Sustainability reporting and performance of MENA banks: is there a trade-off?

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amina Buallay ◽  
Sayed M. Fadel ◽  
Jasim Yusuf Al-Ajmi ◽  
Shahrokh Saudagaran
Keyword(s):  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Tobin’S Q ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Tobin's Q ◽  
Financial Return ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Country Specific

Purpose Sustainability reporting has been widely adopted by firms worldwide given stakeholders’ need for more transparency on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. This study aims to investigate the relationship between ESG and bank’s operational (return on assets [ROA]), financial (return on equity [ROE]) and market performance (Tobin’s Q) in a group of emerging countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Design/methodology/approach This study examines 59 banks listed on the stock exchanges of MENA countries over a period of 10 years (2008-2017). Only conventional banks with all data for at least two years are included in the sample. The core independent variable is ESG scores, and the dependent variables are ROA, ROE and Tobin’s Q. This study uses bank- and country-specific control variables to measure the relationship between sustainability reporting and bank’s performance. Findings The findings from the empirical results demonstrate a significant positive impact of ESG on performance and economic benefits to shareholders. However, the relationship between ESG disclosures varies individually; unlike the majority of published research, the authors found that social performance plays a negative role in determining bank’s profitability and value. Furthermore, the authors present evidence in support of the impact of bank- and country-specific factors in determining bank’s performance. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the impact of sustainability reporting on banks’ performance in the MENA region. It provides evidence that questions the positive relationship between sustainability reporting and financial measures of performance.

Is sustainability reporting (ESG) associated with performance? Evidence from the European banking sector

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amina Buallay
Keyword(s):  
Banking Sector ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Tobin’S Q ◽  
Return On Assets ◽  
Tobin's Q ◽  
Financial Return ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Return On Equity ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose Sustainability reporting has been widely adopted by firms worldwide given the need of stakeholders for more transparency on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between ESG and bank’s operational (Return on Assets), financial (Return on Equity) and market performance (Tobin’s Q). Design/methodology/approach This study examined 235 banks for ten years (2007-2016) to ends up with 2,350 observations. The independent variable is the ESG disclosure; the dependent variables are performance indicators (return on assets, return on equity and Tobin’s Q). Two type of control variables are utilized in this study: bank specific and macroeconomic. Findings The findings deduced from the empirical results demonstrate that there is significant positive impact of ESG on the performance. However, the relationship between ESG disclosures is vary if measured individually; the environmental disclosure found positively affect the ROA and TQ. Whereas, the corporate social responsibility disclosure is negatively affect the three models. However, the corporate governance disclosure found negatively affects the ROA, ROE and positively affects the Tobin’s Q. Originality/value The results of this study can be used to present a successful model for worldwide banks to concentrate on the role of ESG disclosure in performance.

Corporate governance mechanisms and corporate performance of firms in Nigeria and Ghana

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha Coleman ◽  
Mengyun Wu
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Ownership Structure ◽  
Financial Distress ◽  
Corporate Performance ◽  
Tobin’S Q ◽  
Tobin's Q ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Structure Index ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThis study investigates the impact of corporate governance (CG) mechanisms with inclusion of compliance and diligence index on corporate performance (CP) of firms in Nigeria and Ghana. It further examines the moderating effect of financial distress on the relationship between CG and CP.Design/methodology/approachThe study used panel data of 102 nonfinancial listed firms of Nigeria and Ghana stock exchange for the period 2012–2016 with total observation of 510. The study first used OLS in estimating the influence of CG mechanisms on CP. Due to multicollinearity in the independent variables, ridge regression was employed.FindingsIt was revealed that ownership structure index and board compliance and diligence index, board size, board disclosure, ownership structure, shareholders' right and board compliance and diligence index had positive influence on ROA and ROE. Growth of Tobin's Q depends on board procedure and board compliance and diligence index. Also, financial distress (ZFS) negatively moderates the relationship between board structure index, board disclosure index, board procedure index, shareholders' right and performance (ROA and ROE) but negatively moderates between ownership structure index and Tobin's Q.Practical implicationsThis study provides interesting findings to policymakers in full implementation of CG codes as stated by OCED (2015) by West African firms with greater emphasis on compliance and diligence index since it positively influences all CP measures.Originality/valueThe study provides evidence of the importance of the introduction of the new index: compliance and diligence, which looks at disclosure of CSR activities. This has been overlooked by most researchers especially in Africa in assessing quality CG mechanisms.

