COVID-19 and stock exchange return variation: empirical evidences from econometric estimation

Does active transport create a win-win situation for environmental and human health: the moderating effect of leisure and tourism activity

The current environmental crisis is mostly due to global warming. Promoting walking and cycling requires both the availability of green public areas (such as parks, green paths, and greenways) and a mentality that values such active modes of transportation. Significant health advantages from increased physical activity (PA) are associated with transportation options like walking and cycling (sometimes known as "active transportation," AT): the health and environmental advantages of encouraging workers to use bicycles for transportation been widely acknowledged. The authors of this research set out to fill this information gap by investigating the theoretically theorized links between green public space awareness and attitudes toward active mobility, adapting to a changing environment, and improving one's mental and physical health, with leisure and tourist activities serving as a moderator. The data was collected quantitatively using purposive sampling and then analyzed using PLS-SEM. We surveyed Korean walkers (n = 282) and bikers (n = 315) online between May 25 and June 17, 2021, and used a partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis to test our hypothesis. As stated in the findings, being conscious of green public space when using active transportation significantly affects how clean the air feels. Active transportation was shown to have a significant effect on health, and climate change mitigation efforts were found to have a significant effect on health. Those who used active transportation for tourism had a stronger connection between green public space awareness and air quality, in addition to environmental sustainability and ethical conduct mitigation, than those who used active transport for recreation. Therefore, the model may aid in locating transport and health scenarios that benefit both sectors.

Barriers to green human resources management (GHRM) implementation in developing countries: evidence from China

Because of the current climate adaptation and long-term viability advancements, campaigners both locally and globally are pressuring businesses to embrace green practices. But there are challenges to putting green policies into action. The goal of this research was to analyze the most significant challenges encountered by Chinese businesses when attempting to implement environmentally responsible HR practices (GHRM). There were seventeen setbacks found, and these were sorted into five main groups. In order to pilot test the survey questions, we spoke with twenty experts in the fields of human resources and environmental management. One hundred and ninety-nine questionnaires were subsequently distributed to a random sample of company CEOs (19), HR managers (30), CFOs (30), and HR directors (40). The PSI approach was used to establish a hierarchy of the most significant obstacles and their subobstacles. Twenty-three percent of GHRM barriers in the research area were attributable to economic factors. The absence of financial resources emerged as the most crucial obstacle overall (with a score of 0.99) and among the subbarriers. The second most common barrier was found to be political and regulatory (20.1%), while the least common was found to be cultural and educational (18.2%). Government and financial institutions can help businesses overcome the most significant obstacles by offering low-interest loans for the development and implementation of sustainable business strategies and initiatives. As such, this study complements the current body of literature on green HR. Examining the challenges faced when trying to put GHRM into practice in a poor country context, this helps policymakers and practitioners in China and other similar economies understand environmental innovation barriers and develop policies to overcome them.

Assessing the impact of COVID-19 on economic recovery: role of potential regulatory responses and corporate liquidity

We use a variety of organization-level datasets to examine the effectiveness and efficiency of the nations for the coronavirus epidemic. COVID-19 subsidies appear to have saved a significant number of jobs and maintained economic activity during the first wave of the epidemic, according to conclusions drawn from the experiences of EU member countries. General allocation rules may yield near-optimal outcomes in favor of allocation, as firms with high ecological footprints or zombie firms have lower access to government financing than more favorable, commercially owned, and export-inclination firms. Our assumptions show that the pandemic has a considerable negative impact on firm earnings and the percentage of illiquid and non-profitable businesses. Although they are statistically significant, government wage subsidies have a modest impact on corporate losses compared to the magnitude of the economic shock. Larger enterprises, which receive a lesser proportion of the aid, have more room to increase their trade liabilities or liabilities to linked entities. In contrast, according to our estimations, SMEs stand a greater danger of insolvency.

Converging concepts of sustainability and supply chain networks: a systematic literature review approach

In recent years, companies have been under increasing pressure from consumers, grassroots and community organizations, governments, and shareholders to develop and practice sustainable business practices. Academic and corporate interest in sustainable supply chain management has risen considerably in recent years. This can be seen in the number of papers published. This paper aims to systematically investigate the discipline of supply chain management (SCM) within the context of sustainability. The two concepts are increasingly aligned, and sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) represents an evolving field where they explicitly interact. The study proposes a conceptual framework to classify various factors along the triple bottom-line pillars of sustainability issues in the context of supply chains. The findings indicate that the existing literature is primarily focused on individual sustainability and supply chain dimensions rather than taking a more integrated approach. Also, the economic benefits of developing a sustainable supply chain for an organization are discussed in addition to specific features of sustainable supply chains and limitations of existing research; this should stimulate further research. Our analysis revealed trends and gaps, allowing us to create a solid agenda for additional SSCM research.

