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This research investigated how students are becoming teachers of primary school (ages 5–11) physical education (PE), using a physical literacy (PL) approach (Whitehead, 2010). Primarily methodological, the purpose was to disrupt how to investigate this topic since research highlights that the philosophy underpinning PL makes the concept difficult to operationalize (Shearer et al., 2018).

PE settings are inherently lively, and the author retained this in the analytic insights from what she called a “methodological meshwork” (Law, 2004; Ingold, 2006). Informed by phenomenology, posthumanism and sociomaterialism, data gathering included observations, interviews with artefacts, with humans, and tweets as part of the methodological meshwork. Diagrammatic presentations accompany written text, whilst also doing work in themselves (Decuypere and Simon, 2016). The author followed the actors (Adams and Thompson, 2016), thus entered the middle of data, such as lesson plan or physical education equipment.

Onto-epistemological entanglements (Barad, 2007) are presented in an interweaving format. Thus, theory is discussed alongside the empirical and shows that a PL informed approach to PE is evident in multiple places-spaces.

Broader issues are raised about methodological assumptions that inform investigations of PL and practice generally. It is hoped that these may be relevant to a wider professional audience as well as those in physical and teacher education.

This study aims to identify problems connected to information classification in theory and to put those problems into the context of experiences from practice.

Five themes describing problems are discussed in an empirical study, having informants represented from both a public and a private sector organization.

The reasons for problems to occur in information classification are exemplified by the informants’ experiences. The study concludes with directions for future research.

Information classification sustains the basics of security measures. The human–organizational challenges are evident in the activities but have received little attention in research.

Using data from business reorganization processes under Act 1116 of 2006 in Colombia during the period 2008 to 2018, a model for predicting the success of these processes is proposed. The paper aims to validate the model in two different periods. The first one, in 2019, characterized by stability, and the second one, in 2020, characterized by the uncertainty generated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A set of five financial variables comprising indebtedness, profitability and solvency proxies, firm age, macroeconomic conditions, and industry and regional dummies are used as independent variables in a logit model to predict the failure of reorganization processes. In addition, an out-of-sample analysis is carried out for the 2019 and 2020 periods.

The results show a high predictive power of the estimated model. Even the results of the out-of-sample analysis are satisfactory during the unstable pandemic period. However, industry and regional effects add no predictive power for 2020, probably due to subsidies for economic activity and the relaxation of insolvency legislation in Colombia during that year.

In a context of global reform in insolvency laws, the consistent predictive ability shown by the model, even during periods of uncertainty, can guide regulatory changes to ensure the survival of companies entering into reorganization processes, and reduce the observed high failure rate.

The purpose of this study is to examine whether financial markets value a firm’s specific corporate environmental performance (CEP), i.e. its energy efficiency. This study also investigates the mechanism through which energy efficiency is associated with firm value.

For the empirical study, a sample of 324 US-listed non-financial firms during the period 2006–2019 was accessed from Thomson Reuters Refinitiv. Using baseline ordinary least squares regression models, this study first estimates the association between energy efficiency and firm value. It then tests the role of analyst coverage (the number of sell-side financial analysts following the firm) in ascertaining the value relevance of energy efficiency. To ensure the robustness of the results, alternative estimations including endogeneity and sample bias correctness tests were performed.

The study shows that energy efficiency is associated with firm value, and the role of analyst coverage as an external corporate governance mechanism is positive and significant on the value relevance of energy efficiency. Furthermore, this study documents that the relationship is shaped by sustainability-related internal and external risks, indicating that financial analysts’ role becomes more imperative when firms are subject to high scrutiny.

This study contributes to the literature by examining the intersections of energy efficiency, analyst coverage and firm value. It attempts to demonstrate how and why CEP and financial performance are linked. In the context of growing environmental concerns, the pressure of climate change and achievement of net-zero carbon emissions, this study provides valuable insights into the financial market wherein firms’ environmentally responsible behaviours are value-enhancing, and governance mechanisms are impactful. This study suggests that financial analysts can serve as an effective external corporate governance mechanism.

This study aims to investigate how a firm's management team's capacity to efficiently use its resources affects the firm's exposure to climate change. Specifically, the authors investigate the intriguing question – does managerial ability affect a firm's climate change exposure?

