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New brand launches are notoriously risky, with high failure rates. Yet, most research focuses on the out-of-store factors inherent to their success/failure, overlooking strategies that can be employed in-store. The present research addresses this oversight by examining the influence of two in-store factors, distraction and shelf position, and their impact on a new brand's visibility on the shelf. We draw on a unique data set featuring a real-life new brand entrant into the Australian market. Using an experimental design in a shopper laboratory, and mobile eye-tracking, we find that the new brand stands a greater chance of being noticed and visually attended to on the shelf when shoppers are distracted. This is attributed to shoppers dwelling longer in front of the fixture, being more open to new-to-the-consumer brands, and by negatively affecting the top-down processing of existing brands on the shelf. We also find that optimising shelf position, which is a common in-store marketing tactic for existing brands, may not produce the same return on investment for a new brand. The findings offer valuable theoretical and practical implications for improving the success rates of new brand launches, including selection of distribution channels, allocation of marketing resources, and the interplay between in-store and out-of-sore factors driving shopper behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to biodiversity declines worldwide, over 190 nations committed to protect 30% of their lands and waters by 2030 (hereafter, 30×30). Systematic conservation planning and return on investment analysis can be helpful tools for determining where protection efforts could deliver the most efficient and effective reserve design, and supporting decision‐making when trade‐offs among objectives are required. Here, we propose a framework for efficient “30×30” implementation and apply it to the state of California (USA). Because conservation of a region's full suite of biodiversity is the primary objective of the global initiative, we prioritized representation in our analysis. We used Zonation to identify networks that close the gap in representation of major habitat types in California's protected area network and that also conserve the places important for biodiversity or climate change mitigation. We identified networks that are efficient relative to metrics likely to be important in implementation including land acquisition cost, number of transactions, and conservation benefit per hectare, and we illustrate not only trade‐offs associated with these metrics but also differences in the co‐benefits achieved. Five of the eight major habitat types in California are not currently protected at a 30% level statewide, and if representation was achieved solely through private land acquisition, targets could be met for as little as $5.84 billion, with as few as 364 transactions, or with 2.18 million additional conserved hectares. Implementation of 30×30 will likely require more flexibility than a single network design. A “no regrets” action would be to protect properties that were prioritized across all networks and additional implementation should include properties with characteristics of any of the individual networks. Our analytical framework and implementation guidance can be applied to other geographies and jurisdictions to increase the likelihood of both meeting 30×30 targets and delivering the conservation benefits they aim to secure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the impact of the CEO's supervisory role as an independent director on firm performance, utilizing measures such as Return on Equity (ROE) and Tobin's Q. The supervisory effect is assessed through the remuneration of directors and supervisors. Empirical findings indicate a significant supervisory role when the CEO also serves as an independent director. Whether viewed from the perspective of shareholders' equity or company growth, the CEO's involvement as an independent director positively influences firm performance. Furthermore, the concurrent roles of CEO and independent director contribute to enhanced firm performance, irrespective of their relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IT is recognized as the engine of the digital world. The fact that this technology has multiple sub-sectors makes it the driving force of the economy. With these characteristics, the sector is becoming the center of attention of investors. Considering that investors prioritize profitability, it becomes a top priority for managers to make accurate and reliable profitability forecasts. The aim of this study is to estimate the profitability of IT sector firms traded in Borsa Istanbul using machine learning methods. In this study, the financial data of 13 technology firms listed in the Borsa Istanbul Technology index and operating between March 2000 and December 2023 were used. Return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE) were estimated using machine learning methods such as neural networks, multiple linear regression and decision tree regression. The results obtained reveal that the performance of artificial neural networks (ANN) and multiple linear regression (MLR) are particularly effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study is to examine the impact of society's economic well-being determinants - above and beyond the firm-specific and macroeconomic determinants - on firm profitability in Poland. Based on stakeholder theory we hypothesized that the economic well-being of society can influence firm performance. Therefore, we included real wage and salary growth, internal migration, international migration, and natural increase variables in the regression models. We applied four models with different sets of variables using pooled ordinary least square regression, as well as fixed and random effects regressions with robust standard errors clustered at the firm level. The dataset covers the period from 2004 to 2021, comprising 5400 firm-year observations from Poland in the wholesale and retail trade sector. We found that firm profitability generally increases with higher inflation and exchange rate depreciation. Moreover, in models including society's economic well-being variables, GDP growth is no longer a significant determinant of firm profitability. Most importantly, the study demonstrates a positive relationship between real wage and salary growth and firm profitability. We also found that international migration is negatively associated with firm profitability. Regarding natural increase, the study suggests that it has a positive effect on return on equity, but not on return on assets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OVERVIEW: Many companies struggle to measure their innovation return on investment (ROI). ROI is complex and innovation has many inputs, outputs, stakeholders, and milestones. While it is not feasible to have measurements down to the exact dollar, companies need to have a solid understanding of their innovation spending, investments, and ROI to be able to manage, predict, and finance their innovation efforts. We undertook a research project to uncover commonalities and best practices for managing innovation ROI. PRACTITIONER TAKEAWAYS: Companies need a clear definition of innovation before they can measure innovation ROI. An inclusive definition that includes all projects and measures the entire system is recommended. By gathering and analyzing their data or using estimation, companies can approximate whether they are investing enough to achieve their innovation goals. Companies that have an innovation culture and reliable systems should realize positive ROI and growth given their higher than average investment and more strategic focus on dramatic invention to lead their industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Since securities market is subject to a great deal of uncertainty and complexity, the return of securities cannot be accurately estimated by historical data. In this case, it must use experts' knowledge and judgment. Therefore, we investigate portfolio selection problems in such uncertain environments. First, this paper regards the rate of return on security as an uncertain variable which obeys linear uncertainty distribution, and then provides the analytical expressions of the corresponding risk, return and risk index in