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The study aims to examine the role of health-care supply chain management during the COVID-19 pandemic in a cross-section of 42 selected sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries.

The study used cross-sectional robust least square regression for parameter estimates.

The results confirmed the N-shaped relationship between the health-care logistics performance index (HLPI) and COVID-19 cases. It implies that initially HLPI increases along with an increase in COVID-19 cases. Later down, it decreases COVID-19 cases by providing continued access to medical devices and personal protective equipment. Again, it increases due to resuming economic activities across countries.

The continuing health-care supply chain is crucial to minimize COVID-19 cases. The international support from the developed world in providing health-care equipment, debt resettlement and resolving regional conflicts is deemed desirable to escape the SSA countries from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The importance of the health-care supply chain during the COVID-19 pandemic is evident in the forecasting estimates, which shows that from August 2021 to April 2022, increasing the health-care supply chain at their third-degree level would reduce coronavirus registered cases. The results conclude that SSA countries required more efforts to contain coronavirus cases by thrice increasing their health-care logistics supply chain.

The study aims to analyze the role of coronavirus testing capacity to possibly reduce the case fatality ratio (CFR) in a large cross-section of countries. The study controlled health-care expenditures, logistics performance index (LPI), carbon damages, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) to understand the nature of causation between the CFR and stated factors.

The study used a cross-sectional regression apparatus for coefficient estimates and variance decomposition analysis (VDA) for forecasting relationships between the variables over time.

The results confirmed the W-shaped relationship between CFR and case-to-test ratio (CTR) in the presence of a LPI that exacerbates the CFR cases across countries. The VDA estimates suggest that carbon damages, logistics activities, and CSR are likely to influence CFR over time.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the study is believed to be the first study that assesses the W-shaped relationship between the CFR and CTR in the presence of dynamic variables, which helps to formulate long-term sustainable health-care policies worldwide.

Stakeholders' uncertainty about firms' value drives their urge to get information, as well as managerial disclosure choices. In this study, the authors examine whether and how an important source of uncertainty – the recent COVID-19 pandemic's effect on corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure – is beyond managerial and stakeholders' control.

The authors develop a novel construct for daily CSR disclosure by employing computer-aided text analysis (CATA) on the press releases issued by 125 New Zealand Stock Exchange (NZX) listed from 28 February 2020 to 31 December 2020. To capture COVID-19 intensity, the authors use the growth rate of the population-adjusted cumulative sum of confirmed cases in New Zealand on a specific day. To examine the association between the COVID-19 outbreak and companies' CSR disclosure, the authors employed ordinary least squares (OLS) regression by clustering standard error at the firm level.

The authors find a one standard deviation increase in the COVID-19 outbreak leads to a 28% increase in such disclosures. These results remained robust to a series of sensitivity tests and continue to hold after accounting for potential endogeneity concerns. In the channel analysis, the study demonstrates that the positive relationship between COVID-19 and CSR disclosure is more pronounced in the presence of a well-structured board (i.e. a large, more independent board and with a higher proportion of women on it). In further analysis, the authors find the documented relationship varies over the pandemic's life cycle and is moderated by government stringency response, peer CSR pressure and media coverage.

This paper is the first study that contributes to the scant literature examining the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on CSR disclosure. Prior research either investigates the relationship of the CSR-stock return during the COVID-19 market crisis or examines the relationship between corporate characteristics including the quality of financial information and the reactions of stock returns during COVID-19. The authors extend such studies by providing empirical evidence that managers respond to COVID-19 by increasing CSR disclosure.

This study aims to examine the relationship between electricity consumption per capita (ELEC) and real per capita income (Y), as the direction of causation of this relationship remains controversial in the existing literature. It also seeks to explore the relationship between energy consumption per capita (ENC) and real per capita income, over a 34‐year period (between 1975 and 2009).

The study uses Johansen cointegration technique to determine the short‐ and long‐run relationship between the variables. The authors also utilize Granger causality test to determine the causal relationship between the selected variables.

The study provides evidence of bi‐directional causality between the electricity consumption per capita and real per capita income on one hand; and energy consumption per capita and real per capita income on the other hand as the direction of causality has significant policy implications.

This study does not include all dimensions of the energy growth, but is limited to the three variables which the authors consider to be critical to economic development, including energy consumption, electricity consumption and economic growth.

The study uses a sophisticated econometric technique with additional tests of forecasting framework to examine the effect of energy demand on economic growth over a period of the next ten years, i.e. 2010‐2019, in the context of Pakistan. The impulse response describes the reaction of the system as a function of independent variable that parameterizes the dynamic behavior of the system.

The purpose of this paper is to identify major macroeconomic factors that enhance foreign direct investment (FDI) for Pakistan through the co‐integration and error correction model over a 28‐year time period, i.e. between 1980 and 2008.

