PurposeThis paper investigates the impact of intellectual capital and its components on slack-based technical efficiency (SBM-TE) of banks.Design/methodology/approachData envelopment analysis is used to compute SBM-TE scores and the Value-Added Intellectual Coefficient (VAIC™) model is used to measure intellectual capital. An unbalanced panel of 32 banks that operated from 2000 to 2017 has been used.FindingsOverall, the efficiency scores are averaged at 79%, suggesting that an inefficient bank needs to enhance technical efficiency by 21% to be at par with the best performing banks. Beta-convergence and sigma-convergence exist among banks with faster speed evident among listed and local banks. Intellectual capital has a positive impact on SBM-TE and human capital is the main driver of technical efficiency among banks. This result is specifically evident among non-listed banks and foreign banks. Economies of scale property are also evident among the banks. Competition and asset tangibility inhibit technical efficiency among banks.Practical implicationsBanks are advised to invest in value-adding emerging technologies and their employees so as to enhance their efficiency. The study offers insights for policymakers, practitioners and researchers in emerging markets.Originality/valueThe study is premier in employing the SBM-TE to explain the intellectual capital and efficiency nexus, as well as, testing for both beta-convergence and sigma-convergence.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of diversification on profitability, profit efficiency and financial stability of Ghanaian banks. Design/methodology/approach The authors employed a panel regression technique on a data set of 32 banks from 2000 to 2015. The data envelopment analysis is used to compute profit efficiency scores with credit risk accounted for. Findings The results suggest that income diversification decreases profit, profit efficiency and financial stability. The impact on profit and stability is U-shaped. The impact of asset diversification was found to be insignificant. High competition reduces both profitability and profit efficiency which is inconsistent with the quiet-life hypothesis of Hicks (1935), but financial stability increases with competition. High investment in tangible assets is associated with poor performance. Non-banking financial institutions that later became universal banks are not financially stable. Competition, size, age, government ownership and leverage which are controlled for and a sensitivity analysis conducted also provided relevant insights. Practical implications The results are relevant in understanding the events in the Ghanaian banking industry in 2017–2018. Income diversification strategy is essential in determining the performance of banks. Management has to figure out the extent and scope of their diversification to benefit from the strategy. Originality/value The authors examined diversification from the view-point of both the income statement and statement of financial position while most prior studies focused on only one aspect. The study is one of the few studies that employed the risk-adjusted profit efficiency measure in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The dataset is an unbalanced panel of 354 observations. The methodology of the paper is to test eight hypotheses related to IC and its components (Human Capital Efficiency or HCE, Structural Capital Efficiency or SCE and Capital Employed Efficiency or CEE) and their relationship with financial performance and financial stability. The paper finds support in favour of the claim that VAIC™ has a positive and significant impact on financial performance and financial stability. On the other hand, among the components of VAIC™, it is only HCE that behaves in a manner similar to VAIC™. Among the other components, SCE has a negative impact on financial performance and financial stability. CEE has a positive impact on financial performance but a negative impact on financial stability. This implies that SCE reduces both financial performance and financial stability, while CEE increases financial performance but reduces financial stability. Effects of controls, such as leverage, bank size, concentration and ownership structure are discussed in some detail.

PurposeThe study examines the impact of risk on the profit efficiency and profitability of banks in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachData envelopment analysis was used to estimate profit efficiency scores and accounting ratios were used to measure profitability. The panel corrected standard error regression was used to assess the nexus using a dataset of 32 banks from 2000 to 2015.FindingsThe paper found that the Ghanaian banking industry exhibits a variable return to scale property, suggesting that average costs change with output size. Profit efficiency score for banks closer to the efficiency frontier is 61%. Credit risk is significant in enhancing profit efficiency and return on equity. Market risk is relevant in improving profit efficiency, return on asset and asset turnover. To drive profitability, bank managers have to be committed to effective liquidity risk, insolvency risk and capital risk management. Operational risk reduces shareholders' returns. The impact of size, age, stock exchange listing, cost efficiency and competition have are all been discussed extensively.Practical implicationsThe findings contribute to the knowledge on the risk-performance nexus and provide information that is valuable to academics, bankers and regulators for policy formulation. The findings are relevant to the newly established Financial Stability Council.Originality/valueThis paper appears to be among the premier attempts to examine the effect of various risk types identified in the Basel III framework on bank performance in Africa.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of intellectual capital and its components on bank diversification choice. Design/methodology/approach Both asset and income diversification are computed and an unbalanced panel data set of 32 banks covering the period 2000–2015 have been used. The panel corrected standard error regression has been used to account for serial correlation and heteroscedasticity. Findings The study found that intellectual capital determines the choice of diversifying. Precisely, intellectual capital motivates asset diversity but it dissuades income diversification. Human capital and structural capital are major components that determine asset diversity decisions. Income diversification decision, in this case to choose a focus strategy, is determined by human capital. This gives credence for the human capital theory in Ghana. Competition encourages a focus strategy. Bank size and leverage enhances income diversification while stock exchange listing and government ownership fosters the focus strategy. Practical implications Diversification strategy, knowledge base of staff, corporate governance and internal control have been considered as factors leading to the collapse of some Ghanaian banks in 2017–2018. The study provides relevant insights for regulators, decision support units and corporate boards. Intellectual capital and value added metrics should be used for modelling and decision making as they have value relevance. Originality/value This is a premier study that has examined the nexus between diversification strategy and intellectual capital in banks.