Purpose This study aims to provide a comprehensive review of the existing literature on corporate governance (CG) aspects of the Malaysian market. It offers insights into the phases of Malaysian CG, identifies crucial gaps in the literature and outlines an agenda for impending research. Design/methodology/approach Following a systematic literature review approach, a final sample of 125 studies from Scopus and Web of Science databases was used in this study. These studies were selected based on quality assessment criteria. Then, the sample literature was evaluated in terms of journals, methodology, theories, modelling, research outcomes and CG characteristics. Findings The results show that there is a growing interest among researchers to further explore CG aspects in Malaysia due to the continuous development of the Malaysian CG codes. Likewise, the review reveals that the majority of prior studies are quantitative and were carried out using archived data from non-financial firms. Also, the existing literature has primarily focused on the outcomes of CG, especially firm performance. Research limitations/implications Overall, the results show that there is ample room for future research. The present paper identifies a number of methodological problems and concerns, and discusses the implications of these problems, while also providing recommendations for future research. The main caveat is that the authors use scholarly papers published in academic journals only, but this approach offers them with opportunities for considerable further developments. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study contributes to the literature by being the first of its kind to concentrate on the Malaysian context. It provides a comprehensive knowledge assessment of the Malaysian CG research and offers advice regarding improvements in research, policy and practice by identifying possible knowledge gaps. Consequently, this study provides a cohesive story of the past and a road map for future research on Malaysian CG.

Although firms increasingly publish sustainability reports, assuring such reports is relatively new. This study reviews the literature of sustainability assurance to evaluate the intellectual development of the field and provide recommendations for future studies. It also demonstrates the role of assurance to enhance the credibility of sustainability reports and corporate reputation. This paper systematically reviews 94 papers obtained from the Scopus database between 1993 and August 2021. Our study shows that there is an increase in the number of studies published in recent years. We also found that some countries have received limited attention, such as the USA. The scant literature examining sustainability assurance in private institutions and non-profit organisations should be reinforced. Likewise, the sustainability research also provides limited evidence on the governance debate. The vast majority of research is not based on theoretical grounds. The need for assurance of sustainability reports not only enhances the reputation but also adds more value to the organisation’s planning, monitoring, and accountability. We highlight several new research suggestions that may enhance the understanding of sustainability assurance practices.

The purpose of this study is to review the field of internal audit (IA) in the Chinese context and provide insights into how the literature of IA has evolved by clarifying criticism of the research published until 2020. Following the structured literature review (SLR) technique, forty-seven (47) studies were identified from two databases. The results show that the IA literature did not contribute significantly to the knowledge of IA functions in the form specified by the Institute of Internal Auditors. The study also revealed that there is more to be explored so as to fully understand the IA aspects and their impact on Chinese institutions. Descriptive research was prevalent, depending on the review of the traditional literature and the historical analysis. On the other hand, the results show that the interpretative research that relied on the case study, questionnaire, and interviews were scarce. The private sector has been little studied compared to that of the public sector. This study highlighted the real IA's

Quality internal audit (IA) plays a crucial role in accountability, transparency and preserving public properties. This paper gives a brief background of the IA system in Yemen and examines its impact with regards to financial performance in Yemeni commercial banks based on five factors: (i) independence of IAs, (ii) adherence to IA standards, (iii) governance principles implementation, (iv) size of the IA, and (v) frequency of internal audits committees' meetings. The primary data for the study were collected through a questionnaire prepared for this purpose. Fifty questionnaires were distributed out of which forty-two were retrieved and valid in the analysis process. For the empirical analysis, descriptive analysis and T-test were used for verification of the research hypotheses. Results revealed that sticking to standards internal audit, internal auditors' independence and quality governance have significant impact on banks' financial performance, while the size of internal audits committees, as well as their meeting, frequently has insignificant positive impact on banks' performance. Moreover, the country results show that the use of automated internal audit in banks has an impact on improving financial performance. This article provides avenues for further studies, mainly in developing countries, including Yemen, in quality internal audit and financial performance.