Assessment of the role of renewable energy financing and information and communication technology in carbon neutrality: evidence from RCEP economies

Understanding the correlation between the various forms of financing and their propensity to invest in renewable energy (RE) innovation is crucial for its successful financing. We investigate the "path" taken by innovators in the financial sector. The UN Secretary-General announced the Sustainable Energy for All Initiative in 2012 to ensure that all people can access reliable, modern energy services by 2030. Substantial monetary and technological investments at a rate much surpassing historical levels are required to accomplish this goal. This research is aimed at determining if the combination of REF and ICT may help improve environmental quality. Using econometric methods, we examine time series data from RCEP economies from 2000 to 2019. This study describes another determinant of carbon emission: economic growth, tourism, and trade openness. The study employs Cup-FM and Cup-BC tests to check the results of variables in this study. The effect of economic growth, tourism, and trade significantly positively impacts carbon emissions in this model. However, renewable energy finance and ICT adversely impact the carbon emission level. Moreover, the moderate effect of renewable energy finance on information and communication technology, tourism, and trade is found to have a negative impact on carbon emissions. The policy recommendations suggest how a country can minimize carbon emissions.

Studying financial inclusion, energy poverty, and economic development of South Asian countries

This research investigated the association between financial inclusion, energy poverty alleviation, and economic development in South Asian countries and found significant connections. In order to make multilateral conclusions, we have created a panel of data for nations in South Asia and estimated not only the dynamic panel estimation but also the panel unit root, Kao (1999) estimates, and the ARDL tests for each country. A significant association between financial inclusion and economic development and poverty reduction is discovered by using dynamic panel estimates. Economic development has also been shown to have a favorable influence on energy poverty alleviation. According to the findings of the ARDL analysis, financial inclusion has a beneficial influence on economic development. Financial inclusion and economic growth have reciprocal causalities in energy poverty alleviation, as shown by the study's testing of this association. As a result, it is acceptable to infer that financial inclusion favors economic development and poverty reduction in South Asia. The study also suggests the policy implications for stakeholders.

Does green finance and ICT matter for sustainable development: role of government expenditure and renewable energy investment

Green financing and renewable energy growth are commonly influenced by public expenditure on health and R&D; however, data supporting this claim is scarce, especially in the 65 countries that are part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The study applied Augmented Mean Group (AMG) analysis on panel data from 2005 to 2018 for BRI nations to look at the interplay between R&D and health budgets, GDP growth, FDI, carbon emissions, green finance, and renewable energy deployment. This study uses the two models for green finance and renewable energy development. In the light of the first model, economic growth, public expenditures on health and R&D, and foreign direct investment cause to increase the level of green finance in BRI economies, while the emissions cause to reduce the level of green finance. Similarly, renewable energy development uses another explained variable by this study and found the positive contribution of growth, public expenditures, and FDI inflows to renewable energy development. In contrast, environmental pollution decreases the level of renewable energy development. In order to obtain the desired level of green finance and renewable energy development, policies are suggested by the study.

Understanding the role of green finance and innovation in achieving the sustainability paradigm: application of system GMM approach

THe central challenge facing China's sustainable development is how to strike a balance between economic growth and environmental conservation. In China's ongoing economic revolution, green finance is more important than ever. The study empirically examined how green finance and innovation affect carbon emissions using panel data from 30 Chinese provinces gathered between 2010 and 2020. The empirical analysis is undertaken to utilize a series of methods to investigate the impact of green finance on carbon emissions. The findings show that increased green finance, innovation, and industrial structure reduce carbon output. Moreover, carbon emissions increase with increasing trade openness and economic growth. In order to achieve sustainable development goals through economic and environmental sustainability, it has been discovered that green finance can foster green technology innovation and green business.

