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In response to growing pressure on companies to manage and improve their reputation regarding environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues, the audit is regarded as a vital resource for ensuring ESG risk management, improving transparency, mitigating opportunistic constraints, and guaranteeing accurate reporting. The objective of this paper was to investigate the role of audit quality in improving ESG performance, as well as to examine the role of media coverage represented by ESG controversy score in moderating these relationships. We analyzed 303 Chinese companies with 2,121 observations covering the period from 2017 to 2023. The results suggest that the effects of audit quality as measured by the Big 4 and audit fee on improving ESG performance are positive but not significant. On the other hand, the results reveal that media coverage serves as a positive, albeit non-significant, moderating variable between audit quality measured by the Big 4 and ESG performance, while it has a significant negative effect when audit quality is evaluated based on audit fees. The results indicate that improving ESG performance is significantly linked to auditors intensifying their practices and implementing their work more stringently. More importantly, media coverage is an important additional driver and economic incentive that encourages companies to steer clear of poor ESG-related practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study utilizes data from Chinese A-share listed companies from 2014 to 2022 to theoretically analyze and empirically test the governance effect of ESG assurance on corporate greenwashing behavior, as well as the role played by the legal environment and management shareholding in this context. The impacts of ownership and the governance mechanism of ESG assurance on corporate greenwashing behavior are also explored. This study employs text mining, OLS, PSM, IV-LIML, treatment effect models, feasible generalized least squares, placebo tests, bootstrap methods, etc., to conduct empirical analysis and conclude the following results: ESG assurance has a significant inhibitory effect on corporate greenwashing behavior, playing a crucial role in resource allocation, particularly in non-state-owned enterprises. The legal environment has a certain substitution effect on ESG assurance in inhibiting corporate greenwashing behavior, meaning that when the legal environment is weak, ESG assurance is more effective in curbing such behavior. Management shareholding also has a certain substitution effect on ESG assurance in inhibiting corporate greenwashing behavior, indicating that when management shareholding is low, ESG assurance is better at curbing such behavior. Further research reveals that corporate ESG performance plays a mediating role between ESG assurance and corporate greenwashing governance. This article provides policy references and empirical evidence for strengthening ESG assurance and enhancing corporate ESG performance and greenwashing governance to promote high-quality corporate development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased interest in sustainability and related issues has led to the development of disclosed corporate information on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. Additionally, questions have arisen about whether these disclosures affect the firm's value. Therefore, we conducted a bibliometric analysis coupled with a systematic literature review (SLR) of the current literature in the Scopus database from 2001 to 2023. We utilized VOS viewer, Site Space, and R Studio tools for this analysis. Our findings indicate that the relationship between ESG disclosures and the firm's value has different effects and that disclosure impacts through various channels, such as increasing stakeholder trust. Moreover, the keyword analysis results before and after 2015 demonstrate significant advancement in the utilization of a theoretical foundation in the literature. Furthermore, China (Country), "Universidad de Salamanca" (University), "Uyar, Ali and García-Sánchez, Isabel-María" (Authors), and "Sustainability" and "Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management" (Journals) were the most contributing and influential in this field. On the other hand, the results revealed six thematic clusters: society, sustainable development, ESG, organization, innovation, and stakeholders. We found promising research paths and emerging themes through content analysis of these clusters, such as sustainability assurance, green innovation, and sustainable development goals (SDGs). This review concludes by providing a roadmap that includes emerging lines of research that can be explored in depth in future studies to promote better and more comprehensive integration to achieve sustainability and maximize firm value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the top methods generally utilized by the administration to verify internal control function is internal audit and, in this study, the primary objective is to examine the direct internal audit determinants that influence the financial sector of Saudi listed firms. The study sample comprised of financial sector firms including banks and insurance companies for a span of 4 years, using a panel data approach to test the independent-dependent variables relationships. The study combined data from the listed companies' data with the information provided by their annual reports and corporate annual reports. This paper revealed that internal audit size and internal audit professional certificate has a positive and significant association with performance. In sum, this paper provides descriptive information concerning internal audit usage. Finally, this study provided some implication and suggestion for future researchers as provided at the end of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focused on studying the determinants of foreign investment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between 1979 and 2019. The context of the study is unique in that it targeted KSA, a developing nation, and its 41-year market starting in 1979 through 2019. This study uses some technique such as, cointegration by unit roots test (ADF, PP and KPSS), Johansen's cointegration test (trace and maximum-eigenvalue) and Granger causality tests for short-run and long-run in order to confirm causal relationship between variables. moreover, this study uses ARDL regression to test the short-run and long-run relationship between determinants of FDI. The study revealed that FDI has cointegrating with some variables as tested by Johansen's cointegration test. Moreover, Granger causality tests. The results of Granger causality tests show that FDI does not Granger cause with all variables during the short-run but GDP Granger cause with FDI. Moreover, GDP, inflation and external balance have causality with FDI during long-run. in addition, the results of ARDL (short-run) found that external balance has effect positively significant with FDI. the outcomes are expected to boost the flow of foreign investment, which is the paper's goal that has been central from the start. The report confirms all recent and existing studies and is considered to be a comprehensive contribution to the Saudi economy, since the report selected a 41-year period - one not previously studied by previous researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]