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This study aims to investigate the quality of disclosure of a cutting-edge reporting tool – integrated reporting (<IR>) – in terms of its effectiveness to report on COVID-19 pandemic information, its ability to provide forward-looking information and risk impact implications, and its quality determinants in challenging times.

Thanks to a content analysis of 247 <IR> for FY20, an integrated reporting disclosure score was developed to assess the disclosure quality provided by the sampled companies. Three research questions were tested through logistic regressions.

Non-financial disclosure activities struggle to provide adequate information in terms of potential future scenarios, risk assessment and forward-looking analyses. However, companies incorporated in “Anglo-Saxon” territories drafted integrated reports of higher quality. More recently, incorporated companies have made a greater effort to measure and report COVID-19 pandemic impacts on environmental, social and governance and business activities, also increasing their risk assessment and mitigation efforts. Concerning the determinants of disclosure quality, leverage, corporate governance structures, country of incorporation and belonging to “high impact” industries all lead to a higher quality of <IR> disclosure.

Examining in detail corporate social responsibility activities and corporate governance integrity is pivotal to orienting strategy towards sustainable trajectories: to do so, corporate reporting and disclosure practices are essential tools. In this context, corporate governance systems that emphasize board diversity are proven, even in disruptive circumstances, to play a crucial role in providing corporate reports of higher quality. High disclosure quality that goes beyond mere financial results is considered to be necessary to remain competitive strategically, socially and environmentally.

This study aims to examine the mediating effects of corporate governance mechanisms like the board of directors on the association between disruptive technology adoption by audit clients and the risk of material misstatements, including inherent risk and control risk. In particular, the authors study the mediating effects of board characteristics such as board size, independence and gender diversity.

Based on a sample of 100 audit clients listed on the FTSE 100 from 2015 to 2021, this study uses structural equation modelling to test the research objectives.

The findings indicate a significant and negative association between disruptive technology adoption by audit clients and inherent risk. However, there is no significant evidence observed for control risk. The utilisation of disruptive technology by the audit client has a significant impact on the board characteristics, resulting in an increase in board size, greater independence and gender diversity. The authors also find strong evidence that board independence mediates the association between disruptive technology usage and both inherent risk and control risk. In addition, board size and gender exhibit distinct and differential mediating effects on the association and across the two types of risks.

The study reveals that the significant role of using disruptive technology by audit clients in reducing the risk of material misstatements is closely associated with the board of directors, which makes audit clients place greater emphasis on the construction of effective corporate governance.

This study offers essential primary evidence that can assist policymakers and standard setters in formulating guidance and recommendations for board size, independence and gender quotas, ensuring the enhancement of effective governance and supporting the future of audit within the next generation of digital services.

With respect to relevant stakeholders, it is imperative for audit clients to recognise that corporate governance represents a fundamental means of addressing the ramifications of applying disruptive technology, particularly as they pertain to inherent and control risks within the audit client.

This study contributes to the existing literature by investigating the joint impact of corporate governance and the utilisation of disruptive technology by audit clients on inherent risk and control risk, which has not been investigated by previous research.

This paper aims to investigate how congruent keywords are used in information security policies (ISPs) to pinpoint and guide clear actionable advice and suggest a metric for measuring the quality of keyword use in ISPs.

A qualitative content analysis of 15 ISPs from public agencies in Sweden was conducted with the aid of Orange Data Mining Software. The authors extracted 890 sentences from these ISPs that included one or more of the analyzed keywords. These sentences were analyzed using the new metric – keyword loss of specificity – to assess to what extent the selected keywords were used for pinpointing and guiding actionable advice. Thus, the authors classified the extracted sentences as either actionable advice or other information, depending on the type of information conveyed.

The results show a significant keyword loss of specificity in relation to pieces of actionable advice in ISPs provided by Swedish public agencies. About two-thirds of the sentences in which the analyzed keywords were used focused on information other than actionable advice. Such dual use of keywords reduces the possibility of pinpointing and communicating clear, actionable advice.

The suggested metric provides a means to assess the quality of how keywords are used in ISPs for different purposes. The results show that more research is needed on how keywords are used in ISPs.

The authors recommended that ISP designers exercise caution when using keywords in ISPs and maintain coherency in their use of keywords. ISP designers can use the suggested metrics to assess the quality of actionable advice in their ISPs.

The keyword loss of specificity metric adds to the few quantitative metrics available to assess ISP quality. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, applying this metric is a first attempt to measure the quality of actionable advice in ISPs.

The global emphasis on sustainability is driving organizations to embrace financial technology (Fintech) solutions as a means of enhancing their sustainable performance. This study seeks to unveil the intermediary role played by green finance and competitiveness, along with the moderating impact of digital transformation (DT), in the intricate relationship between Fintech adoption and sustainable performance.

Drawing on existing literature, we construct a comprehensive conceptual framework to thoroughly analyse these interconnected variables. To empirical validate of our model, a dual structural equation modelling–artificial neural network) SEM–ANN approach was employed, adding a robust layer of validation to our study’s proposed framework. A sample of 438 banking employees in Pakistan was collected using a simple random sampling technique, with 411 samples deemed suitable for subsequent analysis. Initially, data scrutiny and hypothesis testing were carried out using Smart-PLS 4.0 and SPSS-23. Subsequently, the ANN technique was utilized to assess the importance of exogenous factors in forecasting endogenous factors.

