About the author preface acknowledgements -- Introduction -- Review of literature -- Theory -- Financial reporting environment in Bangladesh -- Research methodology -- The relative impact of accounting regulatory frameworks -- And politico-institutional factors -- The impact of training opportunities in the accounting -- Profession, corruption and country specific factors -- Theory of the role of the state in the implementation of IFRS -- Conclusions -- References -- Appendices -- Index
PurposeDue to scarcity of research in governance and accountability in private higher education in developing countries, the purpose of this paper is to explore the tensions surrounding good governance in legitimizing accountability in private universities in developing countries with reference to Bangladesh.Design/methodology/approachMixed methods are employed: a quantitative survey of 1,576 students from all 79 private universities; qualitative interviews with 23 stakeholders; and policy documents including the Private University Acts, the World Bank Report and newspapers (1992-2015) were evaluated. The objectives of these mixed methods in this study are juxtaposed and generate complementary insights that together create a bigger picture surrounding governance and accountability issues.FindingsUsing Clark's (1983) triangle model (i.e. state control, academic oligarchy, and market forces together with the external influence of donors and boards of trustees as internal governance) and new institutional theory (DiMaggio and Powell, 1983), the major contributions of this study are explaining the root causes of the poor governance of private universities through three related factors: the substantial political power and autonomy held by boards of trustees; a lack of enforcement of Private University Act; and a lack of coordination among stakeholders. The coercive power of the state becomes powerless since the board of trustees ultimately enjoys political power and "does whatever it can." The lack of coordination of the academic oligarchy (e.g. professors and academics) and market forces (represented by students) by the board of trustees creates a paradox of governance and hence a decoupling of formal policies and actual practice.Practical implicationsThe findings have major policy implications for local and international policymakers for improving good governance in private universities in developing countries.Originality/valueThe novelty of the study's findings represents an initial effort to understand the complex and persistent phenomenon of prolonged poor governance of private universities in developing countries, which is largely neglected in the literature. This will undoubtedly contribute to literature and policy implications.
The World Bank has pioneered the concept of "private" in developing countries with the aim of creating economic and social sustainability since the 1990s. This study examines private universities by focusing on the accountability framework in Bangladesh. Using a multi-method approach (a survey of 1,046 students from all 52 universities in the country and policy documents from 1992-2014), the study reveals that weak macro accountability (specifically, a vague regulatory framework, lack of enforcement, government leniency, and corruption) is a contributing factor in the unsuccessful drive for higher growth of private higher education institutions (HEIs). The study also raises a question on the success of the Washington Consensus in a developing country. The findings demonstrate that urgent attention is required from the Bangladesh government and donor agencies (The World Bank, the UNESCO, and the International Monetary Fund [IMF]).
Due to the globalisation and mobilisation of capital markets, the concept of EMH is gaining a lot of importance in both developed and emerging economies. Most of the researches on the weak-form efficiency to date were based on the developed countries. The present study will seek to provide a comprehensive understanding of the weak-form efficiency in emerging economies. In terms of practical implications, the paper has direct implications for future research in EMH in particular emerging economies. The paper contributes in manly three ways: First, the paper collates and examines the broader and most effervescent literature and their findings. Second, it also presents a comprehensive, encompassing research work and a holistic view of various aspects of weak-form EMH. Finally, no studies have been conducted to date on a literature review of EMH weak-form efficiency in emerging economies. Nevertheless, the limitation of the study is that the findings are presented that may not be generalized to developed nations, which may be quite different in socio-cultural and political settings including the behavioral aspects of investors and the strength of the capital market. Santrauka Dėl globalizacijos ir mobilizacijos kapitalo rinkose efektyvios rinkos hipotezės koncepcija įgyja vis didesnę svarbą tiek išsivysčiusiose, tiek sparčiai kylančios ekonomikos šalyse. Dauguma tyrimų, susijusių su mažu rinkos efektyvumu, buvo atliekami ekonomiškai stipriose valstybėse, tačiau šiame straipsnyje siekiama pateikti išsamų paaiškinimą apie mažą efektyvumą kylančios ekonomikos šalyse. Straipsnį sudaro trys dalys: pirmoji dalis skirta mokslinių darbų ir jų rezultatų analizei, antrojoje dalyje pateikiami autoriaus atlikto tyrimo rezultatai, susiję su efektyvios rinkos hipotezės reiškiniu, trečioji dalis susijusi su pagrindiniu šio straipsnio tikslu, t. y. kylančios ekonomikos mažo efektyvumo mokslinių darbų kritine analize įvairiose šalyse. Reikšminiai žodžiai:efektyvios rinkos hipotezė,mažas efektyvumas,rinkos efektyvumas,sparčiai kylanti ekonomika,Pietų Azija