The authors use an unbalanced panel dataset of 4,230 US based firms listed on Compustat from 2002–2019 and test the hypothesis by panel regression analysis. To mitigate endogeneity concerns, difference-in-differences and instrumental variable approaches are used.

The baseline analysis shows a negative, statistically significant impact of managerial ability on climate change exposure. The findings hold after controlling for endogeneity using two-stage least squares regression and difference-in-differences tests. The authors find the negative effect is stronger for managers engaged in socially responsible activities, and after climate change issues receiving greater public awareness following the 2006 release of the Stern Review and the 2016 signing of the Paris Accord.

Motivated by the resource-based theory and the natural resource-based view of the firm model, the empirical results support the view that greater managerial ability protects the firm against environmental challenges through efficient use of firm resources. Compared with traditional climate change measures that are plagued by disclosure issues, the use of the Sautner, Van Lent, Vilkov and Zhang's machine learning based dataset utilizing earning conference calls provides stronger, robust findings that will be useful to management and investors in environmental performance assessments.

Motivated by the resource-based theory and the natural resource-based view of the firm model, the empirical results support the view that greater managerial ability protects the firm against environmental challenges through efficient use of firm resources. Compared with traditional climate change measures that are plagued by disclosure issues, the use of the machine learning based dataset utilizing earning conference calls provides stronger, robust findings that will be useful to management and investors in environmental performance assessments.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the level of sustainability reporting [environmental, social and governance (ESG)] and sectorial energy performance across both developed and emerging economies.

Using data culled from 3,311 observations from 50 different countries over a ten-year period (2008–2017), an ESG-score-derived independent variable is regressed against dependent performance indicator variables (operation ratio, return on equity and Tobin’s Q). Two types of control variables complete the regression analysis in this study: firm-specific and macroeconomic.

The findings of this study elicited from the empirical results demonstrate that there is a significant relationship between ESG and operational performance (operation ratio). However, there is no significant relationship between ESG and financial performance (return on equity) and market performance (Tobin’s Q). However, the relationship between ESG and operation ratio is stronger in emerging than in developed economies.

The model in this study presents a valuable analytical framework for exploring sustainability reporting as a driver of performance across energy sectors in both developed and emerging economies. In addition, this study highlights energy-sectorial managerial implications contrasting developed, as juxtaposed with, emerging economies.

The global economy has witnessed an exponential increase in cross-border acquisitions (CBAs) by emerging market companies (EMCs), demanding a relook at their internationalization strategy. The purpose of the study is to investigate whether the announcement of CBAs by EMCs creates value for the equity-holders of acquiring firms and identify factors affecting the valuation of acquiring companies.

The paper investigates the announcement impact of CBAs of CNX Nifty 500 Indian and SSE 380 Chinese companies. The event study analysis of 553 Indian and 125 Chinese acquisitions supports the contention that CBAs are indeed a strategic choice of EMCs for value creation.

CBAs generate positive and statistically significant abnormal returns for shareholders of both Indian and Chinese acquirers. The markets, however, differ in terms of their motivations; country-level factors have been observed to exert significant influence on the returns of Indian acquirers. Indian companies experience larger value creation on acquiring firms established in developed, institutionally closer and/or economically distant markets. The findings support the asset-seeking motive of Indian companies.

The research work contributes to the evolving stream of CBAs literature with a focus on the globalization strategies of EMCs. The present study is a modest attempt to lay the foundation for a new theoretical framework (asset-seeking perspective) of overseas acquisitions from emerging economies. The existing studies on emerging economies have emphasized, in isolation, either Indian CBAs or international acquisitions by Chinese firms. Being so, the study is unique and original in the sense that it is a comparative study of India and China.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on small and medium-size enterprises’ (SMEs') performance by exploring the role of mediating variables such as brand trust (BT) and brand loyalty (BL) in the context of an emerging market.

Based on a extend literature review on CSR, BT and BL studies, the authors evaluate the impact of those construct on SMEs’ performance in an emerging market. The paper follows a quantitative approach. In total, 247 responses were collected from 300 samples. The Smart Partial Least Squares SEM (version) was used to analyze the data of the SMEs of Vietnam in the year 2020.

