Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Mauro Aliano Author-X-Name-First: Mauro Author-X-Name-Last: Aliano Author-Name: Greta Cestari Author-X-Name-First: Greta Author-X-Name-Last: Cestari Author-Name: Salvatore Madonna Author-X-Name-First: Salvatore Author-X-Name-Last: Madonna Title: Place-based policies and capital structure in the South of Italy Abstract: Productivity gaps between northern and southern Italian regions have been widening over recent years. In this paper, we provide some evidence-based suggestions to support and boost the Italian Government's measures for reducing regional disparities, such as the special economic zone and other place-based fiscal measures to stimulate private investments. We found asymmetrical effects of using equity to increase tangible investment according to company size, and an inverted U-shape pattern for the impact of loans. We argue that the tax rules and benefits of SEZs and other measures should be coupled with a deeper knowledge of companies' capital structure peculiarities. Journal: Global Business and Economics Review Pages: 30-58 Issue: 1 Volume: 34 Year: 2026 Keywords: capital structure; regional divide; special economic zones; SEZs; equity ownership; place-based policies. File-URL: http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=150337 File-Format: text/html File-Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers. Handle: RePEc:ids:gbusec:v:34:y:2026:i:1:p:30-58 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Gurmeet Singh Author-X-Name-First: Gurmeet Author-X-Name-Last: Singh Author-Name: Ravi Singla Author-X-Name-First: Ravi Author-X-Name-Last: Singla Title: Mapping the knowledge domain of corporate financial distress prediction Abstract: This study attempts to identify current dynamics, prominent contributors, and notable trends in the field of corporate financial distress prediction and to suggest future research possibilities. After final selection, 175 research articles, published between 1985 and July 2023, were used from Scopus database for the current research. According to the findings, corporate financial distress prediction has experienced rapid expansion in the recent years, particularly from 2009 onward. The analysis reveals that Asia (45.32%) and Europe (30.22%) continents account for the majority of research publications. Content analysis reveals the range of research areas that fall under the umbrella of corporate financial distress prediction. These include developing models to predict bankruptcy, applying and re-estimating developed models by including new variables, evaluating the sensitivity and stability of financial ratios and models, contrasting various models and variables, and examining the nature of distress risk and how it relates to stock returns. The current study will be useful for potential researchers who want to study in the field of financial distress or bankruptcy prediction. The study suggests untapped research topics in the field that might be the subject of future studies. Journal: Global Business and Economics Review Pages: 1-29 Issue: 1 Volume: 34 Year: 2026 Keywords: bankruptcy prediction; bankruptcy prediction models; bibliometric analysis; content analysis; corporate failure; default risk; financial distress; financial distress prediction; VOSviewer. File-URL: http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=150348 File-Format: text/html File-Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers. Handle: RePEc:ids:gbusec:v:34:y:2026:i:1:p:1-29 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Aafreen Khan Author-X-Name-First: Aafreen Author-X-Name-Last: Khan Author-Name: Ashu Khanna Author-X-Name-First: Ashu Author-X-Name-Last: Khanna Title: Review of share repurchase policy and future research agenda Abstract: The proliferation of literature concerning share repurchases, a fundamental component of payout policy, necessitates a comprehensive overview. The present research aims to synthesise the existing literature to clarify the conceptual and historical background of share repurchases. The dataset comprises 774 academic articles from the Scopus database spanning 56 years (1966-2022). Data analysis was conducted using the bibliometrix R package and VOS viewer software. The findings presented through tabular and network visualisations show the rising trend in publications, important journals, key research papers and authors, and important themes. Notably, research is concentrated in the USA and developed nations, revealing a dearth in developing countries. Subsequent studies may examine the impact of financial constraints and ESG orientation on corporate payout decisions. Further, the impact of repurchases on investment expenditure and corporate innovation can be investigated. The study will assist future researchers in identifying prominent studies, authors, thematic domains, and research gaps identified through this study. Journal: Global Business and Economics Review Pages: 59-92 Issue: 1 Volume: 34 Year: 2026 Keywords: bibliometric; co-citation; co-occurrence; literature review; share repurchase. File-URL: http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=150351 File-Format: text/html File-Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers. Handle: RePEc:ids:gbusec:v:34:y:2026:i:1:p:59-92 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Parul Goyal Author-X-Name-First: Parul Author-X-Name-Last: Goyal Author-Name: Deepa Mangala Author-X-Name-First: Deepa Author-X-Name-Last: Mangala Title: Impact of corporate governance and traditional motivations on share buyback decision: a Tobit regression approach Abstract: Share buyback has become a buzz in the recent corporate world. Numerous research around the world documented a variety of reasons for share buyback. The current research will extend prior research in the area of share buyback by considering the corporate governance characteristics with the traditional motives of buyback. The present paper covers the share buyback activity in India from the financial year 2016 to 2023. The final sample comprises 324 non-financial firms, listed in either the Bombay Stock Exchange or National Stock Exchange. The current study has employed Tobit regression model to ascertain the factor affecting the buyback