Due to the globalisation and mobilisation of capital markets, the concept of EMH is gaining a lot of importance in both developed and emerging economies. Most of the researches on the weak-form efficiency to date were based on the developed countries. The present study will seek to provide a comprehensive understanding of the weak-form efficiency in emerging economies. In terms of practical implications, the paper has direct implications for future research in EMH in particular emerging economies. The paper contributes in manly three ways: First, the paper collates and examines the broader and most effervescent literature and their findings. Second, it also presents a comprehensive, encompassing research work and a holistic view of various aspects of weak-form EMH. Finally, no studies have been conducted to date on a literature review of EMH weak-form efficiency in emerging economies. Nevertheless, the limitation of the study is that the findings are presented that may not be generalized to developed nations, which may be quite different in socio-cultural and political settings including the behavioral aspects of investors and the strength of the capital market. Article in English. Kritinė kylančios ekonomikos mažo rinkos efektyvumo literatūros apžvalga Santrauka.Dėl globalizacijos ir mobilizacijos kapitalo rinkose efektyvios rinkos hipotezės koncepcija įgyja vis didesnę svarbą tiek išsivysčiusiose, tiek sparčiai kylančios ekonomikos šalyse. Dauguma tyrimų, susijusių su mažu rinkos efektyvumu, buvo atliekami ekonomiškai stipriose valstybėse, tačiau šiame straipsnyje siekiama pateikti išsamų paaiškinimą apie mažą efektyvumą kylančios ekonomikos šalyse. Straipsnį sudaro trys dalys: pirmoji dalis skirta mokslinių darbų ir jų rezultatų analizei, antrojoje dalyje pateikiami autoriaus atlikto tyrimo rezultatai, susiję su efektyvios rinkos hipotezės reiškiniu, trečioji dalis susijusi su pagrindiniu šio straipsnio tikslu, t. y. kylančios ekonomikos mažo efektyvumo mokslinių darbų kritine analize įvairiose šalyse. Reikšminiai žodžiai:efektyvios rinkos hipotezė,mažas efektyvumas,rinkos efektyvumas,sparčiai kylanti ekonomika,Pietų Azija
AbstractThe term "terrorism" is notoriously difficult to define, but terrorism has become a global concern over the last two decades. The findings of prior research on the social, political, and economic determinants of terrorism are mixed and inconclusive. Accordingly, this study investigates the relationship between socioeconomic indicators and terrorism in Tunisia for the period 1979–2015. The error correction model has been used to determine the stability of any long‐term relationship. Using autoregressive distributed lag bound testing, the findings reveal that the unemployment rate, political instability, the informal sector and higher school enrollment rates positively and significantly affect terrorism. However, gross domestic product per capita and foreign direct investment have a negative and significant impact on terrorism. Interestingly, the poverty rate has no relationship to terrorism. Policy implications and future research are also discussed.
Background: The spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) has resulted in a drastic alteration to billions of individuals' emotional, physical, mental, social, and financial status. As of July 21st, 2020, there had been 14.35 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 0.60 million deaths in 216 countries.Design and Methods: The study explores health and well-being in universities within the G20 countries (19 member countries and the European Union) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample selection of these countries was considered since it serves around 80% of the world's economic output, two-thirds of the global population (including more than half of the world's poor), and 75% of international trade. Specifically, due to this public health concern, schools' nationwide closures are impacting over 60% of the world's student population to promote their quality of life and well-being.Results: This study investigates the G20 policies and procedures within higher education regarding health and well-being measures during the COVID-19 epidemic. The findings reveal that the lockdown, social distancing, and self-isolation requirements are stressful and detrimental for many individuals and have caused students' health and well-being concerns.Conclusions: Several countries within the G20 have taken significant steps to support health and well-being issues for university students; however, numerous countries are far behind in addressing this issue. Hence, government leaders of G20 countries, policymakers, and health providers should promptly take the necessary measures to regulate the outbreak, improve safety measures to decrease disease transmission, and administer those who demand medical attention.
AbstractThe study adopted a systematic review approach to review the existing studies on the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and Earnings Management (EM). The aim of this study is to determine whether CSR is an effective tool to promote healthy relationships with stakeholders or CSR is used as an effective strategy by firm's mangers to hide out their involvement in (EM) practices. Results revealed that prior research on the CSR‐EM relationship is limited. The majority of the studies found an inverse relationship between CSR and EM. Moreover, mixed results were reported because of the lack of sufficient theoretical support, inappropriate research designs, and varying approaches to measure CSR and EM. This study also synthesizes the various consistencies and inconsistencies in the existing literature of CSR‐EM and future research agenda. Policymakers should reward organizations that pursue CSR purely for social and environmental concerns and at the same time they should be vigilant for those which use CSR for shielding their EM practices.
Comparatively less research has examined the effect of corporate governance (CG) elements on environmental sustainability reporting performance (ESRP) in South Asian (SA) countries. Further, no study in literature documents a cross-country examination of CG and ESRP in this region. The study takes three SA countries (Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan) and 88 listed organizations' sustainability reports during the years 2009-2016 from the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) database. The study considers a variety of mixed theoretical frameworks-i.e., agency, resource dependency, stakeholder, legitimacy and political cost theories-to indicate which ownership (foreign, institutional, director and family) and board characteristics (independence, size, diversity and committee) affect ESRP practices in the world's most environmentally vulnerable region. Our empirical results indicate ESRP has a positive association with foreign and institutional ownership, board independence, and board size. Moreover, we find director share ownership significantly relates with ESRP. In contrast, our results also reveal no association between ESRP and family ownership, female directorship, and CSR and environmental committees. We conclude that more family control, a lack of female participation, and the unavailability of resourceful management personnel primarily impedes ESRP practices in the SA countries' organizations. These findings have both theoretical and practical implications for academia, policy-makers, and corporate managers in this region.