the uncertain portfolio selection environment. Afterwards, we construct three types uncertain portfolio selection models with uncertain constraint, namely, the minimizing risk, the maximizing return and the maximizing belief degree. Meanwhile, in order to more intuitively reflect the investor's sense of loss, three types uncertain portfolio selection models considering both uncertain constraint and risk index are also constructed. These models are transformed into corresponding deterministic models. Finally, through an example analysis, this paper obtains the portfolio selection strategies under different objectives, compares the results under different models, and analyzes the sensitivity of the parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Garlic is one of the most significant vegetable crops; however, western Ethiopian agricultural land soils are limited by acidic soil, and garlic yield and profit margins continue to be low. The objective of the current experiment was to determine whether the economic viability of garlic production in Gimbi, Western Ethiopia, could be supported by the simultaneous application of biochar, lime, and inorganic fertilizer. The experiment comprised 14 treatments laid out in a RCBD with 3 replicates. The use of combined coffee husk biochar (CHB), soil test‐based value lime (STV), and inorganic fertilizer (NPSB) rates at comb4 and comb11, respectively, resulted in the maximum net benefit costs of 955,461.25 ETB ha−1 in farm 1 and 1,086,776.22 ETB ha−1 in farm 2, whereas costs were incurred with total variable costs of 21,317.75 ETB ha−1 and 16,038.78 ETB ha−1, respectively. The treatments with the highest marginal rates of return in farms 1 and 2 were those that included CHB, STV, and NPSB at comb4 (marginal rate of return = 266,932.80%) and comb12 (marginal rate of return = 29,558.12%), respectively. The difference in economic benefit may have originated from the soil buffer capacity response to ameliorant rates, as the soils of farms 1 and 2 were strongly acidic and very strongly acidic soils. This variation influences plant nutrient uptake, biomass yield, and yield components by enhancing the fertility characteristics of the soil. Therefore, the combined CHB, STV, and NPSB rates at comb4 per hectare in strongly acidic soils and comb12 per hectare in very strongly acidic soils could result in the highest economic return rate for the production of garlic and improve soil fertility. Since only two locations were studied, multilocation research is needed to give a firm recommendation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today's banking industry achieving sustainable profitability necessitates by integrating economic, environmental, and social factors due to pressing environmental concerns. This study investigates the impact of sustainability on financial performance in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) banking sector, using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) and Bootstrapping ARDL approaches on data from 2002 to 2022. The analysis revealed that economic sustainability, environmental and social sustainability exhibit a significant impact on financial performance in the short run and the long run at a (p < 0.05). 1% of economic sustainability activities increases Return on Assets (ROA) by 0.73 and Return on Equity (ROE) by 0.64. 1% of environmental sustainability activities decreases ROA by −0.28 and increases ROE by 0.35. 1% of social sustainability activities increases ROA by 0.47 and ROE by 0.42. To improve long-term profitability, this study emphasizes how crucial it is for the banking industry in the UAE to strategically integrate sustainability principles. These findings highlight the need to promote sustainability in the banking sector for environmental improvement, offering insights for UAE regulators and stimulating additional research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study investigates the efficacy of an enzymatic preparation primarily with α-galactosidase activity for improving the quality of white sugar from poor-quality sugar beets. Focused on overcoming raffinose accumulation challenges in sugar beets, especially those harvested prematurely or stored for extended periods, an innovative exploration of enzymatic application in an industrial setting for the first time was conducted. By integrating theoretical calculations and experimental data, the findings reveal that α-galactosidase preparation notably diminishes raffinose content in beet juice, thus enhancing the sucrose yield and overall sugar quality. A reliable method to process lower-quality beets, promising enhanced efficiency in sugar production, was presented. The study also highlights the economic benefits of incorporating enzyme preparation into the production process, demonstrating a notable return on investment and underscoring the potential of enzymatic treatments to address industry challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last few decades, developers of new drugs, biologics, and devices have increasingly leveraged digital health technologies (DHTs) to assess clinical trial digital endpoints. To our knowledge, a comprehensive assessment of the financial net benefits of digital endpoints in clinical trials has not been conducted. We obtained data from the Digital Medicine Society (DiMe) Library of Digital Endpoints and the US clinical trials registry, ClinicalTrials.gov. The benefit metrics are changes in trial phase duration and enrollment associated with the use of digital endpoints. The cost metric was obtained from an industry survey of the costs of including digital endpoints in clinical trials. We developed an expected net present value (eNPV) model of the cash flows for new drug development and commercialization to assess financial value. The value measure is the increment in eNPV that occurs when digital endpoints are employed. We also calculated a return on investment (ROI) as the ratio of the estimated increment in eNPV to the mean digital endpoint implementation cost. For phase II trials, the increase in eNPV varied from $2.2 million to $3.3 million, with ROIs between 32% and 48% per indication. The net benefits were substantially higher for phase III trials, with the increase in eNPV varying from $27 million to $40 million, with ROIs that were four to six times the investment. The use of digital endpoints in clinical trials can provide substantial extra value to sponsors developing new drugs, with high ROIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the accounting-based variables and value-based management (VBM) variables that jointly affect firm value and performance. The study applied the causality test and variance decomposition to determine the variability of the variables, and further empirically employed fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) techniques to justify the results. Data covering 356 industries were purposively sampled to arrive at 61 companies spanning 2011–2020. Overall, the causality test found no relationship between economic value added and market value added but only found unidirectional causality from shareholder returns to MVA, EVA to shareholder returns, ROA to MVA, ROE to MVA, EVA to MVA, MVA to EVA, ROE to ROA, EVA to ROA, and EVA to ROE. A very strong bidirectional causality relationship was found between return on asset and shareholder return as a measure of company performance. Further results from the forecast error of the variance decomposition showed that shareholder returns are explained only by its own shock, contributing 45.38 percent in the long run, while the remaining variables, namely market value added, return on asset, return on equity, and economic value added, contribute about 35.96%, 14.06%, 4.08%, and 0.51%, respectively, to predicting the future values of shareholder return. This confirms the relationships between the variables from the short run to the long run. Additionally, results from the FMOL and DOL revealed that all accounting variables and VBM are good approaches for evaluating company performance as the empirical result from ROA, ROE, and EVA revealed positive and significant relationships. This confirms that a combination of both variables would produce a better evaluation as the accounting variables and VBM variables jointly relate to shareholder returns. This study serves as a guide to companies' management and boards of directors in having better ways to evaluate company performance. Consequently, it is recommended that managers select combinations of accounting and VBM variables that suit their operations and jointly apply them in the performance evaluation of the company. This will be useful in providing both the relative and incremental performance information needed for diverse decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Farmer producer organisations (FPOs) are considered as a strategy to improve the livelihoods of small farmers through economies of scale by providing collective strength to farmers for improved access to production technology, value-addition services, high-quality inputs and marketing services for improving their incomes. This study investigates the impact of FPO membership on organic farming household's income in Northeast India. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses field survey data collected from all four districts of Sikkim. Primary data were obtained from a survey of 560 organic farming households, 280 of which are FPO members and the rest 280 are non-members. Propensity score matching (PSM) is used to estimate the impact of FPO membership on net returns, return on investment (ROI) and profit margin. Findings: Results show that the FPO members had, on average, Rs. 7,254–8,133 higher annual net returns, 4.6–4.8% higher ROI and 8–8.4% higher profit margin than the non-members. The findings confirm that FPO membership has a positive and significant impact on net returns, return on investment and profit margin. Also, heterogeneity analysis indicates that FPO membership has larger positive impact on relatively bigger farmers and female-headed households. Research limitations/implications: As the study was based on a cross-sectional survey, the findings may be subjected to some limitations. Originality/value: This study is based on a novel data set, collected specifically to examine the economic impact of FPO membership on organic farming in India. Peer review: The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-06-2023-0451 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioregenerative Life Support Systems (BLSS) are a key facet of plans for long term habitats on other celestial bodies. With the Artemis program headed to the moon and SpaceX pushing towards Mars the roadmap is about 10–20 years. Therefore it is vital to consider how BLSS will work with the traditional physicochemical Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS). Biological systems are complicated. Their inputs and outputs cannot be turned on and off the way physicochemical systems can. Therefore the accurate monitoring and prediction of these systems is fundamental to integrating the BLSS into the life support system as a whole. This paper will summarize the history of BLSS research, the system requirements for integrating a BLSS into the ECLSS, and the research needed to meet these requirements. As the world looks towards the future of humans living on other celestial bodies, there is a lot of work to do to support keeping them safe and healthy. Bioregenerative Life Support Systems have potential to provide massive support, if they are effectively integrated with the physicochemical systems. • Explores the systems requirements of physicochemical and bioregenerative systems. • Provides updated equivalent system mass estimates using LED lighting technologies. • Calculates return on investment time for bioregenerative food production. • Suggests future research directions for bioregenerative life support systems (BLSS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change impacts will continue to worsen with rising greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, underscoring the growing necessity to foresee and comprehend the impact of climate change risks on economic activity. Using quarterly firm-level data of 209 firms from the People's Republic of China (PRC) over the period Q1 2018–Q2 2022, this study estimates the impact of firms' exposure to climate-related risks on their financial performance. The results indicate a notable adverse effect of climate change exposure on firms' rate of return, with a lag of around two years. Firms located in more climate-vulnerable coastal areas and high-income provinces experience relatively greater negative impacts on their financial returns. Our findings have important policy implications for firms aiming to maximize their returns through enhanced climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to analyse the financial performance of companies using one of the most used profitability indicators, the return on investment (ROI), which measures the company's performance in terms of the profit generated over time. To this end, several different methods are used to calculate the ROI indicator, considering the different calculation methods used by different authors over the years. The use of different ROI calculation formulas has been identified in the literature, leading to different conclusions. Based on a sample of 2805 Portuguese companies, it examines how the different indicators react to the different variables analysed, using nine different econometric models. Through this study, it is possible to verify that the different variables that depend on the return on investment have different results, namely that the variables "age" and "size" have a negative effect on the return on investment. On the other hand, "financial leverage" and "ROA" have a positive impact on the contribution to the return on investment. We also found that the different variables behave similarly for virtually all types of ROI calculation, although not completely harmonious, especially in terms of impact. The results are empirically vital, as they alert researchers and companies to the need for standardised formulas for calculating variables such as ROI so that results are not distorted. Using one to the detriment of the other impacts the results obtained and the analyses to be carried out. How empirical research will continue to use the ROI metric will always depend on its users' discretion and free will. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of implementing the new agricultural strategy, "Generation Green 2020–2030", Moroccan agricultural SMEs are benefiting from specific lines of credit and significant financial incentives. This study focuses on assessing how the capital structure influences the financial performance of these medium-sized enterprises, based on an analysis of a sample of 30 agricultural SMEs over a period of 4 years from 2019 to 2022. This examination delves into the effects of debt, government subsidies, and their combined impact on the return on equity and assets of these SMEs. The findings reveal a significant negative correlation between capital structure and the financial performance of agricultural SMEs. This underscores the importance of advocating for self-financing in line with the pecking order theory, as debt appears to significantly diminish asset returns. Additionally, although government subsidies alone do not significantly influence enterprise profitability, their interplay with capital structure—especially long-term debt—exhibits a detrimental moderating effect on asset returns. This suggests that subsidies play a significant role in moderating the relationship between capital structure and SME financial performance, albeit with an adverse effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluate the Opportunity Zones provision of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, focusing on its targeting and effects on investment and resident outcomes. The policy allowed substantial discretion for state governors to designate Opportunity Zones that were not necessarily the most distressed, though we find that in aggregate their ultimate selections were still somewhat well-targeted. However, we show that the policy is insufficient to encourage investment with a significantly below-market rate of return and provides the largest tax benefits to investment that would have occurred regardless of the policy. Consistent with these features of the policy's design, a substantial amount of Opportunity Zone investment has been made, including in many lower-income areas. However, it appears that much of the investment would have occurred anyway, and the evidence to date mostly points to limited effects on resident wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the problem of yield calculation in complex investment scenarios, a time-cost double-weighted rate of return calculation method based on SEA grid is proposed, and its effectiveness is verified by comparing with traditional methods and researching the quantitative evaluation and analysis method of user investment based on structured data. To solve the above problems, a data-heterogeneous federated learning method based on user investment analysis FedPSG is proposed, which changes the data form transmitted from the client to the server from model parameters to model scores, and only a small number of clients need to upload model parameters to the server in each round of training, thereby reducing communication costs. At the same time, a model retraining strategy is proposed, which uses server data to train the global model for second iteration, and further improves the model performance by alleviating the impact of data heterogeneity on federated learning. The method of event dimension analysis of user investment is designed, and a credibility index is proposed to evaluate the analysis results. Experiments show that by combining event data, it can effectively provide users with event factors in the fluctuation of investment profit and loss, and help users better analyze their own investments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investors in the financial markets must deal with various hazards, for which they must create prudent investment portfolios and risk management plans. A multi-objective optimisation approach is proposed using the root algorithm to create a multi-objective root system growth model based on many clusters. An investment risk management optimisation model based on root system growth is built into the study using distributed decision-making. To create a multi-objective root algorithm-based portfolio optimisation model, the Markowitz mean-variance model and a multi-objective root algorithm are employed. According to the findings, the multi-group multi-objective root system method has a real Pareto frontier solution that is more accessible, has a faster convergence rate, and has lower fitness values. The root algorithm's solutions are workable, and the final risk values of 0.0105, 0.0082, and 0.4623 for the 2, 4, and 6 investment objectives are all in the low-risk class range. The optimal set of solutions discovered by the algorithm had better distributivity and convergence. The Hypervolume values for the multi-group multi-objective root algorithm were 5.5298 and 3.9628 for the dual-objective portfolio and the tri-objective portfolio of investment return costs, respectively. The findings of this study can guide the development of portfolio and risk management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem definition: Most subsidy welfare programs operate in a bilevel hierarchical structure, wherein a funding agency allocates funds to multiple service organizations. These service organizations invest in activities within their areas to generate societal impact for beneficiaries by enhancing the quantity and quality of services at local providers. The funds allocation decisions in such programs are complicated by the funding agency's equity consideration, intricate relationships among contextual factors in societal impact generation, and information asymmetry between different entities about availability of additional funds for an agency. Methodology/results: We propose a model to analyze how the funding agency should allocate funds to generate the most societal impact equitably across areas. We show that the funding agency should direct more funds toward an area with a relatively balanced mix of subsidy-accepting and nonaccepting providers, or with fewer nonaccepting providers, and outreach activity is more likely to yield a higher investment return. Further, comparing the inequity levels and total societal impact under the proposed equity-ensuring method with those under other methods, we find that an efficiency-focused method enhances total societal impact, but can result in greater inequity, especially when there is a large across-area disparity in the size of beneficiaries. A simple formula-based method could achieve greater total societal impact, while not severely sacrificing equity in certain situations. Conversely, the equity-ensuring method always eliminates inequity by not severely sacrificing the total societal impact under a wide range of parameter values. Managerial implications: Given the growing impetus to consider equity within their operations, our equity-ensuring method helps the funding agencies adjust their allocation strategies to generate the greatest equitable impact. Finally, using a case study based on Massachusetts' child care subsidy program, we illustrate that the proposed method achieves equity while enhancing the overall societal impact by approximately 3% versus the current formula-based method. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2022.0474. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a feasibility study is conducted on a photovoltaic-low-speed wind turbine-battery zero-energy building for a 175 m2 residential house in Gorgan. First, the climatological data of Gorgan City related to the amount of solar radiation and wind speed for the past 50 years have been extracted and then they are analyzed annually, monthly, and hourly using Climate Consultant software to check how Renewable resources can be used to produce clean energy. To determine the number of devices required, the annual energy requirement of the residential unit should be estimated. For this purpose, the power and energy consumption of the residential unit has been estimated based on its consumption data in the last year and analyzed using RETScreen1 software. The designed zero energy system has energy exchange with the grid and sends excess energy to it. The results of climate data analysis show that there is a possibility of wind and solar energy efficiency in this region. Although the price of energy in the region is low, due to economic efficiency, the lack of non-renewable energy resources, and the need to replace these resources, the use of wind turbines and solar panels to supply the required electrical energy is necessary.

The building stock is responsible for a large share of global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, therefore, it is critical to promote building retrofit to achieve the proposed carbon and energy neutrality goals. One of the policies implemented in recent years was the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) policy, which proposes building stock benchmarking to identify buildings that require rehabilitation. However, research shows that these mechanisms fail to engage stakeholders in the retrofit process because it is widely seen as a mandatory and complex bureaucracy. This study makes use of an EPC database to integrate machine learning techniques with multi-objective optimization and develop an interface capable of (1) predicting a building's, or household's, energy needs; and (2) providing the user with optimum retrofit solutions, costs, and return on investment. The goal is to provide an open-source, easy-to-use interface that guides the user in the building retrofit process. The energy and EPC prediction models show a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.84 and 0.79, and the optimization results for one case study EPC with a 2000 € budget limit in Évora, Portugal, show decreases of up to 60% in energy needs and return on investments of up to 7 in 3 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most important goal of revaluation is providing reliable fair price information close to economic realities for different decision-makers. Emphasising conservatism, this research comparatively studies the relationship between book values of assets concerning the performance indicators of companies. The statistical population of the research includes 146 companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange from 2009 to 2020. The research methodology is correlational and post-event causal, and the correlation and regression tests are used to test hypotheses. The results show a significant direct relationship between the book value of assets and the rates of return on assets and equity. In addition, conditional conservatism significantly negatively affects the relationship