Reconsidering the role of Tobin’s Q

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 222-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark J. Holmes ◽  
Nabil Maghrebi
Keyword(s):  
Error Correction ◽  
Tobin’S Q ◽  
Tobin's Q ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Investment Expenditure ◽  
Long Run ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Long Run Equilibrium ◽  
Real Investment

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate nonlinearities in the behavior of investment expenditure. Conventional wisdom suggests that Tobin’s Q criterion is an important explanation of investment behaviour that bridges the financial and real sides of the economy. However, the empirical evidence in support of Q as a means of explaining aggregate business investment is rather weak. We answer a number of questions about the relationship between investment expenditure and Q. In particular, is the relationship governed by non-linearities? If so, what is the nature of the non-linearities present? Design/methodology/approach – The rationale for paying closer attention to non-linearities is based on the presence of information asymmetries and possible dependence of adjustments on non-linearities with respect to factors such as fixed costs, threshold effects and irreversibility, which are entertained in the investment literature. Using the non-linear vector error-correction model procedure advocated by Hansen and Seo, we show that in the context of the US economy, investment has a long-run relationship with Q that is based on threshold error correction. Findings – There are asymmetries present with respect to error correction or the speed of adjustment towards long-run equilibrium. We find that investment expenditure only responds significantly to long-run disequilibrium from Q during a particular regime. Such a regime is characterised by long-run disequilibrium based on high or rising investment expenditure compared with a relatively weak stock market. Originality/value – The authors provide new insights into the relationship between Tobin’s Q and real investment. In contrast to previous work, they find that error correction based on the adjustment of real investment is regime-specific and function of the size of departures from long-run equilibrium. The tests also allow for the identification of periods when error correction has occurred. Not only are these insights significant for future research on financial crises, market volatility and the impact of debt, but for policymaking purposes as well.

The impact of information sharing legislation on cybersecurity industry

2020 ◽  
Vol 120 (9) ◽  
pp. 1777-1794
Author(s):  
Agnes Yang ◽  
Young Jin Kwon ◽  
Sang-Yong Tom Lee
Keyword(s):  
Information Sharing ◽  
Practical Implication ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Tobin’S Q ◽  
Tobin's Q ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Sample Test ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe objective of this paper is to investigate how firms react to cybersecurity information sharing environment where government organizations disseminate cybersecurity threat information gathered by individual firms to the private entities. The overall impact of information sharing on firms' cybersecurity investment decision has only been game-theoretically explored, not giving practical implication. The authors therefore leverage the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 (CISA) to observe firms' attitudinal changes toward investing in cybersecurity.Design/methodology/approachThe authors design a quasi-experiment where they set US cybersecurity firms as an experimental group (a proxy for total investment in cybersecurity) and nonsecurity firms as a control group to measure the net effect of CISA on overall cybersecurity investment. To enhance the robustness of the authors’ difference-in-difference estimation, the authors employed propensity score matched sample test and reduced sample test as well.FindingsFor the full sample, the authors’ empirical findings suggest that US security firms' overall performance (i.e. Tobin's Q) improved following the legislation, which indicates that more investment in cybersecurity was followed by the formation of information sharing environment. Interestingly, big cybersecurity firms are beneficiaries of the CISA when the full samples are divided into small and large group. Both Tobin's Q and sales growth rate increased for big firms after CISA.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors’ findings shed more light on the research stream of cybersecurity and information sharing, a research area only explored by game-theoretical approaches. Given that the US government has tried to enforce cybersecurity defensive measures by building cooperative architecture such as CISA 2015, the policy implication of this study is far-reaching.Originality/valueThe authors’ study contributes to the research on the economic benefits of sharing cybersecurity information by finding the missing link (i.e. empirical evidence) between “sharing” and “economic impact.” This paper confirms that CISA affects the cybersecurity industry unevenly by firm size, a previously unidentified relationship.

