Being a destination for investors around the globe, there are increasing concerns about climate change, pollution and biodegradation as well as the disposition of companies towards reporting environmental concerns in Africa. This necessitated the interest in a comparative study of corporate governance mechanisms and environmental accounting reporting (EAR) in selected African quoted companies. Using ex-post facto research design, the study’s population comprised of quoted companies in six sectors located in four Africa countries (Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa). A content analysis was carried out to obtain environmental disclosure and reporting score, while static panel regression model was used to analyse the data. Findings revealed that board committee has a significant influence on EAR in the African countries, board diversity in Kenya and Nigeria, board size in South Africa and Nigeria, board independence in Egypt and Kenya, and institutional ownership in Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa were found to have significant influence on EAR. This result implies that extant laws and codes on corporate governance should be followed, and most importantly, other countries studied should emulate South Africa and adopt integrated reporting and application of Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) index score in their corporate reporting.
This study examined the impact of working capital management on the profitability of selected quoted agricultural and agro-allied companies (from 2012 to 2016) in Nigeria. Secondary data were extracted from eighteen quoted agricultural and agro-allied companies in Nigeria, four of which are agricultural companies out of the twenty-three in Nigeria. Descriptive research design and regression analysis were used. Working capital management was measured using the trade receivables collection period, trade payables, payment period, inventory turnover period, and cash conversion cycle, while profit before interest and tax measured profitability. This study found that working capital management and profitability are related to the agriculture and agro-allied sector in Nigeria. The result shows the trade receivables collection period and profitability are negatively related. The result also shows the trade payables payment period and profitability are positively related. The result shows that the inventory turnover period and profitability are related, the cash conversion cycle and profitability are positively related. The conclusion is that working capital management and profitability are related. If the management of firms takes efficient and effective decisions in managing the company’s working capital, all things being equal, the maximization of the firm’s profitability, value, and shareholders’ wealth can be guaranteed. Consequently, agency costs asserted by agency theory would be eliminated automatically.
AcknowledgmentAll researchers and non-researchers that contributed to this paper are highly appreciated.
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