between the asset value after revaluation and the future cash flows. It also has a significant positive effect on the relationship between the book value of assets and the rate of return on assets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study conceptualizes and simulates a methanol production process through the direct hydrogenation of captured CO2. CuO/ZnO/ZrO2 was employed as the catalyst and Aspen HYSYS was used for the process simulation. Configurational optimization of the process flowsheet was carried out using a step-by-step hierarchical approach. Many alternate flowsheets have resulted, and their capital investment, product cost, and profitability measures were calculated. The discrimination among the competing flowsheets was carried out based on net profit and percent return on investment. The retained flowsheet was further analyzed for optimizing the recycle ratio and evaluating the effect of the price of captured CO2, green H2, natural gas (fuel), and catalyst on the economic performance of the plant. The optimum value of the recycle ratio was computed to be 4.23. Additionally, it was found that the price of H2 is the most important parameter in defining the feasibility and profitability of the process. Mathematical correlations were also developed that relate the profitability and price of the above-mentioned feed materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil refineries have become increasingly more efficient over time. Therefore, huge efforts are being made to invest in better processes and technologies that save energy and maximize the production of high-value products, particularly, gasoline. In this study, two scenarios are proposed to upgrade the Sarir Oil Refinery for increasing its capacity from 10,000 BPD to 120,000 BPD by adding new units of vacuum distillation and Delayed Coking or Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) unit. The production rates of all units are obtained through material balance calculations. Finally, an economical evaluation is carried out to determine if the proposed projects meet the profitability criteria of the refinery and to decide which refinery scenario is techno-economically feasible and maximizes the production of gasoline more than the other. The observational results revealed that the best refinery scenario is the one that uses atmospheric distillation and FCC units as it has less payout time (3.6 years), higher internal rate of return (110%) and higher production of gasoline.

Citizen-driven approaches are promising to overcome the challenges in the energy transition of geographical islands. However, the economic profitability of related activities must be ensured to achieve the intrinsic and sustainable uptake of related solutions in an island's communities. Here, we investigate the long-term (2020–2054) economic profitability of solar-based prosumption on islands belonging to the European Union (EU), soft-linking energy system modelling and actor-related cash-flow analysis. This combination considerably extends common assessments of the profitability of renewable energy technology and long-term projections of island energy systems. We base our case study on the French overseas territory of Mayotte, discussing household affordability and the socio-economic impact of prosumerism. These topics are relevant to transferability on non-EU islands. The profitability of investments in PV depends on (i) the size of the PV system, with larger systems (>9 kWp) profiting from lower specific investment costs compared to smaller systems; (ii) the time of investment, with more profitable investments to be expected in early periods; (iii) the level of decarbonization of the entire energy sector, with an ongoing decarbonization reducing the compensation or energy-saving possibilities; and (iv) the market behavior, with the practice of feeding in all electricity produced rather than self-consuming energy offering a higher expected return on investment under current feed-in-tariff (FiT) compensation schemes. We introduce various policy measures to improve solar rooftop PV profitability and discuss their trade-offs and effectiveness. While indirect subsidies via FiT are generally effective in improving PV profitability, they undermine efforts to incentivize decentralized self-consumption. From the perspective of harmonizing efforts in the energy transition of African and European islands, we recommend a careful evaluation of the trade-offs in relevant regulations required for the economic incentivization of prosumers to achieve compatibility with the principles of a citizen-driven and just energy transition. Particular attention must be paid to context-specific socio-economic characteristics, including low access to financial resources and non-financial access barriers, including legal status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patellar tendinopathy (PT) involves anterior knee pain and functional. Platelet-rich fibrin matrix (PRFM) is a promising biological therapy for tendinopathies. We examined a cohort of PT patients treated with tendon debridement and autologous PRFM at the 24-month follow-up to assess whether the combined treatment facilitated return to sports and yielded satisfactory clinical and functional scores. Methods: Baseline and 24-month visual analogue scale (VAS), Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment Scale for Patellar Tendinopathy (VISA-P), Tegner Activity Scale (TAS), and Blazina scores were compared to evaluate treatment effectiveness. The Friedman test was used to compare repeated observations of VAS, VISA-P, TAS, and Blazina Score values. Return to sport rate, Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TKS) score and patient satisfaction were collected at 24 months. Results: The postoperative clinical scores demonstrated significant improvement compared with their preoperative values (all p < 0.001). Specifically, the VISA-P score was 80.32 (±20.58), 92.10% of patients had resumed sports activities and patient satisfaction was 9.21 (±1.21) at 24 months. Conclusions: Surgical debridement and autologous PRFM application in patients with chronic PT resulted in a higher rate of return to sports when compared to solely surgical treatment, significantly improved clinical outcomes and excellent patient satisfaction at 24 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Energy Return On Investment (EROI) is a recognised indicator for assessing the relevance of an energy project in terms of net energy delivered to society. For woody biomass divergences remain on the right methodology to assess the EROI leading to large variations in the published estimates. This article presents an in‐depth discussion about the EROI of woody biomass in three different forms: woodchips, pellets and liquid fuels. The conceptualisation of EROI is further developed to reach a consistent definition for biomass post‐processed fuels. It considers, on top of the external energy investments, the grey energy associated with the energy used to enrich the fuel. With the proposed methodology, all woodchips have an EROI of the same order of magnitude, between 20 and 37, depending on forestry types, operations and machineries. For secondary residues, the first estimate is 170 if, as co‐products, no energy investment is allocated to the forestry operations and transport. On the basis of a mass allocation for forestry operations and transport, the EROI for secondary residues becomes of the same order of magnitude as that for wood chips. Woodchips can be further post‐processed into pellets or liquid fuels. Pellets have an EROI of 4–7 if the heat is externally supplied and 8–23 if internally supplied (self‐consumption of part of the raw material). Liquid fuels derived from primary wood and residues through gasification and Fischer‐Tropsch synthesis have an EROI between 4 and 16. Fuel enhancement with hydrogen (Power & Biomass to Liquids) impacts negatively the EROI due to the low EROI of hydrogen produced from renewable electricity. However, these fuels offer other advantages such as improved carbon efficiency. A correct estimate of EROI for forestry biomass, as proposed in this work, is a necessary dimension in assessing the suitability of a project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this research was to assess how the profitability and liquidity of the company "Central de Cooperativas Mineras Rinconada y