The board of directors play an important role in corporate climate strategy-making and decisions but might also compromise environmental policies to minimize agency cost. This study critically investigates the relationship between the attributes of the board of directors and the degree of sustainability performance for the energy sector as discussed in the literature. Our study cumulates existing knowledge offering important characteristics for a balanced board structure to increase the board's effectiveness in adopting sustainable initiatives that could reduce the adverse impact of an energy corporation's operation on the environment. Crucial attributes of the board of directors deemed to be positively associated with the commitment to reduce carbon footprint in the environment have been identified. Based on our extensive analysis of the literature we propose a conceptual framework that measures the influence of the board of directors' attributes on corporate environmental and social sustainability performance. The proposed framework will be useful as an initial step for top management and regulators to gain a better understanding of the balanced board structure required to achieve the social and environmental sustainability performance of corporations. Further, this paper contributes to a body of knowledge about how the board of directors could play a crucial role in monitoring social and environmental threats.

Purpose This study aims to investigate whether higher earnings quality is related to the existence of multiple directorships among corporate boards and whether this relationship varies with the quality of investor protection. Design/methodology/approach This paper used a dynamic panel data modelling on the sample of 2,090 firm-year observations over the period from 2007 to 2016 in Malaysia. The generalized method of moments estimators were used to deal with endogeneity and other econometric problems. Findings This study finds that the accumulation of several outside directorships is negatively associated with the firm's earnings quality, as measured by the magnitude of discretionary accruals. More importantly, the findings provide evidence that multiple directors are more efficient in improving earnings quality in healthy investor protection environment. Practical implications The appointment of directors should be based on market-based and not on a relationship (i.e. financial and industry professionals). Originality/value The results highlight the importance of interaction between internal and external governance mechanisms to improve the firm's financial performance, investment and market efficiency. High-quality investor protection and law enforcement are significant for enhancing the monitoring role of multiple directorships in improving earnings quality.

Manuscript type: Research paper Research aims: This study examines whether managerial and institutional ownership is associated with higher earnings quality (EQ) after the implementation of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), in comparison to the pre-IFRS period. It also examines the moderating effect of investor protection (INPT) on the link between ownership structure and EQ. Design/Methodology/Approach: This study uses a dynamic panel data modelling on a sample of 2090 firm-year observations, from 2007-2016, in Malaysia. This study applies the generalized method of moments (GMM) to deal with the econometric problems. Research findings: The results indicate that managerial ownership is essential for improving EQ before and after IFRS adoption. No

An effective government's performance is indicated by; high levels of efficiency, bureaucratic quality, the rule of law and the fight against corruption. This paper aimed to examine the effect of government attitudes on voluntary tax compliance in Nigeria. The study distributed 384 questionnaires to self-employed taxpayers in Nigeria, out of which 296 questionnaires were successfully returned. An analysis was conducted incorporating structural equation modelling using the SmartPLS 3.3 software application 3.3 to derive the measurement and structural model of the analysed result. The results showed that government effectiveness positively and significantly affected voluntary tax compliance. Additionally, the findings revealed a positive and significant effect between tax authority transparency and voluntary tax compliance. Further findings showed that government attitude was positively and significantly related to voluntary tax compliance. Therefore, the present study recommends that the government improve its attitudes toward efficiency and transparency in tax and governance to improve voluntary taxpayer compliance with Nigeria's tax authorities.

Abstract. This study examined the level of disclosure among Malaysian listed firms with respect to segment reporting under new accounting standard MFRS 8 (IFRS 8). It also aimed to determine how these firms defined the chief operating decision maker (CODM) during the disclosure of segment information. Study results showed that the way firms disclosed segment information tended to vary between companies, since disclosure was dependent on company management purposes and business activities. The results also showed that only a few Malaysian firms supply information about their CODM. In summary, this study provides a fairly up-to-date description of the status of segment disclosure postimplementation of MFRS 8.