Customer challenged

CEOs universally wish to know what customers are experiencing and what they make of their experiences, says Khaled Choudhury. Often, they don't have a clue. Is this because most businesses haven't looked outside for competent market researchers or the best customer relationship management software? Actually, it's more basic than that. There are six common barriers that must be overcome – and they are all inside the company.     

The perceived credibility of forward-looking performance disclosures

We investigate the credibility of forward-looking performance disclosures (FLPDs) in the narrative sections of annual reports, as perceived by investors. Our proxy for these disclosures is an index of statements about future performance. We find that companies issue more FLPDs when raising debt or conveying bad news in the financial statements. In the presence of these managerial incentives, investor reliance on FLPDs increases with the quality of earnings reported in the audited financial statements. Our results suggest that firms derive a benefit in terms of higher credibility for their narrative disclosures from having a reputation for high quality earnings.     

Spillover analysis across FinTech,ESG, and renewable energy indices before and during the Russia–Ukraine war: International evidence

This study is epicentral to analyze the impact of the Russia–Ukraine war on the financial markets, specifically focusing on the connectedness and spillover dynamics of FinTech, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), renewable energy, gold, and Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) indices in developed and emerging countries. Data are collected from Thomson Reuters, ranging from May 8, 2020, to May 11, 2022, and a time-varying parameter vector autoregression (TVP-VAR) and the dynamic conditional correlation (DCC) generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH) t-Copula (DCC-GARCH t-Copula) are used to analyze the data. The results show that FinTech, ESG, and MSCI are net transmitters in developed countries, whereas gold and renewable energy are net receivers pre- and during war periods. ESG and MSCI are net transmitters in emerging countries, while FinTech, renewable energy, and gold become net receivers in both periods. The hedging ratio sheds light on the costs and weights of efficient pair investments that might change in the context of each region and under the combined scenario. The study has important implications for merchant bankers, policymakers, investors, hedgers, and risk managers.     

Are financial derivatives related to intra-entities' tax aggressiveness? UK evidence

This study investigates the effect of hedged versus nonhedged financial derivative instruments on the intra-entities' tax aggressiveness. Our findings provide evidence that multinational enterprises manage derivatives instruments to avoid their tax expenses aggressively. Specifically, nonhedged derivatives are an excellent determinant of the tax aggressiveness practices of corporate groups. Besides, this study speaks to the central role of governance quality in mitigating this aspect of tax aggressiveness and provides practical guidance to tax authorities and regulators for establishing new policies for governing financial derivative instruments and preventing tax aggressiveness from negatively affecting firms and society.