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Addresses the issues of work ethics and work‐related attitudes in the USA and Canada. Two‐hundred‐and‐ten individuals from various organizations participated. The results indicated that US participants were found to be more committed to the Protestant and contemporary work ethic than Canadians. Both women and workers (male and female) scored high on Protestant work ethic (PWE). No differences in PWE were found, however, between Catholic and Protestant participants. In addition, the results showed high correlations between all work ethic measures and work‐related individualism.

Investigates managerial value systems and decision styles among expatriate and indigenous managers in the UAE. Provides support for the proposition that differences among expatriate and host country nationals are manifested in their value systems. Indicates that Arab expatriate and national managers display a high preference for participative and pseudo‐participative styles while foreign expatriates show a high commitment to consultative style. Finds work values to be significantly related to some decision styles.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the development of corporate social (CS) reporting in the developing country’s banking industry from the legitimacy theory perspective – Bangladesh as a case.

This study uses the longitudinal aspects and analyzes the content of annual reports using the ISO26000 standard with some country- and industry-specific adjustments as the method of data coding. All Dhaka Stock Exchange-listed banks (30 of 47, 2013) and 282 annual reports with 46 reporting items have been used for data analysis during a 10-year period (2004-2013). A CS reporting index has been constructed for this purpose of analysis.

The key findings are that the main impetus driving the development of CS reporting was the stakeholder initiatives; the CS reporting index was less than 20 in 2004, and it increased linearly and reached around 60 in 2013 because of the legitimization of the new banking process through social perceptions. This study explains that the contemplation of the legitimacy theory argument can similarly be applied to the developing countries as well as to the banking industry’s context.

The main implication of this study is the extension of the broader thrust of the legitimacy theory argument in the developing country’s banking industry, such as that of Bangladesh.

This study contributes to the documentation of the CS reporting practices of the developing country’s banking industry where there is a lack of published longitudinal studies from the legitimacy theory perspective.

As publishers and academia swiftly head towards e-textbooks, it is important to understand how students feel about using e-textbooks as a primary learning tool. This paper discusses results of a small-scale study looking into how a group of language learners view and use e-textbooks as learning tools in ESL classrooms. The paper concludes by offering teaching implications that could ease integrating e-textbooks in language classrooms in a more effective and efficient manner.

This study aims to examine the strategies that auditors in Bangladesh follow in identifying and reporting key audit matters (KAMs). The study also examines the factors affecting auditors’ strategies in the identification and disclosures of KAMs.

The authors have conducted interviews with audit partners, chief financial officers (CFOs) and regulators involved in KAMs reporting and monitoring. The authors have used the lens of institutional theory of coercive, mimetic and normative isomorphism and the concept of decoupling.

Auditors have used a decoupling strategy by identifying and reporting greater number of industry-generic KAMs than that of other countries in an effort to minimize risks and avoid regulatory scrutiny, although they disclose remote risks as KAMs and mask severe problem areas of the client. Because of the principle-based approach of International Standards on Auditing (ISA) 701 and because of the pressure and misunderstanding from the audit committee, auditors report industry-generic items and generic descriptions of KAMs.

The findings have important implications for the standard setters and local and global audit firms for the diffusion of new auditing standards in different jurisdictions. Without the development of audit firm-level capability and the corporate governance environment, changes in standards may not be effective in achieving the objectives of the standards.

Although auditors consider that the KAMs reporting requirements provide with opportunities to enhance audit profession’s legitimacy and public trusts, the actual KAMs reporting practices are driven by the market logic, an urge to maintain the status quo with clients and eventual rationalization of the impairment of professional independence.

Given the dearth of prior research on the implementation and diffusion patterns of ISA 701 KAMs reporting, this study fills the gap in the literature. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first known study to examine auditors’ strategic responses to balance among conflicting priorities in reporting KAMs.

The purpose of this paper is to, the first of its kind, investigate the relationship between the intellectual capital efficiency and organisational performance of the pharmaceutical sector in Bangladesh, an emerging economy that enjoys Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) relaxation.

The study used hand-picked data from annual reports for five years. The relationship between efficient use of intellectual capital and corporate performance was examined through the practical use of human capital, structural capital and capital employed. Multiple regressions were used to assess their impact on financial performance – specifically, return on assets, return on equity, asset turnover and market-to-book value.

Value-added intellectual coefficient components (i.e. human capital, structural capital and capital employed) significantly explained asset turnover and return on assets but failed to predict the return on equity outcome. Additionally, asset turnover was negatively influenced by structural capital and positively influenced by capital employed. The return on assets was mostly affected by variation in human capital. Intellectual capital did not predict market-to-book value or investment decisions.

This paper provides useful resources for evaluating the financial performance and value creation of companies in emerging economies that enjoy TRIPS exemptions; this research could also be extended using cross-industry comparisons. The findings have theoretical and practical implications, particularly for the pharmaceutical industry in emerging economy contexts, and for managers globally.

This study is among only a few that have reported on the relationship between intellectual capital efficiency and value creation in emerging economy contexts.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effect of different drying methods on quality attributes of beetroot slices.

Three drying methods (sun, oven and freeze-drying) were applied to dry fresh slices of beetroot cultivar (Beta vulgaris). The chemical composition, minerals, nitrate, betalains, total phenolic, total flavonoid and color were measured for fresh and dried slices.

