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This study aims to numerically study the forced convection effects on a two-dimensional microchannel filled with a porous material containing the water/FMWCNT nanofluid. The upper and lower microchannel walls were fully insulated thermally along 15 per cent of their lengths at each end of the microchannel, with the in-between length being exposed to a constant temperature. The slip velocity boundary condition was applied along the microchannel walls.

The Navier–Stokes equations were discretized before being solved numerically via a FORTRAN computer code. The following ranges were considered for the studied parameters: slip factor (B) equal to 0.001, 0.01 and 0.1; Reynolds number (Re) between 10 and 100; solid nanoparticle mass fraction (ϕ) between 0.0012 and 0.0025; Darcy number (Da) between 0.001 and 0.1; and porosity factor (ε) between 0.4 and 0.9.

Increasing the Da caused a greater increase in the velocity profile than increasing Re, whereas increasing porosity did not affect the velocity profile growth at all.

This paper is the continuation of the authors’ previous studies. Using the water/FMWCNT nanofluid as the working fluid in microchannels is among the achievements of this study.

This paper aims to propose a new nonlinear function estimation fuzzy system as a novel statistical approach to estimate nanofluids’ thermal conductivity.

A fuzzy system having a product inference engine, a singleton fuzzifier, a center average defuzzifier and Gaussian membership functions is proposed for this purpose.

Results indicate that the proposed fuzzy system can predict the thermal conductivity of Al₂O₃/paraffin nanofluid with appropriate precision and generalization and it also outperforms the classic interpolation methods.

A new nonlinear function estimation fuzzy system was introduced as a novel statistical approach to estimate nanofluids’ thermal conductivity for the first time.

This paper aims to explore the empirical determinants of exchange-rate volatility (ERV) in selected Asian economies, namely, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan. Specifically, it examines how the volatility of foreign reserves, government spending, industrial production, gold prices and terms of trade affect monthly ERV during the examined period.

The authors carry out the empirical analysis by using monthly data for the period January 1997–March 2019. First, the volatility of the underlying variables is measured based on the conditional variances obtained by estimating the univariate (generalized) autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity [(G)ARCH] model for each variable during the study period. Next, the autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (ARCH)-Lagrange multiplier test is applied to ensure that there are no remaining ARCH effects in the residuals. Finally, the multivariate autoregressive-moving average-GARCH (1, 1) models are estimated to examine whether and how the volatility of the underlying variables affects ERV.

The results reveal that the current period volatility of exchange rates is significantly affected by ERV in the previous period in all selected countries. The results also indicate that the volatilities of the underlying macroeconomic variables are quite differently related to ERV in examined Asian countries. Foreign-reserve volatility (VFXRES) has negative and significant impacts on ERV in Bangladesh, China and Malaysia. Government-spending volatility is negatively related to ERV in India, whereas it is positively related to ERV in all other examined countries. The results also suggest that although terms-of-trade volatility reduces ERV in both Bangladesh and Pakistan, it amplifies ERV in the remaining examined countries. However, gold-price volatility (VGOLDP) significantly, positively contributes to ERV in Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia. On the contrary, the higher volatility in industrial production (VIPI) results in lower ERV in Indonesia and Pakistan, whereas it increases ERV in China, India and Malaysia.

The findings have several important policy implications. First, the findings suggest that both Bangladesh and Malaysia should keep an adequate level of foreign reserves to stabilize their foreign exchange rates. Second, as government-spending volatility has a vital role in determining ERV, it is necessary to bring sustainability and continuity in government expenditures. Bangladesh and Pakistan can stabilize their foreign exchange rates by making exports more competitive, viable and accessible.

This paper significantly contributes to the existing literature by exploring how the behavior of unexpected variations in the factors determining exchange rates affects ERV in selected Asia countries. Most of the published studies have examined the determinants of exchange rates by considering the macroeconomic variables at their levels. Departing from the existing studies, this paper significantly relates the volatility (second moment) of exchange rate determinants to the behavior of ERV. Further, this paper provides firsthand empirical evidence on this issue for the selected Asian economies.

Although the increase in point-of-purchase decisions heightens the communication potential of food product packaging, empirical research on understanding how visual packaging affects consumers' subsequent product and brand evaluations and perceptions is scant. This study seeks to develop a theoretical model to show the effects of consumer attitudes toward visual food packaging on perceived product quality, product value, and brand preference.

A self-administered questionnaire developed from the literature was conducted, and 315 undergraduate students participated in the study.

The empirical results show that attitudes toward visual packaging directly influence consumer-perceived food product quality and brand preference. Perceived food product quality also directly and indirectly (through product value) affects brand preference.

This paper offers directions for understanding the effects of visual packaging on positive consumer product and brand evaluations. Based on the study findings, food firms should emphasize the visual packaging design factors such as color, typeface, logo, graphics, and size to form consumers' positive perceptions and brand preference.

