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The authors compare sentiment level with sentiment shock from different angles to determine which measure better captures the relationship between sentiment and stock returns.
Abstract
Purpose
The authors compare sentiment level with sentiment shock from different angles to determine which measure better captures the relationship between sentiment and stock returns.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper examines the relationship between investor sentiment and contemporaneous stock returns. It also proposes a model of systems science to explain the empirical findings.
Findings
The authors find that sentiment shock has a higher explanatory power on stock returns than sentiment itself, and sentiment shock beta exhibits a much higher statistical significance than sentiment beta. Compared with sentiment level, sentiment shock has a more robust linkage to the market factors and the sentiment shock is more responsive to stock returns.
Originality/value
This is the first study to compare sentiment level and sentiment shock. It concludes that sentiment shock is a better indicator of the relationship between investor sentiment and contemporary stock returns.
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Keywords
Waris Ali, Jeffrey Wilson, Amr Elalfy and Hina Ismail
This study aims to examine the impact of firm-level corporate social responsibility (CSR) governance characteristics on the extent, quality and comprehensiveness of CSR reporting…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the impact of firm-level corporate social responsibility (CSR) governance characteristics on the extent, quality and comprehensiveness of CSR reporting of Pakistani listed enterprises.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used content analysis of corporate annual reports and stand-alone CSR reports available on corporate websites in 2021 to identify CSR-related governance features and to calculate CSR reporting scores. Multivariate regression is used to test relationships. In addition, the analysis tested the moderating role of profitability in these relationships.
Findings
Firm-level CSR governance characteristics contribute to the extent, quality and comprehensiveness of CSR reporting in a developing country. Further, results confirm that profitability moderates the relationship between CSR governance and the extent and comprehensiveness of CSR reporting.
Research limitations/implications
This study employed cross-sectional data and focused on a single developing country. Future studies might include a cross-national sample and longitudinal data to demonstrate the broader relevance of these findings. The outcomes of this study are restricted to CSR disclosures based on CSR reports and annual reports. Future research may examine additional corporate communication channels, such as websites and social media platforms.
Practical implications
This research validates the important role of CSR governance mechanisms as a driver of comprehensive CSR reporting. Business leaders and policymakers can facilitate improved corporate reporting by requiring companies to implement CSR-related governance mechanisms.
Originality/value
This is the first study to test the influence of firm-level CSR governance mechanisms in promoting the quantity, quality and comprehensiveness of CSR reporting in a developing country.
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Amon Bagonza, Chen Yan and Frederik Rech
This paper aims to examine whether the audit committee moderates the relationship between audit quality and market reactions.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine whether the audit committee moderates the relationship between audit quality and market reactions.
Design/methodology/approach
Using fixed effects and the GMM model for robustness, the study used 472 publicly listed firms on South Africa’s Johannesburg stock exchange spanning a period of six years from 2014 to 2019.
Findings
Results obtained show that audit quality impacts market reactions through share price and adjusted market returns. And, that the audit committee moderates the relationship between audit quality and market reactions in South Africa’s publicly listed firms. An effective audit committee is expected to play a crucial role in overseeing the audit process, ensuring the independence of auditors and promoting transparency and accountability which in turn impacts asset prices.
Research limitations/implications
The study implies that governments and regulatory bodies in other developing economies could strengthen regulations about companies’ Acts, how firms regulate themselves and more so audit committees. Firms can also strive to make sure that audit committees are staffed with experts to promote higher audit quality and investor attention to get access to the much-alluded capital.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the study adds value by being the first to explore the subject matter of the importance of audit committees in defining audit quality and market reactions in publicly listed firms. The research adds to the body of knowledge on corporate governance and audit quality. It provides a case study specific to the South African context, contributing to the global literature on these topics.
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Waris Ali, J. George Frynas and Jeffrey Wilson
This research investigates the influence of corporate–NGO collaborations on corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure measured in three different ways (i.e. extent, level…
Abstract
Purpose
This research investigates the influence of corporate–NGO collaborations on corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure measured in three different ways (i.e. extent, level and quality) in low-income developing economies. Additionally, it examines the moderating effect of corporate profitability in the relationship between corporate–NGO collaborations and CSR disclosure.
Design/methodology/approach
This research uses multivariate regression analysis based on data collected from 201 non-financial firms listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSE).
Findings
The findings reveal that corporations with NGO partnerships are more likely to disclose CSR information and provide high-quality information regarding workers, the environment and community-related issues. Further, corporate profitability positively moderates the corporate–NGO collaborations and CSR disclosure relationship.