The chemical composition, minerals, nitrate, bioactive compounds and color were measured for fresh and dried slices. Regardless of the drying method, the results showed that the chemical composition, total energy, minerals and nitrate of the dried slices were significantly (p=0.05) increased compared to that of fresh slices. Sun and oven drying of the slices significantly (p=0.05) reduced total betalain and betacynin. However, betaxanthin was significantly (p=0.05) increased. Total phenolics content of fresh beetroot was significantly (p=0.05) increased after sun and oven drying but total flavonoids were decreased. The 2,2,-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) of fresh beetroot was increased significantly (p=0.05) after sun and oven drying. The measurement of the color of the powder showed that there is a decrease in lightness (L) depending on the drying method applied. A maximum reduction in lightness was observed in powder of sun-dried slices. The color of the powder obtained from freeze-dried slices was stable compared to other drying methods.

Beetroot is a rich source of nutrients but with short shelf life. Dried beetroot has more keeping quality than the fresh one.

The study uses beetroot as a rich source of nutrients as well as natural antioxidant source. Betalain compounds are preserved in beetroot and a high source of phenolics and flavonoids. Flavonoids are a group of phenolic products of plant metabolism with high antioxidant properties to protect against diseases without side effects.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of Islamic Shariah compliance on customer satisfaction through the mediating effect of service quality in Islamic banking services.

A total of 334 completed and usable questionnaires were collected from customers of Islamic banks in Bangladesh to test the hypotheses. The data were analyzed using SmartPLS 3.

The findings of this study indicate that Islamic Shariah compliance has a positive and significant influence on service quality and customer satisfaction of Islamic banking services. The research findings also indicate that service quality partially mediate the relationship between Islamic Shariah compliance and customer satisfaction of Islamic banking services.

This study only emphasized on the Islamic banking services of Bangladesh and thus findings of the present study may not be applicable to other service areas.

The implications of the research are twofold. First, a strong standardized effect of Islamic Shariah compliance on service quality implies that customers are very sensitive to Shariah compliance related to Islamic banking services. Next, maintaining service quality is another crucial aspect to satisfy customers of Islamic banks. Quality of services will only be materialized when all the promises made by the bank function accordingly. Therefore, strategy makers of Islamic banks should assess the customer service quality and satisfaction regularly to improve the overall service experience of customers.

Limited studies have been conducted to investigate the mediating effect of service quality on the relationship between Shariah compliance and customer satisfaction in Islamic banking services. This study provides valuable insights to Islamic bank to integrate the service quality along with Shariah compliance to enhance customer satisfaction.

This paper aims to examine the perspectives of auditors, regulators and financial report preparers on the effects of key audit matters (KAMs) reporting on audit effort, fees, quality and report transparency.

The authors conducted 21 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders (13 Audit Partners, 5 Chief Financial Officers and 3 regulators) and thematically analysed the interviews. They use the frame of “Paradox of Transparency” to explain the findings.

Auditors perceive that the overall quality control of their audits has improved both in the planning and execution stages, and such improvement can mostly be attributed to the coercive pressures from professional bodies and regulators. Nevertheless, audit fee remains unchanged. Auditors disclose industry generic items and descriptions of KAMs, sometimes masking the real problem areas of the clients. Even after improving the performative audit quality, transparency of audit reporting has not improved. Issues that warrant going concern qualifications or audit report modifications are now reported as KAMs. Hence, KAMs reporting might make the audit report less transparent.

Localised audit environments and institutions affect the transparency of KAMs reporting. Without attention to corporate governance and auditors’ independence issues, paradoxically, performative improvement in audit quality (due to the KAMs reporting requirement) does not enhance the transparency of audit reports.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to provide field-level evidence in Bangladesh and other developing countries about the perceptions of auditors, financial report preparers and regulators on the effects of KAMs reporting on audit efforts, fees, quality and report transparency.

In this study the authors examine the nature and contents of key audit matters (KAMs), and the consequences of KAMs reporting on audit quality in the context of a developing country, Bangladesh. The authors’ proxies of audit qualities are discretionary accruals, small positive earnings surprise, audit report lag, earnings management via below the line items and audit fees.

The authors use content analysis of the KAMs for the period 2018–2021 to understand the nature and extent of KAMs reported by auditors in Bangladesh. The authors then use multivariate regression analysis to examine the effect of the number and content characteristics of KAMs on audit quality by using multivariate regression analysis.

Auditors in Bangladesh disclose a higher number of KAMs compared to other countries, disclose short descriptions of KAMs and industry generic KAMs. The authors document significant cross-sectional variations in the number and content characteristics of KAMs reported by auditors in Bangladesh. The authors’ pre-post analysis suggest that audit quality has improved after the adoption of KAMs. Cross-sectional analysis suggests that KAMs number and content characteristics are related to audit quality.

The authors’ findings imply that the KAMs reporting has the potential to play significant monitoring role in reducing the opportunistic behavior of managers. Hence, KAMs reporting can play a significant role in reducing the agency problem. For regulators, shareholders and corporate managers, the authors’ findings imply that if the audit quality is to be increased, the audit effort should be supported by an appropriate amount of audit fee.

The content characteristics of KAMs significantly influence managerial reporting behavior and affect the level of audit efforts.

Unlike developed countries (Gutierrez et al., 2018; Lennox et al. 2022), this study supports that KAMs reporting improves audit quality and control opportunistic behavior of managers in developing countries. The authors show that even though the KAMs disclosure quality is poor, it has the potential to improve financial reporting quality.