The purpose of the current exploratory study is to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the essence of impulse buying and postulate the drivers behind it for Azerbaijani consumers who practice Islam. Though there are numerous factors that impact impulsive buyer tendencies, current empirical research focuses on demographic indicators and persona characteristics that influence impulsive buying, which are considered as internal factors.

The current research is exploratory and uses the quantitative research method. A total of 442 responses were collected from the surveys between April 6th and May 6th, 2022, with random sampling. The collected data was analyzed with the SPSS Statistics software and the SPSS AMOS 26 version. Cronbach’s alpha was calculated to measure the reliability of the scales. The construct validity of the questionnaire was measured with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The correlation among variables was measured by calculating the Pearson correlation coefficient. The structural equation model was run to determine the structural relationship between latent variables and test the proposed hypotheses.

According to the regression weights, all the latent variables, excluding materialism, have a statistically significant impact on the impulsive buying tendency. Hedonic motivation and self-esteem have a positive relationship with hedonic buying tendency, while self-control is inversely related. In terms of the impact of demographic indicators on impulsive buying tendency, for Azerbaijani consumers, impulsive buying behavior, differs based on age, education and marital status. However, contrary to previous research, impulsive buying behavior does not change based on income level. However, based on the squared multiple correlations, the predictive power of the model is 24%.

The current study measured the general impulsive behavior of the local population. Analyzing impulsive buyer behavior toward particular products or product categories might lead to different results. Therefore, other researchers can focus on studying impulsive buyer behavior toward different product categories.

Understanding consumer buyer behavior, including impulsive buyer behavior, is among extensively researched subjects. However, studies examining the state of impulsive buyer behavior in Azerbaijan and, most importantly, measuring the impact of the numerous factors behind it are lacking. The majority of the available empirical research in Azerbaijan analyzes consumer behavior from a different perspective. However, none of them approaches it from the perspective of analyzing and measuring impulsive buying. Hence, understanding the motivations behind impulse buying behavior can benefit both businesses and consumers, though for contrasting reasons. The former can use the data to determine the triggers for impulse buying, while the latter can be more conscious of their purchasing behavior to avoid unfavorable financial consequences. The primary implication for businesses is that they will be equipped with empirical evidence on which factors and to what extent they influence consumer buying behavior. Subsequently, they can use it while developing marketing and customer relationship strategies.

There are countless studies focused on defining and measuring impulsive buyer behavior; however, there is a gap in measuring the impulsive buyer behavior of Muslim consumers and, most importantly, understanding the underlying factors. In addition, empiric research examining the state of impulsive buyer behavior of local Muslim consumers in Azerbaijan and, most importantly, measuring the impact of numerous factors behind it is absent. The majority of the available empirical research in Azerbaijan analyzes consumer behavior from a different perspective. However, none of them approaches it from the perspective of analyzing and measuring impulsive buying. The current study analyzes the impact of consumers’ hedonic motivations, materialist values, ability to retain self-control and psychological state on their impulse buying tendency.

This paper aims to explore the process by which four store environment (music, light, employee, and layout) and two individual characteristics (shopping enjoyment tendency (SET) and impulse buying tendency (IBT)) influence impulse buying behavior through positive and negative affect, and urge to buy impulsively.

The data were obtained using a structured questionnaire from 733 respondents in a mall survey conducted in Chennai, South India.

In the structural model tested with AMOS, the authors found that store environment drove impulse buying (IB) through positive affect and urge. Results also showed that the personality variables (SET and IBT) influenced IB through positive affect and urge. This paper did not find support for the relationship between negative affect and urge.

Theoretically, the authors add to the list of antecedents of impulse buying, and to the outcomes of store environment. From a managerial viewpoint, the authors suggest that retail managers invest in improving the store environment to increase the level of impulse buying in their stores. Specifically, they need to focus on enhancing friendliness of store employees, playing appropriate music, designing proper layouts and having well-lit stores to encourage impulse buying.

Prior research studied the elements of the store independently and also its long-term impact. To the best of the authors' knowledge, their research is the first to study the impact of store environment (in conjunction with trait variables) on impulse buying.

This study aims to explain the effect of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) dimensions on firms’ export performance. The study has considered three dimensions of EO: innovativeness, proactiveness and risk-taking. Export performance has been measured through multifaceted determinants: financial, strategic and satisfaction levels of exporting firms.

To explain the association between such determinants, qualitative face-to-face, in-depth interviews were conducted with the respondents from the apparel manufacturing companies of Bangladesh. The study has also applied a content analysis technique to explore and triangulate the descriptions of EO dimensions on performance.

The research results reveal that EO has a meaningful explanation of export performance from the lived experience of the respondents. The study has also found frequent explanations and indicators about the association of innovativeness and proactiveness on export performance, but the risk-taking dimension has revealed no effects.

