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This study examines the influence of the diversity of the board of directors (BoD) and the environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance of 105 Italian banks during the period 2017–2021. Our analysis investigates board diversity in terms of board attributes (board size, board age, board gender diversity, board independence and CSR (corporate social responsibility/sustainability committee) and measures ESG dimensions by using the ESG score provided by the Refinitiv database hosted by Thomson Reuters. The main empirical results reveal that the board size, board independence and the presence of a CSR/sustainability committee positively influence a bank’s ESG performance while no significant relationship between board average age and ESG performance is found. Additionally, the relationship between gender-balanced boards and ESG performance is positive but the impact of female directors on ESG performance is non-linear when a critical mass of women is reached. This paper comprises an in-depth inspection of the corporate governance (CG) in banks, since in Italy there is limited literature concerning diversity in BoDs despite the relevance of the topic. This study is the first that examines the impact of specific CG characteristics (board diversity) on ESG performance in the Italian banking sector, to date. The investigation is highly relevant to managers and investors considering ESG issues in their decision-making process. In addition, findings have implications for both regulators and practitioners, suggesting that policymakers and managers should pay more attention to corporate governance aspects to enhance ESG performance.

Background In recent decades there has been a global rise in consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) to the detriment of population health and the environment. Large corporations that have focused heavily on low-cost manufacturing and extensive marketing of UPFs to maximise profits have driven this dietary transition. The same corporations claim to serve the interests of multiple ‘stakeholders’, and that they are contributing to sustainable development. This paper aimed to test these claims by examining the degree to which UPF corporations have become ‘financialised’, focusing on the extent to which they have prioritised the financial interests of their shareholders relative to other actors, as well as the role that various types of investors have played in influencing their governance. Findings were used to inform discussion on policy responses to improve the healthiness of population diets. Methods We adopted an exploratory research design using multiple methods. We conducted quantitative analysis of the financial data of U.S. listed food and agricultural corporations between 1962 and 2021, share ownership data of a selection of UPF corporations, and proxy voting data of a selection of investors between 2012 and 2022. We also conducted targeted narrative reviews using structured and branching searches of academic and grey literature. Results Since the 1980s, corporations that depend heavily on manufacturing and marketing UPFs to generate profits have been increasingly transferring money to their shareholders relative to their total revenue, and at a level considerably higher than other food and agricultural sectors. In recent years, large hedge fund managers have had a substantial influence on the governance of major UPF corporations in their pursuit of maximising short-term returns. In comparison, shareholders seeking to take steps to improve population diets have had limited influence, in part because large asset managers mostly oppose public health-related shareholder proposals. Conclusions The operationalisation of ‘shareholder primacy’ by major UPF corporations has driven inequity and undermines their claims that they are creating ‘value’ for diverse actors. Measures that protect population diets and food systems from the extractive forces of financialisation are likely needed as part of efforts to improve the healthiness of population diets.

The disclosure of information on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks is increasingly important in financial and banking entities and the evaluation of its impact by supervisors. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between sustainability and financial performance in a geographical context that has not been studied. Specifically, this study examines the relationship of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance to the financial performance of Indonesian banking companies during the period 2010–20. As a methodology, we used panel data (ESG data from Thomson Reuters), statistical correlations, and regression models. Financial performance was measured by Return on Assets (ROA), Return on Equity (ROE), and Tobin’s Q (TQ). The findings show that ESG is negatively related to all dependent variables (ROA, ROE, and TQ), but each ESG pillar (environmental, social, and governance) yields different results. The social pillar has a significant positive effect on ROA and ROE, governance has a significant negative effect on TQ, and business environment has no significant impact on financial performance. As to the study’s limitations/implications, the findings advance decision makers’ understanding of the quality of organizations’ contributions to improving ESG reporting in financial reporting. The study’s findings on the relationship between ESG reporting and banks’ financial performance also have implications for stakeholders, ESG policymakers, academics, and assurance providers. While the specific research gap addressed is the relationship between ESG and financial performance in Indonesian banking companies, other interesting issues are the voluntary vs. mandatory nature of these reports and the impact of each modality on the variables considered.