Research limitations/implications
Research limitations are presented in the conclusion section.
Practical implications
The findings underline the crucial significance of NGOs and their associated normative isomorphism logics for CSR disclosure in low-income countries with weak law enforcement and relatively ineffective state institutions, which were previously believed to lack such institutions.
Originality/value
While some research has suggested that companies in developing countries perceive significant pressure from NGOs to adopt social disclosure, no study has specifically explored how internally driven corporate–NGO collaboration (as opposed to external NGO activist pressures) promotes CSR disclosure specifically in developing economies.
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Yi Tong Kum, Jeffrey Boon Hui Yap, Yoke-Lian Lew and Wah Peng Lee
This study aims to investigate technology-based health and safety (H&S) management to control the spread of disease on construction sites using a partial least squares structural…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate technology-based health and safety (H&S) management to control the spread of disease on construction sites using a partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) approach.
Design/methodology/approach
An extensive literature review is conducted to develop a conceptual framework. The variables identified from the literature review are included in a cross-sectional survey which gathered a total of 203 valid feedback. The variables for challenges are grouped under their relevant construct using exploratory factor analysis. Then, a hypothesized model is developed for PLS-SEM analysis using Smart PLS software. Later, the outcome of the model is further validated by nine construction experts using a semi-structured questionnaire survey.
Findings
The results rationalized the relationships between the COVID-19 H&S measures, challenges in implementing COVID-19 H&S measures on construction sites and the innovative technologies in transforming construction H&S management during the COVID-19 pandemic. The possible challenges that obstruct the implementation of H&S measures are highlighted. The potential technologies which can significantly transform H&S management by reducing the impact of challenges are presented.
Practical implications
The findings benefited the industry practitioners who are suffering disruption in construction operations due to the pneumonic plague.
Originality/value
By developing a conceptual model, this study reveals the contribution of technology-based H&S management for construction projects during the COVID-19 pandemic, which remains under-studied, especially in the context of the developing world.
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Calvin W.H. Cheong and Ling-Foon Chan
This study aims to investigate the impact of corporate diversification and growth opportunities on the performance of real estate investment trusts (REIT) in Malaysia and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the impact of corporate diversification and growth opportunities on the performance of real estate investment trusts (REIT) in Malaysia and Singapore before and during the pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample consists of 33 public-listed REITs across Singapore and Malaysia. A dynamic panel system generalized method of moments (DPS-GMM) estimation is used to account for unobservable factors and a relatively short sample period (2009–2022).
Findings
Results indicate that the impact of diversification is contingent on the market where the REIT is based and other institutional factors. The estimates also show that diversified REITs are better able to weather period of economic uncertainty.
Practical implications
We provided a definitive answer as to why corporate diversification leads to conflicting outcomes – market and institutional factors, strategic intent and the overall economic environment. We also show that the impact of typical firm controls (i.e. free cash, size) can differ. Future firm-level work should thus study similar phenomenon more contextually and carefully consider these varying effects.
Originality/value
The literature is divided on the impact of diversification on firm performance. By using a two-country sample, we show conclusive evidence that this contradictory outcome is due to market and institutional factors. We also show evidence that strategic intent is an important factor that influences the outcomes of diversification, regardless of market. We also infer that excess cash aids the resilience of the firm, contrary to the negative perception of excess cash during normal times. Firm size, in contrast, does not contribute to firm performance during a crisis.
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Kai Wang, Chi-Feng Tai and Han-fen Hu
Focusing on the social influence processes in the context of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), this study aims to investigate the nomological network of…
Abstract
Purpose
Focusing on the social influence processes in the context of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), this study aims to investigate the nomological network of social influence factors, a topic seldom explicitly articulated in the literature in this unique context.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts a mixed-methods approach to develop and test a context-specific model of social influence processes in MMORPGs. First, the authors conducted qualitative interviews with MMORPG players to identify the drivers shaping players' perceptions of social influences. Second, the authors formulated and tested a research model with quantitative data collected from 450 respondents of an online survey.
Findings
Through the qualitative study, the authors identify leader enthusiasm, social support and social presence as the critical drivers of social influence factors. The result of the quantitative study validates the influences of the critical drivers and demonstrates the impact of social influences on MMORPG players' we-intention to continue playing games.
Originality/value
This research extends the social influence theory by identifying contextualized drivers that shape MMORPG players' perception of social influences determining their we-intention to continue playing games. MMORPG service providers can draw on these drivers to leverage social influences to increase players' we-intention of continuance.
