12.469, p = 0.000). Absorptive capacity has a significant positive impact on strategic supremacy through organizational ambidexterity (β = 0.334, t = 6.963, p = 0.000) with high explanation power (R2 = 0.712), which means that 71.2% of the variance in strategic supremacy has been explained by absorptive capacity and organizational ambidexterity. Moreover, organizational ambidexterity partially mediates their relationship. It also found that the model’s predictive power was moderate. The study concludes that Jordanian commercial banks have placed high importance on identifying and acquiring valuable external knowledge and balancing their short-term and long-term opportunities to achieve strategic supremacy, leading to sustainable competitive advantage.

This study investigates the effect of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) scores on bank performance in five Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines. This study aims to examine the effect of ESG scores on bank financial performance and investigate whether the influence of bank ownership can strengthen both. This study uses a sample of 26 banks in 5-ASEAN countries during 2016–2021. This amount is the result of data sorting conducted on 86 banks by adjusting to the research sample criteria. Using multiple linear regression analysis, this study shows that ESG scores have a significant positive effect on bank financial performance as measured by Return on Assets (ROA), Return on Equity (ROE), and Price to Book Value (PBV). Furthermore, this study found that the positive impact of ESG scores on bank performance is stronger for state-owned banks compared to private banks. However, bank ownership does not affect the relationship between ESG scores and ROA. These findings suggest that law enforcement by the government through regulators plays an important role in encouraging banks to view ESG as a driving value to improve their performance.

Risk control and management are essential tasks necessary to ensure the safe and sustainable development of commercial banks, especially in today’s digital business environment. This study aims to identify the factors and their impact on risk control and management through intermediary variables, including law enforcement, corporate governance, and digital transformation, using the partial least square – structural equation modeling. Data for the study were collected through interviews assessing the perceptions of 765 managers in 35 Vietnamese commercial banks. The results indicate that factors directly affecting law enforcement include digital transformation, awareness of risks related to new technologies, training in law and technological knowledge, employee capabilities, monitoring and inspection procedures, size and complexity of bank operations, and corporate governance. However, only law enforcement and corporate governance have an indirect intermediary impact on risk control and management (digital transformation did not show a statistically significant impact). These findings highlight that, according to managerial perceptions in commercial banks, current digital transformations have not significantly influenced risk control and management, emphasizing the need for further enhancement in this area moving forward. This study makes a positive contribution to the development of models and measurement systems, laying the foundation for similar experimental research in the field of commercial banking in various countries in the future.

Acknowledgment
This study is the result of collaboration between a group of scientists from the Faculty of Law – Hue University and Duy Tan University. The authors would like to acknowledge the support and facilitation provided by both institutions for the publication of this research. Furthermore, this work is conducted within the framework of project code B2023-ĐHH-03 under decision No. 2036/QĐ-BGDĐT dated July 22, 2022.

This study aims to explore the role of multiple leadership styles in bank performance, with disruption as a moderator in Indonesia. The study uses a probability sampling technique with random sampling types. The main data source was the distribution of questionnaires. 300 bank employees were targeted, and 450 data inputs were received upon completion of the survey. The data were processed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with Partial Least Square Structural Software. The data analysis obtained a construct and discriminant validity value of 0.7 and achieved an R-Square of 0.743. The results of this study showed that multiple leadership styles, consisting of transformational leadership style, ethical leadership style, and servant leadership style, influence bank performance (P-Value 0.000). Disruption also influences bank performance (P-Values 0.000); however, disruption does not moderate the influence of leadership styles on bank performance (P-Value 0.993). This study emphasizes the importance of multiple leadership styles that combine transformational leadership style, ethical leadership style, and servant leadership style in managing banking business performance. This study significantly contributes to leadership development initiatives in the dynamic Indonesian banking industry and offers future research directions.

Acknowledgment
We thank all respondents that participated in the survey. Data availability can be found in https://bitly.cx/uuN0l

This paper aims to identify the factors affecting employee retention in Nepalese financial institutions, especially commercial banks. Through a questionnaire, the primary data were collected from 400 respondents. The study is based on a dichotomous and 5-point Likert scale questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS and structural equation modeling (SEM). SEM smart PLS-4 is used to examine the association between the dependent and independent variables. The results indicate that company image/goodwill, employee benefits, job satisfaction, organizational performance, recruitment and selection, and work environment and culture have a relatively significant relationship with employee retention. Among them, organizational performance was found to be highly significant among all other variables. However, labor unions, leadership support, performance appraisal, training and development, and work-life balance did not have an association with employee retention. The study helps HR managers to formulate appropriate policies and guidelines to retain employees in Nepalese commercial banks. Likewise, it provides a valuable empirical contribution by analyzing which factors affect employee retention in commercial banks in Nepal using a direct SEM model. It also shows which factors play a major role in employee retention.