Inflation shocks and income inequality

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 226-240
Author(s):  
Rolando Gonzales ◽  
Andrea Rojas-Hosse
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Algorithm ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Core Inflation ◽  
Research Gap ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Detrimental Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of inflationary shocks on inequality, using data of selected countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Design/methodology/approach Inflationary shocks were measured as deviations from core inflation, based on a genetic algorithm. Bayesian quantile regression was used to estimate the impact of inflationary shocks in different levels of inequality. Findings The results showed that inflationary shocks substantially affect countries with higher levels of inequality, thus suggesting that the detrimental impact of inflation is exacerbated by the high division of classes in a country. Originality/value The study contributes to the literature about the relationship between inflation and inequality by proposing that not only the sustained increase in prices but also the inflationary shocks – the deviations from core inflation – contribute to the generation of inequality. Also, to the best of the authors knowledge, the relationship between inflation shocks and inequality in the MENA region has never been analyzed before, thus creating a research gap to provide additional empirical evidence about the sources of inequality. Additionally, the authors contribute with a methodological approach to measure inflationary shocks, based on a semelparous genetic algorithm.

Bank regulation and credit crunch: evidence from MENA region commercial banks

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chawki EL-Moussawi ◽  
Mohamad Kassem ◽  
Josse Roussel
Keyword(s):  
Commercial Banks ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Banking Regulation ◽  
Capital Requirements ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Institutional Variables ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThis paper focuses on the relationship between the regulatory capital requirements and the supply of credit for commercial banks that are operating in the MENA region from 1999 till 2017.Design/methodology/approachThe application of the Fixed Effects Model on a panel of commercial banks in the MENA region has shown a negative relationship between supply of credit and both the capital requirements and solvency ratios.FindingsThe results showed that the idiosyncratic, the macroeconomic and the institutional variables affect the supply of credit behavior of banks. The robustness tests using the Two-Stage Least Square method (2SLS) also led to a negative correlation between the growth of credit and capital requirements. Specific macroeconomic and institutional variables have revealed the expected sign and are significant regardless of the estimated specifications.Research limitations/implicationsThis work can be subjected to further future extensions. The explanatory power of our model can be improved by incorporating variables that reflect the corporate governance and structure of banking sector. Similarly, we can also include a variable that takes into account the increasing competition that could affect the stability of the banking sector and therefore the prudential banking regulation.Originality/valuePrevious studies that investigated only the relationship between capital level and risk-taking behavior of banks in the MENA region did not take into account neither the economic and institutional environment nor the impact of these regulations on credit (loans) supply.

Are environmental strategies profitable for companies? The key role of natural competences from a resource-based view

2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (10) ◽  
pp. 2126-2148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franck Brulhart ◽  
Sandrine Gherra ◽  
Magalie Marais
Keyword(s):  
Economic Performance ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Resource Based View ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Simultaneous Development ◽  
Environmental Strategies ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between proactive environmental strategies (PES) and economic performance from a resource-based view. The authors determine the nature of this relationship and the processes and conditions that are involved. The mediating role of natural competences is a major focus, particularly the effect of their simultaneous development on economic performance. Design/methodology/approach The authors use structural equation modeling on a sample of 188 companies from the food-processing and household products industries in France. Findings The results confirm the positive impact of PES on economic performance. Unlike the natural competences individually, the simultaneous development of these competences mediates the relationship. The results also highlight the influence of conventional competences on economic performance and the impact of organizational and procedural competences on the level of simultaneously developed competences. Practical implications The study demonstrates the economic benefits of PES to practitioners. Moreover, it provides them the information on the key role of natural competences and how they can be developed to make PES profitable. Originality/value The findings support a “win-win” view of the PES-economic performance relationship, whereas prior studies showed contrasting evidence. The main contribution lies in the consideration of natural competences in this relationship and in their operationalization.

