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This paper aims to consider data for listed companies in Bahrain Bourse to determine whether companies practice earnings management (EM). Further, the effect of a set of corporate governance characteristics on EM practices is examined.

The EM level was measured using discretionary accruals (DA) [calculated using the Modified Jones (1995) Model]. The study sample consisted of 20 companies listed during the period 2011-2015. Panel regression model was used to test the study hypotheses and achieve the study aims.

EM is negatively correlated with board size, confirming that a larger board is associated with a lower level of EM practices. Further, board independence is positively correlated with EM, suggesting that the larger the number of independent directors, the higher the level of EM practices. In addition, internal ownership is positively related to EM, confirming that the higher level of internal ownership increases EM practices. CEO duality does not appear to have any effect on EM in Bahrain Bourse. More interestingly, the findings reveal that companies practice EM through income-increasing DA.

Financial data and data related to other corporate governance characteristics are lacking.

The results of this study provide empirical support for the development of new regulations and amendments and necessary corrective decisions regarding the effectiveness of applying corporate governance code in Bahrain Bourse. More specifically, this study reveals an urgent need for new amendments to restrict EM practices in Bahrain Bourse.

This study enriches the EM literature by covering Bahrain as an Asian country, which has not been sufficiently examined in relation to this topic. Further, this study provides a clear picture of the level of EM practices in Bahrain Bourse to multiple parties.

This paper aims to investigate whether there are relationships among corporate disclosure of environmental, social and governance (ESG) and firms’ operational (ROA), financial (ROE) and market performance (Tobin’s Q), and if these relationships are positives or negatives or even neutral.

The study sample covers US S&P 500-listed companies during the period 2009 to 2018. Panel regression analysis was used to examine the study hypotheses and achieve the study aims.

The results showed that ESG disclosure positively affects a firms’ performance measures. However, measuring ESG sub-components separately showed that environmental (EVN) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure is negatively associated with ROA and ROE. EVN and CSR disclosure is positively related to Tobin’s Q. Further, corporate governance (CG) disclosure is positively related to ROA and Tobin’s Q, and negatively related to ROE. More importantly, ESG, CSR, EVN and CG tend to be higher with firms that have high assets and high financial leverage. Furthermore, the higher level of ESG, EVN, CSR and CG disclosure, the higher the ROA and ROE.

The study limns a vision of the role of ESG on firm performance. This study tries to determine whether there are relationships among all ESG disclosure and FP, and if they are positive, negative or even neutral.

As reporting environmental, social and governance (ESG) information is not yet mandatory in all countries, it is intriguing to understand ESG’s underlying driving mechanisms. This study aims to investigate ESG determinants in the banking sector of the Middle East and North Africa countries.

The authors gather data for 38 listed banks for the period 2011–2019. The data used is threefold as follows: data related to ESG; firm-level; and country-level data. While ESG and firm’s level data are taken from Refinitiv, country-level data are extracted from the World Bank. Using panel regression, the authors test the effect of firm- and country-specific variables on the overall ESG score and its pillars.

Results indicate that banks’ ESG scores are negatively affected by performance and positively affected by size. The level of economic development exerts a negative impact on the environmental pillar while the social development exerts a positive impact on ESG and governance pillar. Corruption is the only country-level that gathers a homogenous effect on ESG scores. Finally, the three pillars follow heterogeneous patterns.

This study extends the scope of previous studies by introducing new country-level independent variables to contribute to the understanding of ESG antecedents.

This study aims to investigate the moderation role of the percentage of women in the country labour force in the relationship between firm-level governance factors (board size, institutional ownership, ownership concentration, board independence, performance, firm size, firm’s risk and sector) and women on boards (WOBs) in publicly listed firms in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

The study relied on a sample of 436 publicly listed firms in 2018 in six GCC countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates).

