This paper examines the bidirectional relationship between competition and systemic risk in dual financial systems where Islamic and conventional financial institutions operate side by side. Using a sample of publicly listed financial institutions from the Asia-Pacific, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regions from 2000 to 2019, we estimate systemic risk through Delta CoVaR and competition using the Lerner index. Employing a panel vector autoregressive framework, we analyse how this relationship evolves across different economic phases, with particular focus on the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). We find that lower competition is consistently associated with reduced systemic risk, with this effect being stronger-by approximately 25%-in conventional financial institutions. Notably, the competition-risk relationship is asymmetric and time-varying. Put simply, competition enhances stability pre-crisis; it amplifies systemic risk during the GFC, especially in the conventional sector. Post-crisis, this fragility effect persists in conventional institutions but dissipates in Islamic ones. Our findings contribute to the literature on competition, systemic risk, and comparative banking by highlighting how alternative financial models and economic conditions jointly shape financial stability.
PurposeThis paper aims to gain a deeper understanding of how corporate social responsibility (CSR) improves corporate financial performance (CFP). It also examines whether employee attitudes, as measured by job satisfaction, mediate the CSR-CFP relationship.Design/methodology/approachThis study analyzes a sample of an unbalanced panel of 1,261 firm-year observations listed on the S&P Global 1200 Index, covering the period from 2009 to 2019. Data were sourced from the DataStream of Thomson Reuters-ASSET4. Multivariate regression analyses are used to examine the linkage between the variables.FindingsThe results show that CSR is positively related to employee satisfaction. Furthermore, the authors find a significant positive association between CSR and CFP, and interestingly, this positive association remains significant even after considering the effect of employee satisfaction. These findings suggest that employee satisfaction partially mediates the relationship between CSR and CFP.Practical implicationsThe empirical results could be valuable for important managerial choices. Firms might implement internal strategies through CSR initiatives that promote efficient human resource management to boost employee satisfaction, which can enhance corporate performance and ultimately support environmental and social well-being.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the ongoing debates regarding the economic consequences of CSR activities. It develops a new framework that identifies employees' satisfaction as an important factor influencing the association between CSR and CFP, representing a novel contribution to the literature.
OBJECTIVES:Physical activity (PA) provides immediate and long-term health benefits during pregnancy. While some related work exists, comprehensive evidence on PA levels and determinants during pregnancy in Jordan remains limited. This study explored PA levels and associated factors among pregnant women in northern Jordan. METHOD:A cross-sectional design was used. Data on demographics, socioeconomic status, health, and pregnancy history were collected using questionnaires, including the Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Participants were recruited from major hospitals in northern Jordan. RESULTS:The sample comprised 199 pregnant women, with a mean age of 30.69 (±5.32) years and a mean gestational age of 30.50 (±6.32) weeks. Mean weekly energy expenditure was 232.64 (±137.90) metabolic equivalent hours (MET-h), and 83.4% met the World Health Organization (WHO) 2020 recommendation (moderate-to-vigorous physical activity [MVPA] ≥7.5 MET-h/week). Weekly energy expenditure by intensity was 50.33 (±38.18) MET-h/week sedentary, 118.06 (±57.91) MET-h/week light, 62.51 (±74.25) MET-h/week moderate, and 1.25 (±3.97) MET-h/week vigorous. Household/caregiving, occupational, and sports/exercise activities accounted for 135.19 (±77.94), 39.25 (±87.66), and 4.80 (±6.75) MET-h/week, respectively. Linear regression showed that being employed (β = 142.08, P < 0.001), longer time since last pregnancy (β = 0.92, P = 0.011), and leg cramps (β = 37.25, P = 0.044) were associated with higher PA scores, whereas receiving household assistance (β = -34.78, P = 0.038) and higher depression scores (β = -5.90, P = 0.023) were associated with lower PA scores. CONCLUSION:Most pregnant women in northern Jordan met the WHO 2020 MVPA recommendation, but overall activity was dominated by light-intensity household/caregiving tasks with minimal sports/exercise. The results identified potential strategies to increase physical activity levels among pregnant women in northern Jordan.
Life satisfaction is widely used as a social indicator to direct governmental interventions that target individuals’ quality of life. Issues of dimensionality and equivalent functioning of common measures such as the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) may negatively implicate inferences and decisions derived from those measures. Using a cross-sectional design and a convenience sample of 255 Polish managers (mean age = 48.9 ± 8.2 years, 22.6
PurposeThis study aims to investigate how body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) impacts social and mental well-being and its dimensions among Jordanian university students.Design/methodology/approachThe current study used a cross-sectional design and a convenience sample approach to collect data from public and private Jordanian university students. The collected data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), and SmartPLS-4 software was used for computational purposes.FindingsThis study's results show a strong negative relationship between BDD and mental well-being, meaning higher BDD reduces mental well-being. Also, BDD has a moderate negative impact on social well-being, meaning that people with higher levels of BDD tend to report lower levels of social satisfaction and communication. Moreover, BDD negatively affects all dimensions of mental and social well-being. However, emotional well-being has the strongest negative relationship with BDD.Originality/valueOur study revealed that BDD harms Jordanian university students' social and mental well-being and its dimensions (family and close friends, supervisory and authoritative positions, emotional well-being and cognitive well-being), with primarily negative impacts on emotional well-being. Also, this study demonstrates the requirement for selected interventions to minimize BDD's adverse mental and social well-being effects using specific strategies.