The study employed the Johansen co‐integration technique to estimate the long‐run relationship between the variables, while an error correction model was used to determine the short‐run dynamics of the system.

Finding suggests that FDI has had a significant positive impact on Pakistan's economic growth in the long run. For example, trade liberalization and their interactive terms have a positive effect in the short run, while a negative effect is observed in the long run upon economic growth of Pakistan. The results indicate that due to a low quality of human capital in Pakistan; the direct effect of FDI on economic growth becomes negative.

The study was limited to a few variables, including human capital, trade openness, government size, population and consumer price index, in order to manage robust data analysis.

The authors find that for FDI to be a significant contributor to economic growth in Pakistan, government must focus upon improving physical infrastructure, and quality of human resources.

The study confirms that Pakistan did not enjoy substantial growth benefits from FDI because human capital, trade openness, government size and interactive terms of FDI and per capita income have a negative impact on economic growth. These findings have important policy implications.

This paper aims to evaluate the extent of materiality assessment disclosures in sustainability reports and their determinants. The study examines the disclosure practices of listed companies based in the member states of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, colloquially referred to as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

First, the materiality assessment disclosures were scored through a content analysis of sustainability reports published by listed GCC companies during a five-year period from 2013 to 2017. Second, a fixed effect ordered logic regression was used to examine the determinants of materiality assessment disclosures.

While sustainability reporting rates improved across the sample period, a significant majority of listed GCC companies do not engage in sustainability reporting. The use of internationally recognised standards has also declined. While reporters provide more information on their materiality assessment, the number of sustainability reports that offer information on how the reporter identifies material issues has declined. These trends potentially indicate the existence of managerial capture. Materiality assessment disclosure scores are positively influenced by higher financial performance (Return on Assets), lower leverage and better corporate governance. However, company size and market-to-book ratio do not influence materiality assessment disclosures.

The findings may prove useful to managers responsible for preparing sustainability reports who can benefit from the examples of materiality assessment disclosures. An evaluation of the materiality assessment should be included in the scope of assurance engagements and practitioners can use the examples of best practice when evaluating sustainability reports. Stock exchanges may consider developing improved corporate governance guidelines as these will lead to materiality assessment disclosures.

The findings may assist in improving sustainability reporting quality, through better materiality assessment disclosures. This will allow corporate stakeholders to evaluate the reporting entities underlying processes, which leads to transparency and corporate accountability. Improved corporate sustainability reporting supports the GCC commitment to implement the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and transition to sustainable development.

This study addresses the call for greater research examining materiality within a sustainability reporting context. This is the first paper to examine sustainability reporting quality in the GCC region, focussing particularly on materiality assessment disclosures.

There is increased social discussion of the emerging issues of opioid use, health and well-being of young adults within contemporary Asian society. The purpose of this study is to contribute new knowledge of opioid-using young adults through ethnographic perspectives of the five main cultures of Pakistan. Furthermore, it tried to explore the values of opioid users.

It is a qualitative study. Semi-structured interview and observation techniques were used to gain the participants’ information, in a non-judgmental environment. Observation and life focus history interview methodology were used for data collection. The sample consisted of 18 male opioid users (approximately three from each area including: Punjab, Khyber Pakhtoon Khah, Balochistan, Sindh, Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir). An interview script was used in interviews after written informed consent. After the detailed interview and observation of non-verbal behaviours, the researchers analysed the data by using the content analysis of qualitative method.

The result showed that poor relationships, conflicts over property, lack of social support and family problems increased with the use of opioids by individuals. The individual’s mental health, such as hopelessness, curiosity, mistrust and lack of interest in social activities, was the major cause of opioid addiction. Moreover, peer influences and friends may also have played contributing roles in opioids use among men.

The current study added to the understanding of the relationship of different environmental, behavioural and social factors involved in developing opioid use among young individuals. The homogeneity of the sample may have weakened the generalisability of the findings of the study as all participants in the study were male.

Clinicians and allied professionals have shown a great interest in early intervention with opioid users. At the same time, there is a lack of qualitative studies exploring the lived experiences of young opioid users. That is why this study was done, to empower counsellors.

Opioids, including heroin, have strong addictive tendencies. They are easily available, particularly in unplanned urban areas of Pakistan. The present study tried to understand the lived experiences and beliefs of opioid users belonging to different cultures of Pakistan.

At the same time, there is a lack of qualitative studies exploring the lived experiences of adult opioid users. Therefore, this study presented 18 interview-based facts from the opioid users belonging to different areas of Pakistan residing in capital of Pakistan. The content of these vignettes was examined in the context of an ethnographic perspective, as it has a strong connection and contribution to drug abuse.