The findings revealed significant and positive relationships among the variables in the model, such as CSR and firm performance (FP), CSR and BT, CSR and BL, as well as the mediating effect of BT and BL between CSR and firm performance.

First, the sample was composed of small business from different segments, thus the respondents' perspective about CSR can differ according the impact of the business on society. Therefore, future studies could address businesses from a single segment to get a deeper understanding of their knowledge and involvement with CSR. Second, a cross-cultural study in emerging countries can be a rich venue for future research. Third, this study was developed through a quantitative approach; thus, the future research can apply qualitative approach or mixed methods to extend the study findings.

Managerial level of firm should prioritize noneconomic-related CSR; however, those will ultimately drive financial indicators of FP. The result is reasonable because firm simultaneously keeps committed with its stakeholders by delivering the committed qualification, transparency in operation and consistency in communication, environment respect, employee development and social welfare integrated directly into business activities. Those will result in creating love, trust and admiration from stakeholder, customers for brand and firms will get their engagement and support in many ways. This implication suggests that firm should incorporate CSR strategy into their core business activities and practice properly toward its stakeholders.

This study contributes to the CSR literature in emerging context by shedding light on the roles of CSR in FP with the mediation roles of BT and BL. Most CSR studies focused on Western context as developed economy, thus less attention has been paid for emerging economy. While there is increasing interest CSR in Vietnam, traditional culture and its distinctive economic and political structure has had a great influence on CSR in Vietnam. Thus, this study is important and meaningful for business practitioners, investors, shareholders and policymakers toward sustainable development for firms and Vietnam as a whole.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that explores the mediating role of BT and BL between CSR and FP for SMEs. The findings of this study may be of great implications to entrepreneurs, top management with respect to strategic perspectives to drive their businesses and to improve their FP in a sustainable direction in contexts of emerging markets. In addition, this finding may be of great interest to motive SMEs' managers to engage with CSR actions where those businesses are situated during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. By that understanding, Government may consider for policy reforms/innovation/groundbreaking to leverage businesses to promote their strengths toward sustainable development in the new economic settings. The findings of this study may be of significant contribution to SMEs in Vietnam and in others in emerging economies.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between suicide rates broken down by gender and socio-economic factors in the Slovak Republic.

This paper uses panel data of 79 counties of the Slovak Republic for the period 1997–2019. Methodology used includes fixed effects regression and sensitivity analysis. Also, regressions with lagged variables are used.

The results show that per capita income and unemployment rate are associated with increased risk of suicide rates for both genders. Economic growth is negatively correlated and significant only for women. Women’s participation in the labor market does not have a significant impact. Social factors, such as divorce and fertility rate, have a significant effect on men but insignificant on women. Strong faith is associated with increasing men’s suicide rates. Sensitivity analysis confirmed the results. This paper also examined the possibility of cumulation of the effects by using lagged variables. Unemployment rate has a significant effect only in the simultaneous year and for men only. Per capita income and economic growth have insignificant impact for both the genders. Divorce rate has a significant positive relationship for men, if measured in the previous year. The fertility rate is negatively correlated with the suicide rate of women up to two years after the birth. Higher participation of women in the labor market has a positive relationship with men’s suicides in the simultaneous year.

Few limitations of this paper need to be stated. First, the data are not balanced, as data for some districts and years are missing. Also, it is possible to collect data only for a maximum period of 29 years (as the Slovak Republic exists only from year 1993). Moreover, important variables in suicide research, like alcohol consumption or drug use, are not collected on the district level. Therefore, poor data availability is putting barriers to research of this area in the Slovak Republic. Second, there is a lack of previous studies in the Slovak Republic. According to the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to deal with issue of suicides and socio-economic factors in the Slovak Republic; therefore, some important factors of the Slovak Republic influencing the results of this paper may be missed. Third, limitations in the methodological approach might influence the paper. The lagged-variables approach might require further methodological improvements and research like implementing a structural regression model.

According to knowledge of the authors, this relationship has not yet been examined in Slovakia. This provided space for this paper. According to the information presented in this paper, it is important to take individual economic and social circumstances into account when developing suicide prevention programs. The results of this paper may lead to useful guidelines for health policymakers, but addressing this issue certainly requires further research.