Background Considering the adverse clinical consequences of pathologic tachycardia and the potential anxiety caused by physiological tachycardia in some heathy individuals, it is imperative to disseminate health information related to tachycardia for promotion in early diagnosis and appropriate management. YouTube has been increasingly used to access health care information. The aim of this study is to assess the quality and reliability of English YouTube videos focusing on tachycardia and further delve into strategies to enhance the quality of online health resources. Methods We conducted a search using the specific key words “tachycardia” in YouTube online library on December 2, 2023. The first 150 videos, ranked by “relevance”, were initially recorded. After exclusions, a total of 113 videos were included. All videos were extracted for characteristics and categorized based on different topics, sources or contents. Two independent raters assessed the videos using Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria, Modified DISCERN (mDISCERN) tool, Global Quality Scale (GQS) and Tachycardia-Specific Scale (TSS), followed by statistical analyses. All continuous data in the study were presented as median (interquartile range). Results The videos had a median JAMA score of 2.00 (1.00), mDISCERN of 3.00 (1.00), GQS of 2.00 (1.00), and TSS of 6.00 (4.50). There were significant differences in JAMA ( P  < 0.001), mDISCERN ( P  = 0.004), GQS ( P  = 0.001) and TSS ( P  < 0.001) scores among different sources. mDISCERN ( P  = 0.002), GQS ( P  < 0.001) and TSS ( P  = 0.030) scores significantly differed among various contents. No significant differences were observed in any of the scores among video topics. Spearman correlation analysis revealed that VPI exhibited significant correlations with quality and reliability. Multiple linear regression analysis suggested that longer video duration, sources of academics and healthcare professionals were independent predictors of higher reliability and quality, while content of ECG-specific information was an independent predictor of lower quality. Conclusions The reliability and educational quality of current tachycardia-related videos on YouTube are low. Longer video duration, sources of academics and healthcare professionals were closely associated with higher video reliability and quality. Improving the quality of internet medical information and optimizing online patient education necessitates collaborative efforts.

Background Epidemics of preventable diseases are re-emerging in many parts of the world with the increasing anti-vaccine views and vaccine hesitancy. The purpose of this study was to analyze the themes and narratives shared by vaccine-hesitant and anti-vaccine parents on online platforms. Methods A descriptive qualitative approach was used. An online search engine, Google, was used to perform a search utilizing the terms ‘anti-vaccine’ and ‘vaccine hesitancy’ between 2010 and 2021. As a result of the search, 244 posts were identified and 37 shares were included in the study as a result of the evaluation in terms of suitability. Data were analyzed using content analysis. Results Qualitative analysis revealed six themes: (1) mood, (2) lack of trust in the healthcare industry and scientists, (3) distrust of vaccines, (4) communication and media, (5) faith/religious approach, and (6) community health. It was determined that people who are anti-vaccine share their negative experiences and parents who are undecided about getting vaccinated also share to exchange ideas. Conclusions In the messages written by the parents, they experienced fear and anxiety, and they distrusted the health sector, scientists and vaccines. They obtained anti-vaccine information mostly through social media and internet-based communication resources.

Taiwan (China) is a global leader in the electronic information industry. However, previous studies have paid limited attention to the impact of international trade policies on Taiwan’s electronic information sector. This study aims to examine the effects of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) on the global value chain (GVC) of Taiwan’s electronic information industry. Using the GTAP 10.0 database, this study applies the GVC-CGE model to measure the GVC participation and position index of the electronic information industry in Taiwan (China), Mainland China, and other RCEP member economies. The results show that, in the short term, the RCEP does not have a significant impact on Taiwan’s electronic information industry’s participation or position in the global value chain. However, in the long term, it is likely to negatively affect Taiwan’s forward participation and position. Economies within the RCEP that possess technological or resource advantages are expected to see improvements in their electronic information industry’s value chain position. As a result, Taiwan’s electronic information industry faces the risk of being displaced in the global division of labor. These findings offer valuable insights into the position of the electronic information industry of Taiwan (China) within the global value chain, highlight the importance of regional economic cooperation, and provide crucial information for the development of this industry. This study reveals how the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership contributes to the regional reconfiguration of global value chains and its potential impacts on Taiwan’s electronic information industry. We suggest that Taiwan should engage more actively in East Asian regional economic cooperation to mitigate these potential negative effects as much as possible.