In recent years, discussions on green purchasing have increased; most studies were concentrated in developed countries, with limited studies conducted in developing countries. This study aims to systematically analyze studies that have discussed green purchasing. Using the Scopus database, 142 studies from 61 journals published during the period 1998 to 2021 were analyzed. Our analysis focused on three fundamental aspects: the determinants, the effect of green purchasing, and exploring the theoretical foundations and the most common theories that the studies relied on. The analysis results focused on researchers’ demographic and physiological determinants based on the theory of planned behavior. There has been a development in discussing the determinants related to products and marketing and social and environmental determinants in recent years. The analysis results of the studies that addressed green purchasing show that green purchasing contributes to sustainable development. This study contributes to decision-makers by identifying the mechanisms of persuasion that motivate consumers to buy green products and provides a clear picture of the contribution of green purchasing to improving company performance and thus achieving sustainability, which encourages stakeholders to devise policies, promotional, and marketing strategies through which they can attract consumers.

This study seeks to verify the contribution of internal audit (IA), especially its role in improving financial performance in Yemeni commercial banks, with a specific focus on three factors, namely: the independence and objectives of IA, the quality of IA and the size of IA. This study reviews some existing literature on the contribution and role of IA in improving financial performance. It relies on available data from questionnaires. 90 questionnaires were distributed to nine commercial banks in Yemen (23 branches) working under the supervision of the Central Bank of Yemen; 81 questionnaires (90%) were regained and used in the process of analysis. To analyze the data, three analysis approaches were used, including description, correlation, and regression. The results showed that the IA has a significant impact on the overall performance of Yemeni commercial banks. Furthermore, the results showed that the auditors’ efficiencies, as well as their financial and accounting experiences, have a significant and positive impact on financial performance. It was revealed that the independence and objectivity of internal auditors are highly insignificant for financial performance. However, the size of IA and the frequency of the auditors’ meetings have a negative and significant effect on financial performance. This study provides some recommendations for improving the effectiveness of IA, which in turn will contribute to improving financial performance.

The main aim of this paper is to evaluate the impact of working capital policies on firms’ profitability. The study uses a panel data set of 829 manufacturing firms for the period from 2011 to 2017. Data is extracted from Prowess IQ database. An empirical model is used for testing research hypotheses. The results show that all firms across Indian states follow conservative financing and investment policy. The conservative investment policy positively affects return on assets, whereas the conservative financing policy negatively affects return on assets and therefore firms’ financial sustainability. Regulators, policymakers, investors, and financial managers in Indian manufacturing companies are advised to follow a conservative investment and financing policy, which is effective and efficient in boosting firms’ profitability for attaining financial sustainability. Therefore, manufacturing firms should invest more in current assets, because they need to expand both inventories and trade credit to their customers. Moreover, financial managers are advised to favor a low level of debt in financing assets. Apart from previous literature, which was either descriptive or based on a small sample size, the present study makes a novel and significant contribution by bridging an existing gap through applying a panel fixed- and random-effect model for a large sample: 829 firms. Furthermore, the business environment in India is somewhat different from that of other countries around the globe, which makes investigating working capital policies in the Indian contexts an interesting endeavor.

This study aims to identify the impact of COVID-19 on audit quality based on the investigation of three auditing aspects, namely: audit fees, audit procedures, and auditors' salaries in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. For data collection, fifty-five (55) questionnaires were distributed to internal auditors, external auditors, managers of audit offices, and financial managers. Eleven managers of audit offices and auditors were interviewed. A descriptive, regression analysis, and T-test were used. The study results reveal that the audit quality has been significantly affected due to the devastating effect of COVID-19 on audit fees, audit procedures, and audit staff salaries. In addition, the results show that Yemen is severely affected due to several factors, which include a lack of modern auditing systems. Also, private ownership of establishments and the absence of laws for determining audit fees negatively impacted the audit quality. Being the first of a practical kind, this study provides a significant contribution to the existing literature on the impact of COVID-19 on the quality of auditing. This would be useful for corporations, audit offices, auditors, and researchers. Moreover, this study can bridge the identified research gap on this topic and provide empirical evidence about the impact of COVID-19 on audit quality. Doi: 10.28991/esj-2022-SPER-06 Full Text: PDF