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Anna M. Cianci and George T. Tsakumis
The purpose of this study is to examine accountants’ application of principles-based accounting standards to a lawsuit contingency recognition scenario and the potential role that…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine accountants’ application of principles-based accounting standards to a lawsuit contingency recognition scenario and the potential role that accounting work experience plays in mitigating accountants’ aggressive financial reporting.
Design/methodology/approach
This study presents a 2 × 2 between-subjects experiment with accounting experience (measured as high vs low) and contingency type (asset vs liability) as independent variables and accountants’ lawsuit contingency conservatism likelihood judgments and US$ recognition recommendations as the dependent variables.
Findings
Consistent with expectations, findings indicate that more experienced accountants are more likely to recognize liabilities and items that decrease income and less likely to recognize assets and items that increase income than their less experienced counterparts. Accountants also recommended recognizing lower (higher) mean US$ amounts for assets (liabilities), as expected. Supplemental analyses show a significant moderated-mediated effect whereby the interactive effect of contingency type and accounting experience on individuals’ US$ recognition recommendations is partially mediated through the nature of the conservatism judgment.
Practical implications
The finding that less experienced accountants report more aggressively than more experienced accountants when applying a principles-based standard supports the call for using judgment frameworks in imprecise standard settings and suggests that firms may want to ensure that accountants with adequate work experience are on hand as U.S. generally accepted accounting principles become more principles-based over time.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine the impact of accounting work experience on the application of principles-based accounting standards and the mitigation of aggressive financial reporting. Our supplemental analyses also identify the nature of the conservatism judgment as a mediating mechanism which partially explains more experienced accountants’ US$ asset and liability recognition recommendations.
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This study examines the perceptions of human resource (HR) professionals regarding the use of micro-credentials in the job market. The research explores the role of…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines the perceptions of human resource (HR) professionals regarding the use of micro-credentials in the job market. The research explores the role of micro-credentials as emerging credentials in job requirements, continuing education, soft skills acquisition, job application evaluation (JAE) processes, qualification preferences in recruitment, salary/pay scale determination and promotional opportunities.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative research methodology was used to collect data through questionnaires distributed to 124 HR professionals.
Findings
The study finds that HR professionals recognize the value of micro-credentials in enhancing a candidate’s resume and aligning with their career objectives, as they offer personalized skill-building opportunities. However, some recruiters question the legitimacy of micro-credentials, perceiving them as informal and questioning their practical transferability.
Originality/value
This study highlights the importance for HR professionals to remain updated on emerging trends, adapt to the changing dynamics of the professional workforce and incorporate this into their recruitment and promotion policies. It also emphasizes the need for further investigation into the legitimacy of micro-credentials and their impact on the job market and presents the potential benefits of their integration into HR practices.
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Ravikantha Prabhu, Sharun Mendonca, Pavana Kumara Bellairu, Rudolf D'Souza and Thirumaleshwara Bhat
This study explores how titanium oxide (TiO2) filler influences the specific wear rate (SWR) in flax fiber-reinforced epoxy composites (FFRCs) through a Taguchi approach. It aims…
Abstract
Purpose
This study explores how titanium oxide (TiO2) filler influences the specific wear rate (SWR) in flax fiber-reinforced epoxy composites (FFRCs) through a Taguchi approach. It aims to boost abrasive wear resistance by incorporating TiO2 filler, promoting sustainable and eco-friendly materials.
Design/methodology/approach
This study fabricates epoxy/flax composites with TiO2 particles (0–8 wt%) using hand layup. Composites were tested for wear following American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) G99-05. Statistical analysis used Taguchi design of experiments (DOE), with ANOVA identifying key factors affecting SWR in abrasive sliding conditions.
Findings
The study illuminates how integrating TiO2 filler particles into epoxy/flax composites enhances abrasive wear properties. Statistical analysis of SWR highlights abrasive grit size (grit) as the most influential factor, followed by normal load, wt% of TiO2 and sliding distance. Grit size has the highest effect at 43.78%, and wt% TiO2 filler contributes 15.61% to SWR according to ANOVA. Notably, the Taguchi predictive model closely aligns with experimental results, validating its reliability.
Originality/value
This paper integrates TiO2 filler and flax fibers to form a novel hybrid composite with enhanced tribological properties in epoxy composites. The use of Taguchi DOE and ANOVA offers valuable insights for optimizing control variables, particularly in natural fiber-reinforced composites (NFRCs).
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