The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) activities and the performance of Thai listed firms. The moderating roles of board size and CEO duality on this relationship are also assessed. The ESG score provided by LSEG (formerly Refinitiv) is chosen to measure ESG activities, both as an overall ESG combined scores and as Environment, Social, and Governance pillar scores. Multiple regression analysis is used to test the impact of ESG on firm performance while the PROCESS macro is used to test the moderating effects. Results reveal that the overall ESG combined score demonstrates no statistically significant effect on firm market-based performance. However, it shows the significant effects on firm performance for both the ESG combined score and the Environmental and Social pillar scores when moderated by board size and CEO duality; Governance pillar score exhibits no significant effect. Additionally, it is found that when the CEO operates only as the managing director and small board size and average board size are evident, higher ESG disclosure scores enhance firm performance. However, when the CEO serves as both managing director and chairman of the board of directors, and where there is a large board size, higher ESG disclosure scores diminish firm performance. This study contributes to the ESG literature and encourages companies to enhance their performance by implementing ESG combined activities with good governance policies.

The effects of climate change are recognized globally. This study hypothesizes that climate change impacts are a complex system that creates a ripple effect on water security, food security, and economic security. Ultimately, those domains simultaneously exacerbate climate change effects and produce national security concerns. The study’s framework uses a transdisciplinary team’s quantitative and qualitative approach to evaluate the challenges and possible solutions to climate change security on the Water–Food–Socioeconomic Nexus. Iraq has been taken as a case study highlighting the deficits in management and governance. The dynamic of the ripple effect shows the interventions for each sector’s water-food-socioeconomic and security that collectively impact upon each other over time. The radical shift in the political infrastructure after 2003 from a centralized to a decentralized one without proper preparation is one of the root causes of the governance and management anarchy. About 228 state and non-state actors are involved in decision-making, leaving it fragile and unsustainable. Only 1% of the national budget is allocated to both the Ministry of Water Resources and the Ministry of Agriculture, which leaves no capacity to mitigate the risk of climate change impact.

This research attempts to investigate the effect of audit quality on firm value in the high corporate governance context. In addition, this study seeks to examine the role of institutional shareholders as a moderating variable on the relationship between audit quality and firm value. Dataset includes the 95 (out of 575) Thai listed companies which fully and completely implement the Corporate Governance Code (CG Code) voluntary disclosure recommended by OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) in 2021. Multiple linear regression and Hayes’s regression-based analysis are done using market capitalization as the dependent variable. The research results illustrate that audit quality relates to firm value in a negative way, while profitability and institutional shareholders relate to firm value in a positive manner. Moreover, the interaction effect between audit quality and institutional shareholders wields a significant negative impact on the association between audit quality and firm value, which indicates that the negative effect of audit quality on firm value is stronger when more firm shares are owned by institutional shareholders. The results of this study would potentially be very useful to managers, financial advisors, and policymakers to observe the nature and vagaries of audit quality in high corporate governance environment, especially when institutional shareholders hold a significant proportion of firm shares. The study offers practical suggestions and recommendations for audit quality and institutional shareholders, which are essential for overall operating efficiency and firm value. The outcomes can help improve corporate governance practices, which in turn enhance the share price and profits.

In a rapidly evolving digital economy, cyberpreneurship has emerged as a pivotal force driving innovation and economic growth. The study applies the Theory of Planned Behaviour in predicting entrepreneurial intention in the context of Malaysia, where the government has actively championed digital entrepreneurship. Drawing from a sample of 473 final-year university students in the Klang Valley region of Malaysia, the study investigates the impact of Individual Entrepreneurial Orientation (IEO) dimensions, namely innovativeness, risk-taking, and proactiveness, on the intention to engage in cyberpreneurship within the context of Digital Free Trade Zones (DFTZ). The study further examines the moderation effect of psychological characteristics incorporating visionary thinking, self-efficacy, opportunism, and creativity to provide a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing cyberpreneurial intentions. With the moderating variable, the paper presents a comprehensive model to investigate the IEO and psychological characteristics contributing to cyberpreneurship intentions and its impact on engagement in DFTZ. An empirical examination of data and hypotheses found that risk-taking (RISK) and proactiveness (PRO) are significantly related to cyberpreneurial intention. Psychological characteristics significantly proved its moderating role in its interaction with innovatiness (INNO), risk-taking (RISK), and proactivness (PRO) in influencing cyberpreneurial intentions (CYBER_PI). Innovativeness (INNO) without the influence of the moderating variable is not significantly related to cyberpreneurial intentions. Engagement with the Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ) through the mediating role of cyberpreneurial intentions (CYBER_PI), the innovativeness (INNO) did not succeed. On the other hand, risk-taking (RISK) and proactiveness (PRO) are found to be significant. The paper contributes to the landscape of e-commerce and digital trade literature by advancing our understanding of the factors driving individuals’ intentions to participate in cyberpreneurship and engage in DFTZ. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for policymakers, educators, and entrepreneurs alike.

The application of optimization algorithms is crucial for analyzing oil and gas company portfolio and supporting decision-making. The paper investigates the process of optimizing a portfolio of oil and gas projects under economic uncertainty. The literature review explores the advantages of applying various optimizers to models that consider the mean and semi-standard deviations of stochastic multi-year cash flows and revenues. The methods and results of three different optimization algorithms are discussed: ranking and cutting algorithms, linear (Simplex) and evolutionary (genetic) algorithms. Functions of several key performance indicators were used to test these algorithms. The results confirmed that multi-objective optimization algorithms that examine various key performance indicators are used for efficient optimization in oil and gas companies. This paper proposes a multi-criteria optimization model for investment portfolios of oil and gas projects. The model considers the specific features of these projects and is based on the Markowitz portfolio theory and methodological recommendations for project assessment. An example of its practical application to oil and gas projects is also provided.