decision. The findings re-affirm the significance of the undervaluation of the firm and information asymmetry as key determinants of share buyback decisions. Further, results provide strong empirical evidence that board characteristics have an impact on the share buyback decision. Furthermore, the present study captured the significant impact of the COVID-19 crisis on buyback activity. Moreover, the study reported that drivers of share buyback vary according to the type of share repurchase. Journal: Global Business and Economics Review Pages: 93-113 Issue: 1 Volume: 34 Year: 2026 Keywords: corporate governance; dividend; determinants; factors; hypotheses; India; information asymmetry; leverage; share buyback; share repurchase; signalling; economy; COVID-19; Tobit regression. File-URL: http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=150352 File-Format: text/html File-Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers. Handle: RePEc:ids:gbusec:v:34:y:2026:i:1:p:93-113 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Hisham Noori Hussain Al-Hashimy Author-X-Name-First: Hisham Noori Hussain Author-X-Name-Last: Al-Hashimy Author-Name: Jinfang Yao Author-X-Name-First: Jinfang Author-X-Name-Last: Yao Title: Financial management practices and their impact on organisational performance within the accounting information system in Iraq Abstract: This study explores the consequences of the financial management models on organisational performance within the accounting information system in Iraq, with special attention to budgeting, financial reporting, and risk management. The research employed partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) based on the data collected from a questionnaire of 500 managers in various business sectors in Iraq to discover how financial strategies affect managers' level of satisfaction. Execution of budget-making and financial decision-making operates better with precise budgeting and financial reporting. Nevertheless, risk management by a slight margin was considered less direct based on the fact-finding phase of the study. Real implications are concerned with providing funding and further modernisation in the Iraqi corporate sector, with plans and actions aligning with the corporate objectives. This study is distinctive in presenting the importance of financial management's role, particularly for Iraq, when little research exists. It is likewise presented to cover green management strategies after properly comprehending good financial leads. Journal: Global Business and Economics Review Pages: 114-134 Issue: 1 Volume: 34 Year: 2026 Keywords: Iraq; organisational performance; financial management; budgeting; financial reporting; risk management. File-URL: http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=150353 File-Format: text/html File-Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers. Handle: RePEc:ids:gbusec:v:34:y:2026:i:1:p:114-134 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Juanjuan Zhuo Author-X-Name-First: Juanjuan Author-X-Name-Last: Zhuo Author-Name: Masao Kumamoto Author-X-Name-First: Masao Author-X-Name-Last: Kumamoto Title: How do COVID-19 containment policies affect currency status? Abstract: We employed copula-dynamic conditional correlation and threshold approaches to investigate the status of the JPY, CHF, EUR and GBP during the COVID-19 period vis-à-vis various kinds of assets - specifically, stocks, government bonds, currencies and commodities. Further, we investigated how containment policies affected currency status. We classified currency status into diversifier, hedge and safe-haven currencies. Our main findings were as follows: first, while currency status' behaviours differ in different asset markets, the JPY acted as a hedge in stock, emerging countries' currency and commodity markets in tranquil periods, and acted as a safe haven in times of financial stress. Second, the currency of a country with strict containment policies tended to appreciate when market uncertainty increased, suggesting that the roles of the EUR, CHF and GBP as diversifiers and that of the JPY as a hedge strengthened. Third, vaccination might have contributed in reducing negative investor sentiment and their COVID-19-related concerns. Journal: Global Business and Economics Review Pages: 178-218 Issue: 2 Volume: 34 Year: 2026 Keywords: COVID-19; containment policy; vaccination; diversifier currency; hedge currency; safe-haven currency; global risk; equity market volatility; copula-DCC; threshold. File-URL: http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=151144 File-Format: text/html File-Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers. Handle: RePEc:ids:gbusec:v:34:y:2026:i:2:p:178-218 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Habila Abel Haruna Author-X-Name-First: Habila Abel Author-X-Name-Last: Haruna Author-Name: Akuraun Shadrach Iyortsuun Author-X-Name-First: Akuraun Shadrach Author-X-Name-Last: Iyortsuun Author-Name: Hyeladi Stanley Dibal Author-X-Name-First: Hyeladi Stanley Author-X-Name-Last: Dibal Title: Assessing the impact of capital market development, income level, and institutional quality on entrepreneurship in Africa Abstract: Entrepreneurship development in Africa suffers from numerous challenges among which include lack of access to finance. Over the years efforts by governments of African countries seem not to yield much. Therefore, there is growing attention on the capital market as a potential source of entrepreneurship financing. In this study, we explored whether capital market development, income level, and institutional quality contribute to entrepreneurship development in Africa. The study used panel data from 12 African countries from 2006-2020. The panel ARDL was employed to investigate the homogenous long-run and short-run, and potentially heterogeneous dynamic effects across countries in the panel. The findings revealed the presence of a long-run relationship between capital market development, income level, and entrepreneurship in Africa. Our study also found an inconsistent outcome in the short-run relationship between income level and entrepreneurship in Africa. The major limitation of the study is the unavailability of data in many African countries which limited the scope