Internal control plays an important role in managing the risks of banking system activities. Controllers are always under pressure from control activities due to the bank’s diverse activities. The resignation of internal controllers is relatively common in commercial banks. It is also a matter of concern for the banking and finance industry, which coordinates economic resources for the country, especially when the internal control period occurs again with the pandemic. The study aims to explore the turnover intention of internal controllers in the context of COVID-19 in Vietnamese commercial banks. The study uses the convenience sampling method to collect data from 339 respondents who are working or worked as internal controllers in commercial banks. The study was surveyed in 2023. The study uses quantitative methods for exploratory factor analysis. Ordinary least squares process the data to test the hypotheses. Some factors affect the turnover intention of internal controllers, such as occupational awareness, employment conditions, office environment, and career opportunities, in the context of COVID-19. The result is a useful resource for researchers to comprehensively understand issues related to the turnover intention of internal controllers in the banking industry. The study supports managers of commercial banks in planning the strategic objectives of human resource stabilization for the stable growth of the banking system.

This paper extends the concept of methodological crosschecking by examining whether bank efficiencies computed by the two frontier techniques, stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) and data envelopment analysis (DEA), are consistent. The study used a panel of 220 unbalanced observations from 27 Ghanaian banks between 2007 and 2016 to estimate cost and technical efficiencies and check for consistency using five criteria: efficiency distribution, ranking, ability to identify best or worst banks, stability of efficiencies, and relationship with accounting ratios. The results suggest that there is no consistency in the way parametric and non-parametric techniques rank or identify the best or worst banks. Also, there exists a weak relationship between the efficiency scores generated by both SFA and DEA and the non-frontier accounting ratios of Ghanaian banks. This suggests that the latter may contain some exogenous variables that make them weak measures of efficiency and should be used with caution, especially for bank supervision. However, the SFA approach yielded efficiency scores that were comparatively more stable over time. Therefore, the study concludes that the SFA approach is more practical and thus more appealing for regulatory purposes in Ghana due to the relatively consistent efficiency scores under the SFA approach compared to those under the DEA.

This study investigates how various service quality dimensions affect customer satisfaction in commercial banks across Nepal. The objective of this study is to examine the impact of key service quality dimensions (responsiveness, empathy, assurance, communication, and overall service quality) on customer satisfaction in commercial banks in Nepal. A survey-based quantitative approach was employed, collecting data from 399 customers in Nepal. The study utilizes multiple linear regression analysis and hypothesis testing to determine the relationship between these factors and customer satisfaction. The results indicate that communication, assurance, and service quality positively influence customer satisfaction, with a moderate mean score of 2.317949 out of 5 and moderate variability (SD = 0.479612). These three factors are key contributors, accounting for 41.5% of the variation in satisfaction, whereas empathy and responsiveness have weaker or insignificant impacts. The study concludes that enhancing communication and service quality is crucial for improving customer satisfaction, which is essential for sustainable growth in Nepal’s financial sector.

Banking performance has developed rapidly accompanied by technological advances that can simplify banking services and transactions by adopting a priority scale aimed at identifying dynamically moving stock price returns and exploring banking quality and capacity as a manifestation of well-organized bank performance. This research aims to determine the effect of bank performance on stock price returns in European high-income countries. The analysis of the panel data method using the Common Effect Model (CEM) approach is considered capable of answering the objectives of this research. Research data were obtained from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund for 10 European countries (Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK) from 2002 to 2021. The research results prove that return on assets significantly affects stock price returns, while bank deposits to GDP, bank branches per 100,000 adults, and bank Z-score do not significantly affect stock returns. The control variables: exchange rate and interest rates do not significantly affect stock prices. The results of this research provide empirical evidence that bank performance through return on assets tends to have a positive impact on share price returns, which indicates that investors pay attention to this indicator. These findings underline the importance of bank management, and macroeconomic conditions and monetary policy must be considered in a broader context to provide long-term benefits for shareholders through overall market trust mechanisms so that high stock price returns can be achieved.

Credit is an important component in developing micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), as it can boost a country’s economy, help boost the production capacity of MSMEs, create jobs, and reduce poverty. This study aims to examine the characteristics of banks in Indonesia that influence lending to micro, small, and medium enterprises by adopting agency theory that explains the relationship between lenders (banks) and borrowers (MSMEs) as agents and principals. Data were taken from quarterly financial reports of banks in Indonesia. There are 42 sample banks from 2010 to 2022, so the data used are 2,182 observations. Data analysis uses a fixed effect model with robust standard errors. The results show that operating costs do not influence credit access for MSMEs or medium-sized enterprises. Bank stability has an impact on increasing MSME credit access. High bank capital also increases MSME credit access. Robustness tests were also conducted using the general method of moments. The results were consistent with the main model. The implication is that cost management theory and credit decision-making need to consider differences in business scale. The results also further strengthen the argument that bank stability is an important factor that can improve access to credit for small and medium enterprises.

Acknowledgments
Appreciation is given to the Doctoral program Universitas Sebelas Maret Surakarta Indonesia and the Institute of Research and Community Services (LPPM) Unisnu Jepara Indonesia, which has supported this research.