Lunar de Oro Limitada" were impacted by COVID-19 between the periods 2018 and 2022. This study is classified as basic and explanatory in nature, and it is non-experimental. For data collection, the documentation technique and observation were used, and the company's Balance Sheet and Income Statement were analyzed. The results indicate that, based on the analysis of profitability through Return on Assets (ROA), in 2019, it showed a negative value (-0.21). In contrast, in 2020, it recorded a value of 78.02. On the other hand, the analysis of Return on Equity (ROE) revealed a value of -0.14 in 2019, while in 2020, a significant value was recorded in the ratios (65.01). Regarding the liquidity of the mining company, the Current Ratio in 2019 was 15.46, and in 2020, it was 0.78. Furthermore, the Quick Ratio values were 15.46 in 2019 and 0.78 in 2020. Conclusions: the mining company experienced a significant decline in liquidity; however, it managed to maintain strong economic and financial profitability. Although a company may be profitable, the lack of liquidity represents a significant risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil refineries have become increasingly more efficient over time. Therefore, huge efforts are being made to invest in better processes and technologies that save energy and maximize the production of high-value products, particularly, gasoline. In this study, two scenarios are proposed to upgrade the Sarir Oil Refinery for increasing its capacity from 10,000 BPD to 120,000 BPD by adding new units of vacuum distillation and Delayed Coking or Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) unit. The production rates of all units are obtained through material balance calculations. Finally, an economical evaluation is carried out to determine if the proposed projects meet the profitability criteria of the refinery and to decide which refinery scenario is techno-economically feasible and maximizes the production of gasoline more than the other. The observational results revealed that the best refinery scenario is the one that uses atmospheric distillation and FCC units as it has less payout time (3.6 years), higher internal rate of return (110%) and higher production of gasoline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The valuation of Goodwill (GW) has remained one of the several critical issues in financial analysis. This aspect is particularly important for mergers and acquisitions due to the significance of intangible assets. This study delves into the capitalization method of super profit (CMSP), a prominent technique for GW valuation, enhanced by the integration of statistical tools. Assessing a company's excess profits over its average return on tangible assets is part of the CMSP. Finding the variables that have a significant impact on GW valuation, such as average profit, capital employed, and rate of return, is the main goal of this research. These issues are thoroughly investigated through statistical analysis to give stakeholders useful information for well-informed decision-making. Additionally, the study seeks to identify the external elements influencing this process as well as the internal aspects influencing GW valuation. Regression analysis, correlation matrices, response analysis and ANOVA are used to improve GW assessment and comprehension of the complex relationships between different factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is commonly accepted that the success and expansion of insurance companies' underwriting operations, which is indicated by the premiums received from insurance policies, is reflected in their profitability rates. During the period of 2010 to 2021, Iraqi insurance companies in the private sector that are listed on the Iraq Stock Exchange experienced a fluctuation in the increase and noticeable decrease of gross written premiums, which had a negative impact on their profitability ratios. The aim of this investigation is to analyze the underwriting activities carried out by all insurance companies that are publicly listed on the Iraq Stock Exchange spanning from 2010 to 2021, and assess the impact of these activities on the companies' profitability rates. To evaluate the profitability of these firms, three indicators are used, namely the rate of return on assets, return on equity, and profit margin ratio. The study employs Data Panel models using Eviews 12 to identify the research samples during the study period. Additionally, the pooled regression model is used to compare the findings and test the hypotheses of the study. In a structured manner, data is collected from the annual reports released by the Iraq Stock Exchange. The statistical examination of the findings reveals that the gross written premium has a significant and positive influence on all of the profitability ratios that were evaluated in this study, namely the rate of return on assets, return on equity, and profit margin ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the key determinants of corporate governance in selected financial institutions. Using South African financial institutions as a unit of analysis, namely insurance companies and banks, the study employed a panel generalised method of moments (GMM) model using a data set for the period from 2007 to 2020, to assess key determinants of corporate governance proxies identified for the study. The study sampled 21 South African financial institutions composed of Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE) listed and unlisted banks and insurance companies. To measure corporate governance, the study developed a composite index employing the principal components analysis (PCA) method. The findings revealed a positive and significant association between the corporate governance index and its lagged variables. Furthermore, a significant and positive link was found between the efficiency ratio and corporate governance index and capital adequacy ratio (CAR); corporate governance index and firm size; corporate governance index and leverage ratio (LEV); and corporate governance index and return on assets (ROA). However, a negative and significant correlation was found between financial stability and the corporate governance index. The link between return on equity (ROE) and corporate governance was insignificant. A small cohort of financial institutions was excluded because it was challenging to obtain complete annual reports to extract the required data. The study was limited to only five corporate governance measures, namely board diversity, board size, board composition (independent non-executive directors and non-executive directors), and board remuneration. The findings are anticipated to persuade developing countries to pay special attention to how corporate governance is measured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to evaluate the impact of the amount of material compensation per employee on the performance of the company, the authors systematically analysed amount of material compensation per employee, total income, total expenses, net profit margin and return on equity in small, medium and large companies in the five observed counties of the Republic of Croatia. The aim of the paper is to analyse the connection between the amount of material compensation of employees and the performance of the company. The research in the paper was conducted based on data provided by the Financial Agency, a leading Croatian company in the field of providing financial and electronic services. The research was conducted on a sample of 3,914 small, medium and large companies. In the research part of the paper, Spearman’s correlation coefficient which is a non-parametric equivalent of Pearson’s correlation coefficient (product of rank correlation), was used to assess the relationship between the variables of average monthly net wage and salary per employee, total income, total expenses, net profit margin, return on equity. The results indicate that there are significant differences between the size of the company and the observed parameters (average monthly net wages and salaries per employee, total income, total expenses, net profit margin, and return on equity). Based on an extensive analysis of data, obtained results indicate that the given correlation matrix of the connection between the average monthly net wage and salary per employee with the observed parameters for all years shows that all