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In today's advanced economy, there is a broader presence of information revolution, such as artificial intelligence (AI). AI primarily drives modern banking, leading to innovative banking channels, services and solutions disruptions. Thus, this chapter intends to determine AI's place in contemporary banking and stock market trading.

Stock market forecasting is hampered by the inherently noisy environments and significant volatility surrounding market trends. There needs to be more research on the mantle of AI in revolutionising banking and stock market trading. Attempting to bridge this gap, the present research study looks at the function of AI in banking and stock market trading.

The researchers have synthesised the literature pool. They undertook a systematic review and meta-synthesis method by identifying the major themes and a systematic literature review aided in the critical analysis, synthesis and mapping of the body of existing material.

The study's conclusions demonstrated the efficacy of AI, which has played a robust role in banking and finance by reducing risk and operational costs, enabling better customer experience, improving regulatory complaints and fraud detection and improving credit and loan decisions. AI has revolutionised stock market trading by forecasting future prices or trends in financial assets, optimising financial portfolios and analysing news or social media comments on the assets or firms.

AI's debut in banking and finance has brought sea changes in banking and stock market trading. AI in the banking industry and capital market can provide timely and apt information to its customers and customise the products as per their requirements.

This research aims at explaining the phenomenon of the “black children” (heihaizi), a very little-known generation who lived with concealment under the one-child policy in China. The one-child policy was officially introduced to nationwide at the end of 1979 by permitting per couple to have one child only, later modified to a second child allowed if the first was a girl in rural China in 1984. It was officially replaced by a nation-wide two-child policy and most existing research focused on the parents’ sufferings and policy changes. The term “black children” has been mainly used to describe their absence from their family hukou registration and education. However, this research aims at expanding the meaning of being “black” to explain the children who were concealed more than at the level of family formal registration, but also physical freedom and emotional bond. What we do not yet know are the details of their lived experiences from a day-to-day base: where did they live? How were they raised up? Who were involved? Who benefited from it and who did not? In this way, this research challenges the existing scholarship on the one-child policy and repositions the “black children” as primary victims, and reveals the family as a key figure in co-producing their diminished status with the support of state power. It is very important to understand these children’s loss of citizenship and human freedom from the inside of the family because they were concealed in so many ways away from public view and interventions. This research focuses on illustrating how their lack of access to continued, stabilized, and reciprocally recognized family interactions framed their very idea of self-worth and identity.

Drawing on new insights from the perspectives and experiences of board members, the purpose of this study is to determine the board attributes that influence board roles in improving the integration of corporate social responsibility (CSR) into corporate governance structures. In total, 10 in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with directors of listed Jordanian companies to explore their perceptions of the effect of board of directors' composition on CSR and CSR disclosure (CSRD). The key findings show that boards with a diverse range of directors is essential independent/nonexecutive members, directors with business and/or accounting backgrounds, and foreign members to determine if they aim to better manage their CSR. To take CSR to the next level in the Arab region, we need to strengthen corporate governance mechanisms, and put more pressures on companies to make changes in board composition. For example, we suggest that companies that appoint business-educated and foreign members to their boards tend to engage in more impactful social and environmental-related activities and reflect their sustainable development more effectively. The study responds to calls for further research adopting qualitative methods, such as case studies and interviews in order to obtain a complete and in-depth understanding of the influence of board composition on CSR/CSRD. The findings provide useful insights for practice, policymakers, and future research.

There has been a paradigm shift within research exploring autistic experience in recent decades towards greater participation, agency and voice for autistic researchers and the autistic community more generally (Fletcher-Watson et al., 2019). This approach has shown a greater focus on research oriented towards the priorities or preferences of the autistic community (Fletcher-Watson & Happé, 2019; Pellicano et al., 2014), curtails concerns regarding epistemic injustice and has influenced understandings of autistic ontology and neurology. Co-produced research, characterised by the inclusion of diverse stakeholders, builds trust between participants. Nonetheless, co-production in research requires careful planning and support (Stark et al., 2021), sometimes proving ‘turbulent’ and ‘challenging’ (Worsley et al., 2021). This chapter explores the experiences and reflections of a team of autistic and non-autistic researchers conducting co-produced research amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. With research practices and systems altered due to increased remote work, online communication and limited in-person interaction, this topic is especially pertinent. With the increasing emphasis on involving members of the autistic community in research at all levels of development, the impact of the pandemic on how participatory research is carried out may be complex. This chapter has implications for planning and conducting co-produced research in our new reality, considering both the opportunities and obstacles it presents.

Professional and corporate codes of ethics (Codes) are commonly used, but they are not consistently effective. Research has indicated the importance of values included in Codes, but there is little research exploring how to improve the effectiveness of Code values. There are proven pedagogies that can be used in ethics training, notably, the values-focused approach known as value self-confrontation (VSC). VSC comes from the field of psychology and has been researched for over 50 years. This theory-based methodology is effective at increasing the importance of targeted values and positively changing attitudes and behaviors. Based on our thematic review of extant VSC literature, we develop a simplified VSC implementation strategy and instrument called code value self-confrontation (CVSC). CVSC involves a self-confrontation between a participant’s personal values and the values of the organization. This confrontation can create value dissonance in the participant, which can increase the importance given to the values of the organization. VSC has been effective at positively impacting pro-organization behaviors as well as societal issues such as equality, race relations, and environmentalism. By increasing the importance of ethical values, organizations can be rewarded with behavioral changes that translate into more ethical work behaviors and decision-making.

Eco-entrepreneurship is a topical issue in academic and professional literature over the past decade. In Africa, it is a relatively new concept fast gaining momentum with wide applicability and acceptance given its benefits in promoting consumer adoption of sustainable lifestyles, resilient environment, economic empowerment, and a win–win balance in the ecology and economy nexus. Amidst the growing impact of climate change and environmental degradation, eco-entrepreneurship has become a necessity, with emerging opportunities being in urban waste management, recycling, and renewable energy technologies. Regardless of the benefits of eco-entrepreneurship, regulatory and governance structures inform the viability of any initiatives. This chapter presents how political ecology structures intersect and impact eco-entrepreneurship in Africa. Given that nations’ approaches can differ, this study provides a case study synthesis of two major African economies namely Nigeria and South Africa. The authors document the predominant political orientation and attitude toward eco-entrepreneurship. First, the authors argue that the political environment is indifferent to the potential of the eco-entrepreneurial framework, hence applying a one-size-fits-all approach. Second is that the attention to eco-entrepreneurship by policymakers is economically inclined, they focus mainly on economic growth opportunities; equally, that eco-entrepreneurship offers opportunities for the protection of social and environmental integrity cannot be ignored. Third, is the bandwagon effect associated with eco-entrepreneurship initiatives, where the need to align with international bodies and states drives a Eurocentric concern? The authors conclude that fostering enabling policy environment can help enhance the productivity of current eco-entrepreneurial initiatives as well as attract new ones needed to explore eco-entrepreneurship benefits.