Does environmental psychology matter: role of green finance and government spending for sustainable development

Over 30% of the global GDP and 60% of the worldwide population are involved in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), making it one of the greatest development projects in the world. If infrastructure developments in BRI countries are successful, economic growth in those nations will increase dramatically. Using data from 2005 to 2020, this research examines the relationships between environmental psychology, green finance, and sustainable development and variables such as GDP per capita and its square, green financing, government expenditure, and human capital in 57 strategically chosen BRI economies. Economists used cutting-edge techniques that take into account multiple variables at once in their analysis, such as cross-sectional dependence, unit root testing, co-integration analysis, IFE estimation, dynamic panel data (DCCE), and generalized method of moments (system GMM). The findings indicate that green financing, government spending, and GDP per capita squared reduce emissions of carbon dioxide. In this analysis, the level of human capital is similar to GDP per capita in its beneficial effect on carbon emissions. Carbon emissions are negatively impacted by government spending, which has a minor effect on GDP per capita, green financing, and human capital. Using the results of this study, the authors offer recommendations for how a country can reduce its carbon output.

Impact of COVID-19 and economic policy uncertainty on China's stock market returns: evidence from quantile-on-quantile and causality-in-quantiles approaches

COVID-19 unexpectedly ensnared the entire world and wreaked havoc on global economic and financial systems. The stock market is sensitive to black swan events, and the COVID-19 disaster was no exception. Against this backdrop, this study explores the impact of COVID-19 and economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on Chinese stock markets' returns for the period spanning January 23, 2020 to August 04, 2021. The outcomes of the novel quantile-on-quantile regression analysis revealed that both COVID-19 and EPU had a significant negative impact on both Shanghai and Shenzhen stock market returns, while COVID-19 aggravated the level of economic uncertainty in both financial markets. The quantile causality approach of Troster et al. (2018) validates our main estimations. We conclude that COVID-19 and a high level of EPU enervated the returns of China's leading stock markets. Our study provides key insights to policymakers and market participants to determine the behavior of China's stock market returns vis-à-vis COVID-19 during the peak of the pandemic and beyond. Specifically, our findings apprise portfolio investors to augment their portfolio diversification fronts.

Measuring the macroeconomic determinants of agricultural price volatility: Implications for natural resource commodity prices for green recovery

With rapid growth, green economic recovery has been a key agenda for the globe. However, the price volatility for natural resources plays a significant role in reshaping the green recovery. Therefore, the current study investigates the impact of green recovery, hum, a capital index, GDP growth, foreign direct investment and inflation on natural resource volatility in China from 1995 to 2020. In order to investigate the long-term association among selected variables, this study employs the Autoregressive Distributive Lag (ARDL) model. In addition, the current research uses the Aikaik information (AIC) criteria for the model selections. Obtained outcomes show the significant contribution of green recovery, human capital, GDP growth, FDI and inflation increase the natural resource price volatility level. However, to validate the results of ARDL, this study also used the ECM approach and validated the prior findings. On behalf of outcomes, the current study implies some imperative policies to attain the desired objective for green growth.

Assessing the nexus between fiscal policy, COVID-19, and economic growth

The COVID-19 issue deteriorated South Africa's already dire economic situation, exacerbated by years of considerable debt increase. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted trade to such an extent that some enterprises are barely working at a quarter of their potential. Furthermore, economic agents delay economic decisions while waiting to see how the crisis develops. According to some economists, increased government expenditure will raise GDP enough to keep the country's debt-to-GDP ratio steady and restore fiscal sustainability. We use a panel data model to estimate a fiscal reaction function, which we then apply to historical data to assess the government's prior efforts to maintain or restore budgetary sustainability. We calculate the impact fiscal balance, government expenditure, interest rate, and revenue changes that the government will have to make to restore the country's fiscal stability due to the financial impact of the COVID-19 issue.The findings show that fiscal balance and tax revinue have a significant impact on the economics growth, while government expenditure and corruption reduce the growth of the country.

Modeling the influencing factors of electronic word-of-mouth about CSR on social networking sites

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) information can now be disseminated via social networking sites. An organization's image and upcoming portfolios are directly affected by electronic word of mouth (eWOM). It generates from its customers, employees, and other stakeholders. We developed a critical model to enlighten the behavior to share and comment on a negative news story about CSR displayed on Wechat and QQ to figure out what was causing this behavior. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and the partial least squares regression (PLS) approach were used to conduct a self-administered survey of hotel customers in China. Social and environmental awareness, information usefulness, corporate image, and a company's motivation to comment and share on CSR news were all considered explanatory variables in our study. We asked 300 Wechat and QQ users to rate a fake environmental news story. We found that social and environmental awareness affects the effectiveness of information and the attitude toward behavior, which may describe the eWOM intent of the particular news. On the other hand, corporate reputation could discourage people from disseminating eWOM and sharing the news with their social linkage contacts. The findings of the study suggest having a better understanding of how specific CSR activities can increase customers' commitment, which leads to positive eWOM, will benefit the hotel industry.