The research has different implications on theoretical, managerial and policy-making aspects of EO and export performance. Nevertheless, the findings are based on the opinions of a small sample of entrepreneurs and high-level managers. Thus, it is important to test the generalizability of these findings in future research using a larger sample.

This study indicated product, process and market creation innovativeness. Risks related to product innovation, new market entry and politics are considered for risk-taking measures, while proactive innovation, technology and new market searching are used for measuring proactiveness. Additionally, multifaceted performance determinants have been applied to evaluate export performance. Hence, this study is a unique qualitative analysis with important theoretical, practical and methodological implications.

This paper aims to investigate the impact of the revised Code of Corporate Governance 2017 (CCG-2017) clauses pertaining to board independence, mandatory inclusion of female directors, audit committee (AC) chair independence and directors’ expertise on earnings manipulation.

Using an unbalanced panel of 323 listed companies from 2015 to 2019, this study uses panel data regression models with a robust methodology called difference-in-differences to tackle the potential endogeneity.

This study’s findings show that, as compared to the pre-CCG-2017 period, board- and AC-related variables increased significantly in the post-CCG-2017 period. Furthermore, financial experts on the board and board independence have a negative effect on discretionary accruals (DAs), whereas female directors and DAs are positively related, as is real activity manipulation. The AC-related variables, such as AC independence, expertise in AC, and AC chair independence, are significantly different from the preperiod to the postperiod, whereas their relationship is not according to the hypotheses of the study. Moreover, these results are robust to additional analysis of the alternative proxies for female directorship and the endogeneity problem.

The findings of this study have implications for regulators and practitioners who are concerned with the functions of the board of directors (BOD). The findings of this research study show that earnings management (EM) may be reduced by independent and expert directors. However, board gender diversity is not reducing the EM. Therefore, the decision to appoint female directors to the board should be based on their business and professional attributes rather than simply filling quotas or blindly adhering to regulations. Moreover, the findings of this research may assist the regulator in encouraging listed firms to enhance board governance via independence, diversity and competency, which are useful for effective monitoring.

This study fills a gap in the literature by providing the first evidence of country-specific regulation (CCG-2017), concerning the BOD and AC-related clauses on EM in Pakistan, which is missing in the relevant literature general and in Pakistan in particular.

This paper aims to examine whether family business groups’ (FBG) having the same network auditor among their affiliates mitigates earnings manipulation (EM).

This paper used unbalanced panel data from the years 2010–2019. The sample of the study is composed of 327 nonfinancial listed Pakistan Stock Exchange firms, consisting of 187 FBG-affiliated firms and 140 nonaffiliated firms. The ordinary least square and generalized least square regressions have been used to check the hypothesized relationship. Furthermore, the propensity score matching technique is used to ascertain comparable companies’ features and to control the potential endogeneity problem. Finally, the results are robust to various measures of EM and FBG’ proxies.

The findings of the study show that the same network auditor is reducing EM in FBG affiliates. In addition, the BIG4 same network auditors are also instrumental in constraining EM as compared to non-BIG4 audit firms. Overall, the results of this study depict that the same network auditor in FBG’s affiliated firms significantly influences EM. These results are robust with respect to generalized least squares and the endogeneity problem.

This research study has two important implications for the interested parties. First, although the authors find in this research study that the same network auditor is negatively associated with EM in the FBG-affiliated firms, however, FBG-affiliated firms might use opportunistically the real activity manipulation. Second, regulators highlight the change in audit partner/firm rotation, though the study findings indicate that regulators and practitioners may consider the benefits associated with the same network auditors for FBG.

This research study adds a new investigation to previous literature by examining the role of the same network auditors in the EM of the FBG’ affiliates. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to bring new knowledge by investigating the role played by the same network auditors along with the BIG4 same network audit firms in constraining EM in FBG.

Since the 1990s, there has been a growing interest in style of information usage. However, most studies on style of information usage are conducted in developed countries. There is limited research on style of information usage in developing countries. The purpose of this paper is to fill the gap in the existing literature by examining relationships between style of information usage and use of financial and non‐financial information in Malaysia.

The authors adopted a survey method, for which a written questionnaire was prepared and mailed out to companies in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Terengganu and Pulau Pinang.

Findings of the study show that diagnostic style of information usage is positively associated with use of financial information, while interactive style of information usage is positively associated with use of non‐financial information. Further analysis on types of non‐financial information used by managers who adopt interactive style of information usage reveals that customer‐related non‐financial information such as quality, customer satisfaction and flexibility play a more important role in their decision‐making processes.

The paper provides insights into relationships between style of information usage on and use of accounting information in developing countries. Findings of the study can be applied to assist management accountants in meeting managers’ information requirements.