The term “Resilient Supply Chain 4.0” incorporates two research areas: Industry 4.0 and Supply Chain Resilience (SCRes). Industry 4.0 technologies include innovations such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), Augmented Reality (AR), Cloud Computing (CC), the Internet of Services (IoS), Big Data Analytics (BDA), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Digital Twins (DT), Blockchain (BC), Industrial Robotics (IR), and Additive Manufacturing (AM). Industry 4.0 technologies do not have a direct impact on SCRes, but on resilience elements such as flexibility, redundancy, visibility, agility, collaboration, robustness, and information sharing. This paper aims to investigate which of the Industry 4.0 technologies can help improve the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that are used for creating a Resilient Supply Chain 4.0. A non-systematic literature review has been conducted for the identification of (a) the most important constituent elements of SCRes, (b) the Industry 4.0 technologies that improve the SCRes elements, and (c) the KPIs that enhance SCRes. A systematic literature review has been conducted to identify which of the Industry 4.0 technologies have an impact on the KPIs that enhance SCRes. The findings of this work demonstrate that Industry 4.0 technologies can help improve the KPIs for a Resilient Supply Chain 4.0.

The increasing growth trend of the global Muslim population implies an increase in the consumption of halal products. The importance of the halal market attracts much attention from many stakeholders, including academia/researchers. Many scholars have conducted studies on halal topics. However, these studies cover broad topics, such as ICT potential in the halal sector, the halal supply chain, Islamic Law, and other halal studies related to natural sciences. This study aims to study the research gap and future trends of halal food additive and ingredient research in business and economics using bibliometric analysis. The data were obtained from the Scopus database from 1999 to 2022. The authors analyzed the keyword “Halal Consumption and Production” by using the general keyword “Halal or Haram Additive and Ingredient”. The dataset was uploaded on VOSviewer and R language (Bibliometrix) software. This study found a deficit of studies on halal food additives and ingredients in business and economics. The co-occurrence network output demonstrated that future studies on halal food additives and ingredients should consider clusters that have lower density and central positions, such as production–consumption and the supply chain, healthy foods, and the logistics market and health effects. The Bibliometrix strategic diagram of the 2020–2022 thematic evolution demonstrates a research gap in three out of four quadrants (i.e., emerging or declining, basic, and motor themes). This study suggests potential research areas in the field of halal food additives and ingredients, such as ethical and sustainable sourcing, responsible consumption, consumer sovereignty, international trade, economic modeling, food security, green/sustainable supply chain, and halal regulation and product safety.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted both healthcare and the economy on a global scale. This pandemic has changed consumer habits and behaviors significantly, primarily because of confinement-related issues. While numerous research has been undertaken to study customer satisfaction using surveys and online passenger ratings, the effect of COVID-19 on passenger satisfaction has not been explored. It is vital to assess satisfaction indicators gathered from online consumer reviews to ascertain consumers’ preferences for airline services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of this study is to determine the primary themes that emerged from airline travelers’ internet reviews during the COVID-19 outbreak. Additionally, it attempts to determine which of these themes relate to higher and lower passenger satisfaction. The article uses qualitative (i.e., narratives) analyses to examine the main components of passengers’ subjective experiences of the airline. Data are represented by passenger reviews posted on the TripAdvisor website. The analyses revealed ten themes in descriptions of airline travel experiences. These include “flight”, “service”, “staff”, “food”, “check-in”, “cancellation”, “COVID-19”, “airport”, “class”, and “luggage”. Dissatisfying concepts are linked with the “cancellation”, “check-in”, “refund”, and “airport” concepts.

With the high impetus in global digitization, online shopping (OS) is anticipated to increase further in the near future. Contrary to this anticipation, however, recent studies have emphasized a certain amount of drop in a considerable number of online purchasing transactions in 2022. One of the reasons might be customer dissatisfaction. To analyze online customer reviews, manual sentiment analysis was conducted to detect which quality criteria cause the dissatisfaction of online shoppers. The quality parameters are categorized into product, delivery service, and aftersales service quality (SQ). These main quality criteria are then divided into sub-factors. Eight health category products, including personal care products, wellness products, and household cleaners, were ranked to the importance of the sub-quality parameters using the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method. In this study, a new hybrid MCDM method was also proposed, which combines the triangular fuzzy logarithm methodology of additive weights (F-LMAW) and the Fermatean fuzzy weighted aggregated sum product assessment method (FF-WASPAS). The study reveals that the most important criteria were products’ performance, as well as their side effects, pay-back, and change possibility, while the products’ reasonable price was the least important criterion. Aftersales service was more significant than delivery service. Furthermore, moisturizing creams and medical pillows were the most popular products bought in OS compared with hair conditioners and washing liquids. The study’s multifold contributions and managerial implications were elaborately discussed.