parameters are statistically significantly correlated. This paper provides an insight into the importance of human resources and their proper management on the company business, regardless of their size. Statistical analysis of research data was performed by statistical software MedCalc® Statistical Software and SPSS Statistics for Windows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Fatec Zona Sul (REFAS) is the property of Revista Fatec Zona Sul (REFAS) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Fatec Zona Sul (REFAS) is the property of Revista Fatec Zona Sul (REFAS) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The well called X (for confidential reasons) put into production in 2003 presents excessive water inflows a few years after it was put into production. The aim of this paper is to reduce this water flow through the chemical injection method. The available PVT, reservoir, and completion data are analyzed by using the nodal and sensitivity analysis methods. The results obtained show that initially the well X produced 509.1 STB/d of liquid, i.e. 71.3 STB/d of oil and 437.9 STB/d of water for a water cut of 86%. After flooding the tank with 80,000 ppm of polymers and 2,000 ppm of gels, the variation in viscosity followed by the decrease in oil saturation and the increase in water saturation will lead to a decrease in water cut (percentage of water production) up to 0%. This reduction in water cut is lighten the hydrostatic column so the liquid production rate is 2,572.5 STB/d of liquids, i.e. 2,058 STB/d of oil and 514.5 STB/d of water for a water cut of 20%. The economic report shows a minimum profit of $55,923,628 with a return on investment over a period of 1 month after the project is put into operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aims to analyse, how the sustainable performance of the company impacts the economy and businesses' economic performance, and to build a model, using environmental, social, and financial indicators. To achieve this goal such methods as the Pearson correlation, Multiple Linear Regression, Cook's distance method, K-nearest neighbour and COPRAS technique were implemented. The results indicate no significant correlation between the sustainability activities of companies and the GDP of their respective countries, nor between companies' ROE and their sustainability performance. These findings suggest that conventional methods of evaluating corporate sustainability may not accurately reflect its economic impacts. Furthermore, discrepancies observed between the Corporate Knights rankings and those calculated using the COPRAS method highlight the critical need for a deeper examination of assessment methodologies. This outcome calls for a reassessment of sustainability practices and methodologies to better understand and leverage their benefits in the corporate and economic realms. While the study provides initial insights into the current sustainability assessments, further research should explore alternative evaluative models and their implications across different industries. Companies have a significant impact on the environment and society, and sustainability is important not only for ethical concerns but also for financial and economic reasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study uses K-means++ clustering to assess the financial performance patterns of renewable or clean energy companies using the Return on Equity (ROE) decomposition. It also explores the relationship between ESG and financial performance and discovers a positive relationship between ROE and ESG. The ESG-ROE relationship becomes negative or insignificant when businesses are grouped based on ROE change. The findings suggest that firm-specific heterogeneity affects the ESG-ROE relationship and long-term financial performance. Hence, it emphasizes the significance of the internal and external environment in determining firms' ESG and financial success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the United States largest learning health system. The Diffusion of Excellence (DoE) program is a large-scale model of diffusion that identifies and diffuses evidence-informed practices across VHA. During the period of 2016-2021, 57 evidence-informed practices were implemented across 82 VHA facilities. This setting provides a unique opportunity to understand sustainment determinants and pathways. Our objective was to characterize the longitudinal pathways of practices as they transition from initial implementation to long-term sustainment at each facility. Methods: A longitudinal, mixed-methods evaluation of 82 VHA facilities. Eighty-two facility representatives, chosen by leadership as points-of-contact for 57 DoE practices, were eligible for post-implementation interviews and annual sustainment surveys. Primary outcomes (implementation, sustainment), and secondary outcomes (institutionalization, effectiveness, anticipated sustainment) at four time-points were collected. We performed descriptive statistics and directed content analysis using Hailemariam et al.'s factors influencing sustainment. Results: After approximately five years post-implementation (e.g., 2021 sustainment outcomes), of the 82 facilities, about one-third fully sustained their practice compared to one-third that did not fully sustain their practice because it was in a "liminal" stage (neither sustained nor discontinued) or permanently discontinued. The remaining one-third of facilities had missing 2021 sustainment outcomes. A higher percentage of facilities (70%) had inconsistent primary outcomes (changing over time) compared to facilities (30%) with consistent primary outcomes (same over time). Thirty-four percent of facilities with sustained practices reported resilience since they overcame implementation and sustainment barriers. Facilities with sustained practices reported more positive secondary outcomes compared to those that did not sustain their practice. Key factors facilitating practice sustainment included: demonstrating practice effectiveness/benefit, sufficient organizational leadership, sufficient workforce, and adaptation/alignment with local context. Key factors hindering practice sustainment included: insufficient workforce, not able to maintain practice fidelity/integrity, critical incidents related to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizational leadership did not support sustainment of practice, and no ongoing support. Conclusions: We identified diverse pathways from implementation to sustainment, and our data underscore that initial implementation outcomes may not determine long-term sustainment outcomes. This longitudinal evaluation contributes to understanding impacts of the DoE program, including return on investment, achieving learning health system goals, and insights into achieving high-quality healthcare in VHA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A significant legume crop in Ethiopia, chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.) have several advantages, including high nutritional value and the capacity to improve soils deficient in nitrogen through biological nitrogen fixation using several endosymbiotic Mesorhizobium spp. strains. However, the host variety, the soil's capacity to hold nutrients, and the endosymbiont's innate physiological traits all affect how efficient the strains are. The primary obstacles to its cultivation in the research area are inadequate agronomicmethods and low soil fertility [low nitrogen (N), low soil organic matter (OM), low accessible phosphorous (P), sulfur (S), and boron (B)], which results in ineffective nodulation. To evaluate the effects of NPSB fertilization and inoculation, a field experiment was carried out in Buchach Kebele's Cheha area during the primary cropping season of 2021/22. The trial included two chickpea kinds (Local and Arerti), twoNPSB levels (zero and 121 kg NPSB ha-1), and four levels of Mesorhizobium strains (CP-M41, CP-EAL 029, CP-M20b, and un-inoculated control). A randomized complete block design (RCBD) was used to organize the treatments in a factorial form with three replications. In comparison to the single application and the control, the interaction impact of strains, NPSB fertilizer, and variety greatly increased nodulation parameters, growth parameters, yield, and yield components. The Arerti variety combined with the CP-M41 Mesorhizobium strain andNPSB fertilizer had