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This article examines the relationship between the cash conversion cycle (CCC) and profitability in countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The authors used dynamic panel methodology to analyze a dataset consisting of 395 firms from nonfinancial sectors in the MENA countries from 2013 to 2018. The authors developed several models consisting of different measures of profitability, CCC and the components of CCC. The control variables were used in the models at different levels.

The results bring out a significantly positive relationship between the CCC and profitability. However, mixed results have been obtained for industry and country details. The quadratic model revealed an inverted U-shaped relationship and the presence of an optimal point of CCC. The robustness checks have confirmed the results of the main models.

The results of the study imply that corporate managers and policymakers ought to pay equal attention to the components of CCC when developing working capital policies and be aware of the optimal level of CCC.

This paper handles the endogeneity problem that is inherent in the relationship. It investigates and confirms the nonlinear characteristics of the relationship. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first to use dynamic panel models to examine the CCC and its relationship with profitability in the MENA context.

This study investigates the determinants of the cash conversion cycle (CCC in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries).

Using the data of 395 companies from 10 countries in the MENA region for six years (2013–2018), the authors run dynamic panel regressions. The authors developed several models to examine the determinants of CCC and its components. The models included several control variables: firm, industry and country characteristics.

The results reveal that firm characteristics (e.g. operating cash flow, sales growth rate, operating profit margin, firm size and tangibility) affect CCC. The model in which CCC is a dependent variable produced more significant results than those which the components of CCC were dependent variables.

The findings suggest that corporate managers when making their working capital management decisions should pay equal attention to the components of CCC and develop a comprehensive working capital management policy.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine determinants of CCC in the MENA context in both country and industry details.

The purpose of the article is to examine the relationship of corporate sustainability to firm financial performance by presenting international data.

The sample includes non-financial companies from five emerging economies known as BRICS for a five-year period of 2014–2018. The study uses the ESG (environmental, social, governance) scores from Sustainalytics database and financial data from company reports. Panel regression models are developed to figure out the relationship.

The results of the article revealed that there is a positively significant relationship between sustainability performance and financial performance. Total ESG score has produced significant results while the individual scores of environmental, social, and governance have produced insignificant results; implying that the components of total ESG score have a joint effect on the financial performance.

The results of the article have important practical implications for companies. Engagement in sustainable business practices will help improve the financial performance. In addition, the companies should be active in all components of sustainability.

The article contributed empirical evidence for sustainability-financial performance relationship by using the international evidence from five emerging economies.

The EU harmonisation has created changes in the military's formal and informal influence in the directions of decreased formal and informal military influence in civilian politics. The EU reforms have created changes in the mindset of the citizens, by creating changes in the security culture of the citizens and in the civil-military related political culture. The desired level of alignment has not been reached. Therefore, the study examines the areas where further alignment is required. Moving from Rebecca L. Schiff's concordance theory, the article examines the relationship between the Turkish military, the civilian politics and the society before and after the EU harmonisation process. It examines the effects of the EU harmonisation process on the changes in the civil-military balance of power, and on the related security culture and political values. The analysis focuses on: (i) increased civilian control and consequent changes in the policy of accountability; (ii) transparency building in the defence sector; (iii) parliamentary oversight; and (iv) the change in the political culture related to the civil-military issues. It also investigates the extent the EU harmonisation has achieved in building democratic civil-military relations in order to align with the EU standards.

Introduction: Data of companies in the Informatics index between 2008 and 2017 fiscal years were analyzed. In the analysis, the following ratios were used as traditional performance evaluation criteria: Return on assets, return on equity, earnings per share, price to earnings ratio, market to book value ratio, and return on sales rate. In addition, economic value added (EVA) was also used. The companies in the Informatics index are divided into sub-sectors according to by field of activity. These sub-sectors are software, communication, and hardware marketing.

Aim: To analyze the power of traditional performance evaluation methods to explain the market value added (MVA).

Method: Regression analysis and autocorrelation tests were used as research methods. These were done with IBM SPSS Statistics 25.

Findings: Models and rates that explain the MVA with the most meaningful results were calculated. These models and ratios are as follows: For the software sub-sector, a market to book value ratio was 77.8%; for the hardware marketing sub-sector, earnings per share was 65.4%; for the communication sub-sector, a market to book value ratio was 92.5%. Market to book value was the independent variable that describes the best MVA value of the two sub-sectors.

Originality of the Study: In this study, the average of the values of all companies in the BIST Informatics Index is not taken. By dividing into sub-sectors, value deterioration from the sector difference is prevented. It is stronger in terms of statistical science.

Implications: Researchers can look for and model the relationship between traditional evaluation criteria and EVA or other value-based evaluation criteria in the same index or other indices.

A threatened sense of safety in public spaces is a problem for liveable communities. For better public policies, this study investigates multi-dimensional and multi-scalar aspects of gendered perceived safety and strategies by women and men in daily public spaces.

A face-to-face survey with 40 men and 50 women in a public space (Izmir, Turkey) is deployed. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis compare participants' perceptions of and strategies for safety across the city, neighbourhood and the study site.

Their experienced-based familiarities in public places increase women's perceived safety. As safety strategies, different place-based and gendered-preconditions appear for women and men going “outside” especially “alone” (i.e. unaccompanied). Reaffirming female vulnerability in public places, gendered preconditions include individuals' attributes. Of place-based preconditions, crowd and police are significant mechanisms for safety but emphasized differently by women and men. Housewives' female companionship in the study site develops a class- and gender-based claim for a safe place away from their underserved neighbourhood.

Gendered- and place preconditions for women's safety can inform design policies about surveillance and permeability of public spaces. Lack of data about class-based differences about perceived safety is a limitation.

Among a few, it takes perceived safety as performative acts with learned strategies across (rather than momentary perceptions in) socio-spatial spaces and provides a research framework that considers such acts with individual and spatial dimensions across multiple socio-spatial scales.