Effect of ownership structure and board structure on firm value: evidence from India

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 700-726 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rakesh Mishra ◽  
Sheeba Kapil
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Firm Performance ◽  
Performance Measures ◽  
Board Structure ◽  
Tobin’S Q ◽  
Reverse Causality ◽  
Tobin's Q ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This paper aims to explore the relationship of promoter ownership and board structure with firm performance for Indian companies. Design/methodology/approach Corporate governance structures of 391 Indian companies out of CRISIL NSE Index (CNX) 500 companies listed on national stock exchange (NSE) have been studied for their impact on performance of companies. Panel data regression methodology has been used on data for five financial years from 2010 to 2014 for the selected companies. Performance measures considered are market-based measure (Tobin’s Q) and accounting-based measure (return on assets [ROA]). Findings The empirical findings indicate that market-based measure (Tobin’s Q) is more impacted by corporate governance than accounting-based measure. There is significant positive association between promoter ownership and firm performance. It is also indicated that the relationship between promoter ownership and firm performance is different at different levels of promoter ownership. Board size is found to be positively related to ROA; however, board independence is not found to be related to any of the performance measures. Research limitations/implications Limitations of the study are in terms of data methodology and possible omission of some variables. It is felt that endogeneity and reverse causality might be better addressed using simultaneous equation methodology. Originality/value The paper adds to the emerging body of literature on corporate governance performance relationship in Indian context using a reasonably wider and newer data set.

Dividend policy and the downside risk in stock prices: evidence from the MENA region

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar Farooq ◽  
Harit Satt ◽  
Fatima Zahra Bendriouch ◽  
Diae Lamiri
Keyword(s):  
Stock Prices ◽  
Dividend Policy ◽  
Agency Problems ◽  
Downside Risk ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Firms ◽  
Dividend Policies ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to document the impact of dividend policies on the downside risk in stock prices.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use the data for non-financial firms from the MENA region to test our arguments by estimating the pooled OLS regressions. The data cover the period between 2010 and 2018.FindingsThis paper shows that firms with higher dividend payouts have significantly lower downside risk in their stock prices than the other firms. The findings of this paper are robust across various proxies of dividend policy and across various sub-samples. This paper contends that lower downside risk associated with the stock prices of firms paying high dividends is due to the fact that these firms have lower agency problems. Lower agency problems reduce the downside risk in stock prices.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, most of the prior research (covering the MENA region) overlooks the impact of dividend policy on the downside risk in stock prices. This paper fills this gap by documenting the relationship between the two by using the data for firms from the MENA region.

Sustainability reporting and bank performance after financial crisis

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amina Buallay ◽  
Sayed M. Fadel ◽  
Jasim Alajmi ◽  
Shahrokh Saudagaran
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Generalized Method Of Moments ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Bank Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The 2008 Financial Crisis ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This study aims to examine the relationship between sustainability reporting and bank performance after financial crisis in developed and developing countries. Design/methodology/approach This study examines 882 banks from developed and developing countries covering 11 years after the 2008 financial crisis. The independent variable is environmental, social and governance (ESG) scores. The dependent variables are return on assets, return on equity and Tobin’s Q. This study uses bank- and country-specific control variables to measure the relationship between sustainability reporting and bank performance. Findings The findings deduced from the empirical results demonstrate that ESG improves banks’ accounting and market-based performance in developed countries, supporting value creation theory. Using pooling regression and instrumental variable – generalized method of moments, this study finds that ESG weakens banks’ performance in developed and developing countries. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to investigate and compare the impact of sustainability reporting on banks’ performance in developed and developing countries. The study found similarities in the impact of sustainability reporting and the improvement of banks’ current and future performance.

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