The findings from this research underscore the direct and significant influence of Fintech adoption and DT on the sustainable performance of banks. Notably, green finance and competitiveness emerge as pivotal mediators, bridging the gap between Fintech adoption and sustainable performance. Moreover, DT emerges as a critical moderator, shaping the relationships between Fintech adoption and both green finance and competitiveness. The integration of the ANN approach enhances the SEM analysis, providing deeper insights and a more comprehensive understanding of the subject matter.

This study contributes to the enhanced comprehension of Fintech, green finance, competitiveness, DT and the sustainable performance of banks. Recognizing the importance of amalgamating Fintech adoption, green finance and transformational leadership becomes essential for elevating the sustainable performance of banks. The insights garnered from this study hold valuable implications for policymakers, practitioners and scholars aiming to enhance the sustainable performance of banks within the competitive business landscape.

Intellectual capital (IC) plays a crucial role in today’s volatile business landscape, yet its measurement remains complex. To better navigate these challenges, the authors propose the Integrated Intellectual Capital Measurement (IICM) model, an innovative, robust and comprehensive framework designed to capture IC amid business uncertainty. This study focuses on IC measurement models, typically reliant on secondary data, thus distinguishing it from conventional IC studies.

The authors conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) and bibliometric analysis across Web of Science, Scopus and EBSCO Business Source Ultimate in February 2023. This yielded 2,709 IC measurement studies, from which the authors selected 27 quantitative papers published from 1985 to 2023.

The analysis revealed no single, universally accepted approach for measuring IC, with company attributes such as size, industry and location significantly influencing IC measurement methods. A key finding is human capital’s critical yet underrepresented role in firm competitiveness, which the IICM model aims to elevate.

This is the first SLR focused on IC measurement amid business uncertainty, providing insights for better management and navigating turbulence. The authors envisage future research exploring the interplay between IC components, technology, innovation and network-building strategies for business resilience. Additionally, there is a need to understand better the IC’s impact on specific industries (automotive, transportation and hospitality), Social Development Goals and digital transformation performance.

Firms are driven to ride on the digital wave in today’s open innovation ecosystem. This study aims to explore the effect of digital transformation (DT) on knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) firms’ innovation ambidexterity, namely, radical versus incremental innovation, respectively. Meanwhile, the authors evaluated the moderating role of the complexity of R&D collaboration portfolio (i.e. organizational diversity and geographic diversity) in the above relationships.

Using a panel data set of 171 Chinese listed firms in the information and communications technology services industry from 2010 to 2018, the proposed hypotheses were empirically attested.

It is found that DT has a positive relationship with radical innovation and an inverted U-shaped relationship with incremental innovation. In terms of the R&D collaboration portfolio, organizational diversity positively moderates the relationships between DT and innovation ambidexterity, respectively. The geographic diversity weakens the inverted U-shaped effect of DT on incremental innovation; however, its moderating role in the link between DT and radical innovation is not empirically verified.

Extant scholars mainly addressed the interplay between KIBS firms and their manufacturing clients, while this study reveals the different consequences of DT on KIBS firms’ innovation ambidexterity to highlight the role of KIBS firms is an independent and essential innovator in a knowledge-driven economy. Notably, the findings contribute to knowledge management (KM) and R&D literature by confirming the diversity of the R&D collaboration portfolio is a critical KM strategy for KIBS firms to develop and promote external knowledge resources.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate and analyze the adoption of digital technologies in the banking industry and its impact on the rise of digital fraudulent activities, specifically focusing on online banking frauds. This paper aims to provide insights into the current technologies implemented by banks to secure their online banking systems and explores the methods used by cybercriminals to exploit security vulnerabilities in these systems.

In order to understand how digital technologies in banking can be secured against online fraud, this research conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) on digital banking, online banking fraud, and security measurements. The review encompasses a variety of sources from online databases such as Emerald Insight, Google Scholar, IEEE, JSTOR, Springer and Science Direct.

The key finding of the paper is that the adoption of digital technologies in the banking industry has led to a significant increase in digital fraudulent activities, particularly in the form of online banking frauds. This paper emphasizes that these frauds have become a global concern and have evolved into an industry where cybercriminals use sophisticated tools such as phishing attacks, denial-of-service attacks, Trojan horses, malware infections, identity theft and computer viruses.

This study relies solely on a literature review without incorporating primary data or case studies; therefore, it might miss out on the firsthand experiences and perspectives of banks and cybersecurity professionals.

This study emphasizes the need for banks to adopt advanced security measures to safeguard their online banking systems.

This study underscores the importance of ongoing training and awareness programs for both bank employees and customers.

This study specifically addresses the adoption of digital technologies in the banking industry and its correlation with the increase in digital fraudulent activities. This focus on the intersection of technology and fraud in the banking sector is a distinctive aspect. This study conducts a SLR to examine the current technologies implemented by banks to safeguard their online banking systems. This comprehensive approach provides insights into the diverse security measures used by banks to protect against various types of cyber threats.