of our study. The study contributed to the finance-growth theoretical debate by establishing the role of capital market development on entrepreneurship and also, the predictive role of capital market development, income level, and institutional quality on entrepreneurship development in Africa. Journal: Global Business and Economics Review Pages: 157-177 Issue: 2 Volume: 34 Year: 2026 Keywords: capital market; entrepreneurship; finance-growth; income level; institutional quality; Africa. File-URL: http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=151145 File-Format: text/html File-Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers. Handle: RePEc:ids:gbusec:v:34:y:2026:i:2:p:157-177 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Md. Miad Uddin Fahim Author-X-Name-First: Md. Miad Uddin Author-X-Name-Last: Fahim Author-Name: Shabnaz Amin Author-X-Name-First: Shabnaz Author-X-Name-Last: Amin Title: An empirical investigation of herd behaviour in COVID-19 perspective: evidence from Dhaka stock exchange Abstract: This paper aims to examine the presence of herding behaviour in the Dhaka stock exchange (DSE), in light of the COVID-19 perspective with a sample of 351 firms listed with DSE for the period from 2016 to 2021. The study applied cross-sectional standard deviation (CSSD) and cross-sectional absolute deviation (CSAD) models to observe the herding behaviour by using both daily and monthly data where the time-frequency of the analysis has been segmented into three phases: pre-COVID, post-COVID, and the full study period (2016-2021). Based on daily observations, the findings document the herding behaviour, under the CSAD model, during the bull market condition in the pre-COVID period and the bearish market condition in the post-COVID period. The monthly data showed the presence of herding during extreme market conditions at a 1% significant level in the pre-COVID period and during the bull market condition in the post-COVID period. Journal: Global Business and Economics Review Pages: 219-240 Issue: 2 Volume: 34 Year: 2026 Keywords: herding behaviour; cross-sectional standard deviation; CSSD; cross-sectional absolute deviation; CSAD; COVID-19 pandemic; DSE; bull market; bearish market. File-URL: http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=151147 File-Format: text/html File-Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers. Handle: RePEc:ids:gbusec:v:34:y:2026:i:2:p:219-240 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Rini Kurnia Sari Author-X-Name-First: Rini Kurnia Author-X-Name-Last: Sari Author-Name: Muhammad Alfarizi Author-X-Name-First: Muhammad Author-X-Name-Last: Alfarizi Title: Financial market discipline in stability of Sharia banking: evidence from Indonesia state Abstract: The global banking sector, grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, faced economic challenges hindering growth. Sharia banking authorities and customers, emphasising financial transparency and consumer protection, recognised market discipline. Islamic banking, aligning with Islamic teachings, bolstered sector stability in Muslim nations. In Indonesia, deposits played a crucial role in enhancing liquidity and trust in Islamic banking. This research in Indonesia explores market discipline elements in Islamic banking, assessing their impact on deposit performance. Variables like returns on deposits, capital adequacy ratio (CAR), return on assets (ROA), BI7DRR, and inflation were considered. The study suggests increasing CAR for deposit growth, incorporating bank size in marketing strategy, and addressing inflation and BI7DRR for competitive rates. Financial authorities could incentivise CAR and support smaller banks. Journal: Global Business and Economics Review Pages: 135-156 Issue: 2 Volume: 34 Year: 2026 Keywords: bank size; BI7DRR; capital adequacy ratio; CAR; deposits performance; financial authorities; inflation; Indonesia; Islamic banks; market discipline; Indonesia. File-URL: http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=151152 File-Format: text/html File-Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers. Handle: RePEc:ids:gbusec:v:34:y:2026:i:2:p:135-156 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Dhara Padia Author-X-Name-First: Dhara Author-X-Name-Last: Padia Author-Name: Viral Bhatt Author-X-Name-First: Viral Author-X-Name-Last: Bhatt Title: Predicting mutual fund investors' continuous investment intention with the integration determinants of behavioural intention Abstract: This study examines mutual fund investors' continuous investment intention to behavioural intention. It is not easy to understand behavioural intention and what keeps mutual fund investors devoted. The survey included 628 mutual fund investors' responses by applying non-probability convenience sampling. Path analysis was performed on the direct and indirect impacts of influencing factors on intention. Moreover, necessary condition analysis (NCA) and mediation analysis were used to evaluate hypotheses using partial least structural equation modelling to determine the key factors affecting behavioural intention. The research found that financial knowledge, past behavioural bias, regulatory perception, social impact, financial well-being, hassle factors, and risk avoidance affect investment intention. Our study found that conveying regulatory confidence and operational convenience can reduce risk aversion's impact on attitudes. This study supports financial literacy treatments using more evidence. Investigative studies may priorities comprehending the ramifications of regulatory modifications and financial advancements on investor conduct within the mutual fund sector, offering significant insights for policy formulation and the creation of financial products. Journal: Global Business and Economics Review Pages: 241-269 Issue: 2 Volume: 34 Year: 2026 Keywords: mutual fund; investment intention; continuous investment intention; hassle factor; HSF; past behavioural bias; financial literacy; FIL; financial well-being; risk avoidance; RSA; social influence. File-URL: http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=151153 File-Format: text/html File-Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers. Handle: RePEc:ids:gbusec:v:34:y:2026:i:2:p:241-269