Macroeconomic lockdown effects of COVID-19 on small business in China: empirical insights from SEM technique

The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in the China has exposed small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to a variety of challenges, some of which are potentially life-threatening to their sustainability. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the macroeconomic lockdown effects of COVID-19 on small business in China. A survey questionnaire with 313 participants was used to collect the data. In this study, the SEM technique was used to analyse model. The data have been gathered for the study from the managers and employees of Chinese SMEs. The findings of the study show that COVID-19 has a significant negative impact on financial performance, operational performance, profitability, access to finance, and customer satisfaction. According to the study's findings, external support aids have a greater impact on SMEs' ability to survive and thrive through innovation than on their actual performance. The findings of this study have a number of important practical consequences for small- and medium-sized business owners, governments, and policymakers.

Impact of financial inclusion and globalization on environmental quality: evidence from G20 economies

Sustainable development and addressing climate change are among the most pressing issues faced by countries around the world. This research investigates the dynamic associations between financial inclusion, globalization and CO₂ emissions of G20 nations from 2005 to 2018, considering the effects of industrial structure, corruption, green energy utilization and economic growth as control variables. In this study, both financial inclusion and globalization index were measured using principal component analysis (PCA). This study examines long-term associations using cross-sectional augmented autoregressive distributed lag (CS-ARDL) technique that offers more accurate outcomes. In addition, the VECM Granger causality method was applied to find causal relationships between study variables. Findings show that in financial inclusion, globalization has positive significant effect on carbon emissions. Moreover, corruption and economic have positive impact on carbon emissions, and renewable energy shows negative impact on environmental quality. The findings of this research are critical for achieving sustainable development and pollution control goals. Governments need to work to bring into line the financial inclusion goals with renewable energy consumption habits and environmental strategies.

How does China's stock market react to supply chain disruptions from COVID-19?

As a once-in-a-century global pandemic, COVID-19 severely hit the global economy and disrupted the worldwide supply chain. Based on 505 Chinese firms, we use the event study method to explore the effect of COVID-19 on the financial performance of firms. The findings show that COVID-19 has an immediate impact on Chinese firms. Hubei firms experience stronger effects than non-Hubei firms. Supply chain disruptions effects from COVID-19 are observed. Transportation industry is hit more severely than retail industry. Insurance companies experience a strong adverse effect. On the other hand, both medical and competitor firms experience significantly positive spillover effects.

Industry 4.0 technology and circular economy practices: business management strategies for environmental sustainability

Circular economy and Industry 4.0 are two of the most hotly debated topics in recent decades. They gradually attracted the attention of academics, practitioners, and policymakers from around the globe. The current research looks at the impact of Industry 4.0 on circular economy practices and blockchain technology in order to boost firm performance. The closed questionnaire was used to collect cross-sectional data of 330 respondents, and the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) modeling framework was used to demonstrate the findings of the study. The results show that blockchain technology improves circular economy practices significantly in terms of green manufacturing (GM), recycling and remanufacturing (RR), and green design (GD) in India. In addition, Industry 4.0 has the potential to improve business operations as well as financial performance and environmental performance significantly. As a result, the current research work offers recommendations for businesses to achieve long-term goals by incorporating Industry 4.0 into manufacturing systems.

Economic-Environmental Law Guarantee of the Green and Sustainable Development: Role of Health Expenditure and Innovation

Environmental regulation is a tool for teaching social and fiscal development that is carbon neutral. The highly polluting food industry in China is a threat to the country's long-term environmental stability and affects public health in a significant way. Therefore, this study investigates the effect of environmental parameters on environmental quality in China's food industry using the cross-sectionally augmented ARDL (CS-ARDL) model over the period of 2010 to 2019. We find that environmental regulations negatively and significantly impact environmental quality. The U-shape relationship exists between environmental regulation and environmental quality. Moreover, government expenditure on health and technological innovation reduces carbon emissions. The study's findings suggest new policy implications supporting the Porter Hypothesis. Finally, this paper offers policy suggestions for China's food industry to enhance its environmental performance.

