Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine and analyze the impact of governance internal mechanisms on audit report lag. The characteristics of governance used in this study are selected by looking at recent literature review.Design/methodology/approach: Governance internal mechanisms were proxied by the audit committee and director's board characteristics. To test the impact of these characteristics, the authors used a sample of 47 Tunisian companies listed on the Tunis Stock Exchange (BVMT) during the period from 2014 to 2019. The generalized method of moments (GMM) method of dynamic panel multivariate analysis was used to analyze this study.Findings: The results showed that most corporate governance attributes have a significant effect on audit report lag. Specifically, the audit committee diligence and the audit committee expertise have significant and positive effect on audit report lag. But the diligence of the board has significant and negative effect on audit report lag. However, this study finds no evidence that the audit committee independence, the size, independence and diligence of director's board are associated with the audit report lag. In addition, the results of this study also show that there is a significant effect of some control variables such us gender and performance.Practical implications: The findings of this article will help to fill the knowledge gap in relation with this research issue in developing countries especially in Tunisian context, because this investigation exposed more than ever the vital role of auditor on the audit report lag. This research will make investors and stakeholders aware of the importance of governance mechanisms put in place in firms to reduce audit report delays in emerging markets, like Tunisia. Then, this work can help researchers and encourage them to deeply and broadly investigate this issue on other emerging markets.Originality/value: This study extends the existing literature by examining the relationship between different mechanisms of corporate governance and audit delay in an emerging context and which has been very little explored in this sense namely in the Tunisian context. On the empirical level, the study contributes by using a dynamic panel that has not been mentioned much in previous research. Dynamic panel models include lagged dependent variables. The presence of these variables makes it possible to model a partial adjustment mechanism.

The aim of this study is to examine the impact of green bond issuance on the stock market, based on the share prices of 29 companies located in different countries around the world. Using our financial map and applying clustering techniques, we study price fluctuations and identify the influences shaping them. Our contribution lies in methodological innovation through a Multidimensional Scaling approach. Based on this innovative approach, the results of this investigation revealed a complex dynamic in which various factors such as company size, issue volume, total number of issues, geographical location, country GDP, and even governance indices such as the corruption index interact significantly.

The study raises questions about the fraud detection technique and the relevance of audit quality to mitigate fraud. The paper suggests a more comprehensive proxy for fraud risk that relies on the combination of Z-score and Beneish M-score. Basing on Logit, regressions are applied to a sample of 5,613 US-listed public firms. The study reveals that the existence of an internal auditor and independent members within the audit committee would potentially reduce the fraud risk. Hiring a Big external auditor and paying it high fees is also helpful. Findings show that, unlike the firm leverage, both firm profitability and growth opportunities have a negative effect of on fraud risk. Leverage provides a motivation for fraudulent financial reporting. It is important to note that this research underscores the audit’s monitoring role to mitigate fraud. Also, the adopted model helps regulators, bankers, managers and auditors to detect fraud at an early stage. So needed action can be taken at suitable time. Finally, in this study, we focus on financially distressed companies rather than those with financial restatements. We suggest a collective tool to predict fraud risk; which is expected to offer a more reliable proxy for fraud risk than do binary models.

Purpose: This study aims to examine the impact of environmental regulations on financial performance, emphasizing the moderating role of corporate governance. It distinguishes between mandatory and voluntary regulations and their financial effects on high-polluting firms across ten EU countries. Design/methodology/approach: Using panel data from 80 heavy-polluting companies (2010–2022, 805 observations), this research uses a random effects model with time-lagged analyses to address dynamic relationships while mitigating endogeneity concerns. A corporate governance index, created via multiple correspondence analysis, integrates board independence, gender diversity, sustainability audits and environmental partnerships. Robustness tests are conducted by replacing return on assets with return on invested capital and market-to-book ratios. Findings: The results indicate that voluntary environmental regulations enhance profitability over time, while mandatory regulations initially hinder performance due to compliance costs but yield positive long-term effects. Corporate governance mitigates the short-term negative impact of mandatory regulations but does not amplify the benefits of voluntary ones. Practical implications: This study offers valuable insights into how environmental regulations and corporate governance influence financial performance. It suggests that improving environmental standards can enhance reputation, navigate regulations and boost value. Policymakers should balance compliance demands with incentives, while firms must strengthen governance to manage regulatory challenges, mitigate financial pressures and ensure resilience. Originality/value: This study provides originality by examining both mandatory and voluntary regulations and their distinct effects on financial performance, addressing a research gap in high-polluting European industries. It also contributes by constructing a composite corporate governance index to address these dynamics.

Restrictive conditions that financial institutions require on credit allocation remain the main constraints to developing and creating new businesses. In this context, the concept of private equity came to fill this problem. However, because it is a riskier business, investors thoroughly assess before investing in a firm’s capital. This work aims to analyze the criteria of private equity investment and explore how Tunisian private equity investors make investment decisions. The methodology applied aligns with prior works studying investment criteria used by private equity investors. Results show that 100% of investors prefer to invest in firms that aim to achieve some growth and are in the development phase. In addition, under informational asymmetry between entrepreneurs and investors, the latter place greater importance on the business plan, information gathered during interviews with promoters, and information on the products.

Purpose: This study aims to examine the determinants of environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices within Tunisian companies, in order to identify how the specific characteristics of companies influence their ESG engagement in the context of an emerging market. Design/methodology/approach: The analysis draws on survey data from 55 Tunisian firms across industrial, financial and consulting sectors. A principal component analysis (PCA)-based composite ESG index, aligned with the Tunis Stock Exchange framework, is constructed to assess performance across environmental, social and governance dimensions. Findings: The results reveal that governance and social practices are relatively advanced, while environmental initiatives remain limited. Larger, older, listed and group-affiliated firms exhibit higher ESG performance, suggesting that organizational resources and institutional pressures play a critical role in shaping ESG engagement in Tunisia. Practical implications: These findings provide insights for policymakers and corporate leaders. Strengthening regulatory incentives, improving ESG disclosure frameworks and supporting capacity-building initiatives could foster stronger environmental integration and more balanced ESG development across sectors. Furthermore, integrating ESG criteria into governance mechanisms and internal management tools appears essential to strengthen the alignment between financial performance and sustainable performance. Originality/value: This paper contributes to the ESG literature by providing novel empirical evidence from Tunisia, an underexplored context in sustainability research. By constructing a PCA-based composite ESG index aligned with the Tunis Stock Exchange framework and analysing firm-level determinants of ESG engagement, it offers new insights into how institutional and organizational factors shape ESG adoption in emerging economies. Finally, the study combines methodological rigor with strong contextual grounding, providing a fresh perspective on ESG dynamics in environments characterized by evolving and heterogeneous institutional pressures.