themaximum grain production (3177.16 kg ha-1). It yielded 15.96%, 24.06%, and 37.93%more than the Arerti with CP-M41 strain, Arertiwith NPSB, and the control treatments, respectively. The partial budget analysis of the study treatments showed that the Arerti varietywith the combined application of 121 kg NPSB ha-1 and Mesorhizobium strain CP-M41 inoculation produced the highest net return (102,092.6 ETB ha-1) with an acceptable marginal rate of return (618%). It has been found that the CPM41 strain and the Arerti variety, when combined with 121 kg NPSB ha-1 application, is a suitable treatment combination to achieve increased chickpea crop yield and profit in the studied area. However, the results need further validation in the farmer's field before recommending to farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foam flooding has been successfully implemented in solving problems that arise during gas flooding as it increases gas viscosity and reduces gas relative permeability resulting in favorable mobility ratios and better volumetric sweep efficiency. This research study aims to evaluate the effect of different flood patterns on field performance during foam enhanced oil recovery. A three-dimensional reservoir simulation model was developed with a reservoir simulator and each flood pattern including normal and inverted four, five, seven, and nine-spots were modeled and simulated separately under consistent conditions of field gas injection rate, bottom-hole pressure of production wells, and surfactant concentration. Field Oil Efficiency (FOE), Net Present Value (NPV), Rate of Return (ROR), and Payout Time (POT) were used in making comparisons. An Original Oil in Place of 139.43 MMSTB was found at the initialization. Simulation results showed that a normal and an inverted five-spot pattern were more effective in their respective categories as they resulted respectively in higher FOE, lower FGOR, higher NPV and ROR, and shorter POT. An inverted five-spot resulted in an FOE of 4.36 %, an NPV of $ 83.48 million, and an ROR of 13.64% higher than that obtained for a normal five spot, and a payout time of 1.54 years shorter than that obtained for the normal five spots. The findings highlight the superior efficiency of the normal and inverted five-spot patterns, with the inverted five-spot pattern demonstrating significantly better performance in terms of FOE, NPV, ROR, and POT. Based on the presented results, an inverted five-spot pattern was recommended in this paper as the best flood pattern during foam-enhanced oil recovery applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a hybrid multicriteria decision-making approach for evaluating stocks in the Saudi Stock Market. The objective is to provide investors and stakeholders with a robust evaluation methodology to inform their investment decisions. With a market value of USD 2.89 trillion dollars in September 2022, the Saudi Stock Market is of significant importance for the country's economy. However, navigating the complexities of stock market performance poses investment challenges. This study employs the best–worst method and the technique for order preference by similarity to identify an ideal solution to address these challenges. Utilizing data from the Saudi Stock Market (Tadawul), this study evaluates stock performance based on financial criteria, including return on equity, return on assets, net profit margin, and asset turnover. The findings reveal valuable insights, particularly in the banking sector, which exhibited the highest net profit margin ratios among sectors. The hybrid multicriteria decision-making-based approach enhances investment decisions. This research provides a foundation for future investigations, facilitating a deeper exploration and analysis of additional aspects of the Saudi Stock Market's performance. The developed methodology and findings have implications for investors and stakeholders, aiding their investment decisions and maximizing returns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A discipline's value depends on the institutional position of its valuers. In US liberal arts undergraduate education, trustees, marketers, and parents routinely link disciplinary value to "return on investment." This market logic is evident in rhetoric equating a discipline's worth with the cost of department maintenance and the lucrativeness of careers pursued by majors. Yet students are also expected to buy the liberal arts experience as a whole package, a logic that makes all majors interchangeable. These contradictory dynamics provide undergraduate anthropology students with a profoundly teachable illustration of US neoliberalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The racial and ethnic composition of home buyers varies across geographic locations. Since home prices grow at different rates across counties and within counties, these place‐based bets yield different average rates of return for different demographic groups. I estimate these differential returns by combining micro data from Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) with zip‐code‐level data from Zillow. Based on this index of housing returns from 2010 to 2022, I find that at the national level that Asian buyers earn higher returns than other groups. For California buyers and for Los Angeles buyers, Black people earn roughly the same average rate of return but face a higher standard deviation in returns than other groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study rigorously investigates the intricate dynamics between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), quantified through Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) scores, and financial performance (FP), measured via the return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE), within the UK banking sector. Our analysis is based on a comprehensive dataset from Bloomberg. This research encapsulates data from 32 banks publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange over a six-year span from 2017 to 2022. Employing panel data regression models while controlling leverage and bank size, we delve into the relationship between banks' CSR engagements, as reflected in their ESG scores, and their financial outcomes. Our findings indicate a negative correlation between the ESG score and both the ROA and ROE, suggesting that elevated CSR commitments may inversely impact short-term financial returns. This finding not only challenges prevailing narratives within the sector but also fosters a crucial discourse on the balance between ethical banking practices and profitability. The implications of this research study are manifold, extending to policymakers, banking executives, and investors, suggesting a revaluation of CSR strategies in alignment with long-term value creation and sustainable banking. This study not only enriches academic discourse on CSR within the financial sector but also serves as a beacon for future inquiries into the evolving landscape of responsible banking, advocating for a nuanced understanding of CSR's role in shaping the financial and ethical contours of the banking industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study draws on the parallelism between digitalization and the complexity of the Islamic banking industry (IBs) in a postpandemic era. It examines the digital Butterfly Effect on the Islamic banking industry to promote tech-driven IBs through an empirical lens. The study constructs a Fintech adoption index (FADi) and uses a Bayesian vector Auto-Regressive model, causality tests and impulse response functions for yearly data from 2008 to 2022 to examine the possible magnified effect of adopting Fintech by the Islamic banking industry in Malaysia. Key findings suggest that embracing Fintech by the IBs enhances the profitability of the banks, which is measured by the return on asset and return on equity. In addition, the study reports a ripple effect of FADi on the broader spectrum of the Malaysian economy. This indicates that Fintech fosters economic growth, household consumption, financial and insurance services, and corporate taxes. On the other hand, Fintech adoption helps reduce the unemployment rate. The findings contribute to the literature by investigating the IB as a system within financial chaos theory and the possible Butterfly Effect triggered by Fintech adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]