How Do Green Finance and Energy Efficiency Mitigate Carbon Emissions Without Reducing Economic Growth in G7 Countries?

Climate change is one of the most serious threats facing the world today. Environmental pollution and depletion of natural resources have been highlighted by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), paving the way for modern concepts such as sustainable growth to be introduced. Therefore, this research explores the relationship between green finance, energy efficiency, and CO₂ emissions in the G7 countries. The study uses panel data model technique to examine the dependence structure of green finance, energy efficiency, and CO₂ emissions. Moreover, we use DEA to construct an energy efficiency index of G7 countries. A specific interval exists between the values of the energy efficiency indexes. Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States were named the most energy-efficient countries in the world, based on results obtained for five consecutive years in this category. However, according to the comparative rankings, France and Italy are the most successful of all the G7 members, followed by the United Kingdom and Germany. Our overall findings of the econometric model confirm the negative impact of green finance and energy efficiency on CO₂ emissions; however, this relationship varies across the different quantiles of the two variables. The findings in the study confirm that green finance is the best financial strategy for reducing CO₂ emissions.

New Schemes for Investment in of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises of China: Role of Access to Finance, Innovation, and Sustainability

Firm innovation relies heavily on financing, which is why it is a hot topic in the fields of finance and innovation management. Organizations can make strategic investments in production factors to develop competitive advantages because they have access to financial resources. This study investigated how financial literacy, innovativeness, and environmental sustainability influence the sustainability of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This was set as the primary objective in order to better understand the nature of the impact of financial literacy and innovation on the sustainability of SME firms. To test the hypotheses, structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied using data collected from 300 small businesses firms in China. The results revealed that financial literacy and innovativeness significantly influence small firms’ sustainability. Additionally, social inclusion significantly affects small firms’ sustainability, and sequentially has a significant effect on their performance. Research findings suggested that small businesses incorporate sustainability models into their operations and enhance financial knowledge in order to maintain sustainability.

Modeling and Forecasting the Volatility of NIFTY 50 Using GARCH and RNN Models

The stock market is constantly shifting and full of unknowns. In India in 2000, technological advancements led to significant growth in the Indian stock market, introducing online share trading via the internet and computers. Hence, it has become essential to manage risk in the Indian stock market, and volatility plays a critical part in assessing the risks of different stock market elements such as portfolio risk management, derivative pricing, and hedging techniques. As a result, several scholars have lately been interested in forecasting stock market volatility. This study analyzed India VIX (NIFTY 50 volatility index) to identify the behavior of the Indian stock market in terms of volatility and then evaluated the forecasting ability of GARCH- and RNN-based LSTM models using India VIX out of sample data. The results indicated that the NIFTY 50 index’s volatility is asymmetric, and leverage effects are evident in the results of the EGARCH (1, 1) model. Asymmetric GARCH models such as EGARCH (1, 1) and TARCH (1, 1) showed slightly better forecasting accuracy than symmetric GARCH models like GARCH (1, 1). The results also showed that overall GARCH models are slightly better than RNN-based LSTM models in forecasting the volatility of the NIFTY 50 index. Both types of models (GARCH models and RNN based LSTM models) fared equally well in predicting the direction of the NIFTY 50 index volatility. In contrast, GARCH models outperformed the LSTM model in predicting the value of volatility.

Energy financing for energy retrofit in COVID-19: Recommendations for green bond financing

The aim of study is to estimate the role of energy financing for energy retrofit in COVID-19, with the intervening role of green bond financing. For this, Kalman technique is applied to infer the empirical findings. It is found that energy financing is significantly dependent on green bonds, and green bonds have a significant role in energy retrofit in E-7 economies specifically. It is further found that E-7 economies gained significant rise in energy efficiency financing green bonds financing, that has supportively extended energy retrofit - before and during COVID-19 crises. It is further found significant that the E-7 nations have to put alot of money into hydro and nuclear energy for energy retrofit, with low carbon emissions. In the light of COVID-19 crises, this study offers policy recommendations for effective energy management. However, such policy recommendations are expected to finely serve the financial intermediaries and national governments of E-7 economies to better optimize energy financing through green bond financing. The novelty of the study exists in topical framework and research directions, talking about the way forwards for energy efficiency financing - which is one of the latest issue of the recent times. Hence, this research provides some empirical verifications about energy financing in COVID-19 crises for energy retrofit, and shares some suggestions for stakeholders.