The study concluded that the percentage of women in the country’s labour force has a moderation role in the relationship between board size and WOB, as well as firm market performance and WOBs. However, ownership concentration, firm size, firm risk and firm sector do not affect the percentage of WOB; consequently, the percentage of women in the country’s labour force did not have a moderation role in the relationship between these variables and the percentage of WOBs.

The study incorporates an institutional level variable which is the percentage of women in the country’s labour force in a firm-level relationship mostly understood by agency theory.

This study aims to investigate the associations between audit firm attributes (i.e. audit firm size, non-audit services, auditor industry specialization and auditor-client tenure) and specific indicators of audit quality. It also aims to test whether these relationships are moderated by a set of other factors like legal system and US versus non-US settings.

The method of Hunter et al. (1982) is used as a meta-analysis technique to test the study hypotheses and achieve the study aims. A total of 71 published papers from 1992 to 2017 are included.

There are significant positive relationships between all audit firm attributes and audit quality. Additionally, the associations between all audit firm attributes and audit quality are moderated by proxies for audit quality. Furthermore, these associations are moderated by other variables, such as US and non-US studies, pre-SOX and post-SOX periods, the legal system, the strength of auditing and reporting standards and country classification (developed or developing country).

The number of studies is insufficient for some variables, and therefore, the results should be interpreted with caution. In addition, the analyzed studies include several proxies, and thus, the number of studies is inadequate for the incorporation of other factors in the meta-analysis (e.g. audit firm experience and audit firm reputation).

This study contributes to audit quality research by providing empirical evidence of the associations between a specific set of audit firm attributes and audit quality using the meta-analysis method. More importantly, the study provides evidence on factors that moderate these associations.

The concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) covers a wide range of actions toward sustainable development. While there are growing bodies of research examining the drivers of CSR, little has been done to examine the effect of the characteristics of the managerial team on CSR. This paper aims to investigate the interplay between managerial characteristics and CSR practices to discover how such a fit affects financial performance.

A partial least squares-path modeling approach was applied to a sample of 60 French companies in the tourism sector (hotels, restaurants, leisure and leisure equipment) from 2014 to 2019. This choice was triggered by the importance of this sector in job creation, which has been strongly impacted by the pandemic crisis.

The findings suggest the positive impact of the managerial characteristics on the practices of CSR activities under certain financial constraints related to the size and indebtedness level. Then, the authors clarify that the variable characteristics component of the managerial team is mainly the educational level, the managerial experience and the ethical behavior. However, no age effect is mentioned. Third, the authors show that the managerial team characteristics and the practices of CSR activities restore the financial tourism sector performance.

This study has obviously certain limitations: first, the selected European sample can mark a big difference in the founding results because of the difference in civil rights. Second, the sample is more marked in the CSR activities. Third, this study did not take into consideration variables operationalizing ownership structure and board nature.

This study develops a model based on “managerial team” mechanisms in a sensitive area. This is a breakthrough in understanding the determinants of CSR strategies and their impact on performance while taking into account the management team’s personal characteristics.

Financial technology (fintech) has emerged as a major player in the global financial system, providing a range of services such as payments, digital currencies, money transfers, loans, crowdsourcing, and insurance. Fintech startups in Arab countries have also gained traction due to economic openness and globalization. However, concerns remain about the safety, durability, and security of traditional financial services, especially with the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) and digitization. The Central Bank of Bahrain and other regulatory authorities need to balance risk avoidance with the global trend toward innovation in fintech, as well as ensure that these technologies are not used for fraud, money laundering, piracy, or terrorist financing. The Bahraini government and supervisory authorities must strike a balance between preserving the integrity and robustness of the financial and banking sector and developing innovation. This can be achieved by adjusting the rhythm of comparison, strengthening and enhancing the safety of banks, achieving financial stability, and ensuring compliance with laws and legislation. It is important to address gaps in regulatory rules, information security, and the business environment, and launch financial awareness at the community level before embracing the potential of fintech and its unseen future development at the level of cryptocurrencies and others. The current work examines the impact of Fintech on the Future of banking in Bahrain and the opportunities and challenges.