In this study, the author investigates the evolving role of women in corporate boardrooms historically dominated by men, aiming to discern whether their inclusion merely serves as symbolic representation or carries substantive impact. Using a narrative literature review methodology, the author meticulously examines the historical impediments women faced in leadership positions. The findings suggest that deep-seated societal biases, rather than a lack of capability, traditionally constrained women’s leadership trajectories. While some studies suggest that corporations with genuine gender diversity in leadership may outperform in financial outcomes and innovation, this advantage is not consistently observed across all contexts and industries, necessitating a cautious interpretation of these mixed and context-dependent findings. The study argues that women’s inclusion in boardrooms is a strategic imperative for modern corporations striving for resilience, adaptability, and sustained growth in an intricate global landscape, yet also recommends further research to fully understand the broader impacts of such diversity. Furthermore, the study offers practical strategies for enhancing gender diversity in corporate leadership.

The paper assesses the threshold at which climate change impacts banking system stability in selected Sub-Saharan economies by applying the panel threshold regression on data spanning 1996 to 2017. The study found that temperature reported a threshold of −0.7316 ℃. Further, precipitation had a threshold of 7.1646 mm, while the greenhouse gas threshold was 3.6680 GtCO2eq. In addition, the climate change index recorded a threshold of −0.1751%. Overall, a non-linear relationship was established between climate change variables and banking system stability in selected Sub-Saharan economies. The study recommends that central banks and policymakers propagate the importance of climate change uncertainties and their threshold effects to banking sectors to ensure effective and stable banking system operations.

Sustainability has turned into a critical focus for businesses, drawing considerable interest from the commercial sector and scholarly environments. While empirical investigations have been conducted regarding sustainability reporting within small and medium enterprises, only a limited number of companies are subjected to increased pressure to adopt sustainability reporting practices, thereby ensuring enhanced transparency and disclosure in their financial and sustainability disclosures. This research, framed by Institutional Theory, delves into how challenges in sustainability reporting obstruct organizations from properly evaluating and sharing their progress on sustainability aims. With an explanatory research framework in place, we circulated survey questionnaires to 400 participants, who were randomly drawn from a population of 28,927 registered SMEs in Metro Manila, Philippines. The application of Interpretative Structural Modelling and MICMAC Analysis revealed that the absence of regulatory frameworks, governmental assistance, and sustainability infrastructure constitutes the most critical obstacles impacting other determinants. In contrast, neither the deficiency in sustainability awareness nor the inadequacy of training and skills demonstrated a considerable impact on the other identified barriers. This study clarifies the complex interactions and interrelations among the obstacles to sustainability reporting, thus providing significant perspectives for organizations aiming to overcome these difficulties. The findings suggest that business leaders and stakeholders can formulate targeted strategies and interventions to facilitate the adoption of sustainability reporting practices within organizations. The application of the institutional theory framework highlights that pressures arise from a diverse array of institutional actors, including regulators, customers, and local communities, which collectively shape corporate behavior and reporting methodologies.

This study thoroughly examined the use of different machine learning models to predict financial distress in Indonesian companies by utilizing the Financial Ratio dataset collected from the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX), which includes financial indicators from various companies across multiple industries spanning a decade. By partitioning the data into training and test sets and utilizing SMOTE and RUS approaches, the issue of class imbalances was effectively managed, guaranteeing the dependability and impartiality of the model’s training and assessment. Creating first models was crucial in establishing a benchmark for performance measurements. Various models, including Decision Trees, XGBoost, Random Forest, LSTM, and Support Vector Machine (SVM) were assessed. The ensemble models, including XGBoost and Random Forest, showed better performance when combined with SMOTE. The findings of this research validate the efficacy of ensemble methods in forecasting financial distress. Specifically, the XGBClassifier and Random Forest Classifier demonstrate dependable and resilient performance. The feature importance analysis revealed the significance of financial indicators. Interest_coverage and operating_margin, for instance, were crucial for the predictive capabilities of the models. Both companies and regulators can utilize the findings of this investigation. To forecast financial distress, the XGB classifier and the Random Forest classifier could be employed. In addition, it is important for them to take into account the interest coverage ratio and operating margin ratio, as these finansial ratios play a critical role in assessing their performance. The findings of this research confirm the effectiveness of ensemble methods in financial distress prediction. The XGBClassifier and RandomForestClassifier demonstrate reliable and robust performance. Feature importance analysis highlights the significance of financial indicators, such as interest coverage ratio and operating margin ratio, which are crucial to the predictive ability of the models. These findings can be utilized by companies and regulators to predict financial distress.

Integrating Education 4.0 in higher education necessitates a transformational leadership approach that champions innovation and technology adoption. This paper reviews the impact of transformational leadership in fostering a conducive environment for Education 4.0, emphasising personalised and technology-enhanced learning experiences. With their vision and motivational prowess, transformational leaders are crucial in steering educational institutions through digital transformation, encouraging the adoption of advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and data analytics. These leaders are pivotal in nurturing a culture of continuous improvement and empowerment, actively involving team members in pursuing collective achievements and personal growth. The study highlights the importance of transformational leadership in addressing the dynamic challenges and opportunities presented by Education 4.0. By inspiring educators and students to embrace change, transformational leaders facilitate the integration of innovative teaching methods and technologies, enhancing learning outcomes and preparing students for the demands of the digital age. The findings suggest that transformational leadership is instrumental in creating a flexible, relevant, and forward-thinking educational environment that aligns with the objectives of Education 4.0. This paper advocates strategically emphasising the development of transformational leaders within academic institutions. Such leadership is essential for navigating the complexities of digital-area education, ensuring institutions remain adaptive and responsive to technological advancements, and equipping students with the necessary skills to thrive in a rapidly evolving landscape.

This study investigates the application and effectiveness of modern teaching techniques in improving reading literacy among elementary school students in Kazakhstan. In the rapidly evolving educational landscape, the integration of innovative pedagogical strategies is essential to foster student reading skills and general literacy. This study aims to explore how these modern teaching techniques can be applied to improve reading literacy among elementary school students in Kazakhstan. The study sample includes 64 respondents to the research. The key modern teaching techniques explored in this study include the use of digital learning tools, interactive reading sessions, differentiated instruction, and collaborative learning activities. The findings reveal significant improvements in reading literacy among students exposed to these techniques, highlighting the potential of modern pedagogy to bridge literacy gaps and promote educational equity. Furthermore, the study discusses the challenges and opportunities to implement these techniques within the Kazakhstani educational system. The results provide valuable information for educators, policymakers, and stakeholders aiming to improve reading literacy through innovative teaching practices.