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In this paper, utilising the endogenous growth model, we assess the joint long-run determination of economic growth by non-performing loans (NPLs) and by other factors that include bank credit to the economy, gross secondary school enrolment, government expenditure growth rate and the inflation rate in Nigeria using the bank-based approach. The quarterly data sample is between 1998 and 2014. We incorporate the NPLs level in a multivariate model using the ARDL procedure. The results from the bound test suggest the existence of long-run co-movement of these variables and economic growth. All variables in the model are statistically significant in the long run. The NPLs level and bank credit to the economy were found to have a negative and a direct impact on economic growth respectively. On the whole, financial pollution (NPLs) and positive financial utility (from bank credit to the economy) show a remarkable impact of financial development on economic growth in Nigeria. The error correction mechanism shows a very slow restoration to equilibrium in the next period once the system is distorted. The study recommends a higher level of proactive policies both to curb the growth of NPLs and to drive credit by banks to the economy's private sector.

The main aim of this study was to unpack the health and socioeconomic status of waste-picking activities in Mayville, Cato Manor, and Westville in Durban. It analyzed the quality of life of waste pickers, their awareness of the risks associated with this kind of work, and the extent of their uptake of health-protective measures. A quantitative approach was adopted, and a questionnaire was used to gather data from 81 waste pickers. The findings revealed that unemployment was the main reason for taking up waste picking and that this was the respondents' primary source of income. It was also found that most respondents resided in shacks and had no access to running water. Most were unaware of the risks associated with this kind of work. Based on these findings, it is recommended that economic development be pursued to create employment opportunities and that delivery of essential services such as potable water be improved, especially in informal settlements. Awareness campaigns should be launched to educate waste pickers on handling waste, the risks associated with this kind of work, and the need to adopt protective health measures. Finally, the researcher recommends further research on waste picking in Durban as there is a paucity of information on this activity in the city.

Abstract
The study builds on previous studies of the consequences of non-performing loans on an economy. Using a seven-by-seven matrix in the impulse response function (IRF) of the structural autoregressive model, we find a long-run impact of an impulse to non-performing loans on the banking system and the macroeconomy in Nigeria. Conversely, non-performing loans also respond to the innovation of all macro-banking variables aside from the exchange rate and the growth rate to GDP. Also, the level of non-performing loans grows in influence in relation to the changes to the exchange rate using the variance decomposition tool of Structural VAR. Hence, a prominent role is assigned to the level of NPLs in linking the friction in the credit market to the susceptibility of both the banking system and the macroeconomy. This study passes the serial correlation tests and the three tests of normality.

Stakeholders receive a comprehensive message that includes financial information, non-financial information, and a forecast for the future. Chairman's disclosure is susceptible to manipulation by directors resulting to less transparency and thereby misleading the stakeholders. An evaluation of the chairman's messages in relation to financial performance is conducted in this study. The study examined the top 40 listed companies on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange for the year 2021, using the Gunning Fog Index as a measure of readability of the chairman's statement and Return on Equity (ROE) as a measure of financial performance. In order to determine the relationship between the chairman's statement readability and the company's financial performance, multiple linear regression was applied. This study found that as company performance increases, readability becomes more difficult. In contributing to existing literature, the study examines how the chairman's statement is correlated with financial performance from a South African viewpoint.

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of abnormal accruals on abnormal tone in the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) statements of South Africa's (SA) top 40 Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) listed businesses in the 2021 financial year. This study employs the quantile regression analysis and the generalised linear regression model. For this evaluation, the Top 40 JSE-listed firms' integrated annual reports (IARs), which include the annual financial statements and CEO statements, were extracted from the companies' official web pages. Findings revealed that abnormal accruals have a negative relationship with the abnormal tone used in the CEO statements of the top 40 JSE-listed companies. i.e., anomalous accruals and irregular tone move in different directions, as abnormal accruals increase, the abnormal tone in CEO statements decreases. This suggests that abnormal accruals and abnormal tone do not co-occur and that companies with abnormal accruals do not conceal them using abnormal tone in their CEO statements. We recommend that the amount of flexibility and judgment given to preparers of annual financial statements be reduced to lessen the use of earnings management practices. The research adds to the sparse literature on tone management and earnings management in developing nations, particularly SA.

The study examined whether Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE Ltd) delisted companies used impression management in the chairman's statements and audit committee's reports preceding delisting from 2016 to 2021. There is a concerning trend of delisting from JSE, which may be voluntary or compulsory. The chairman's statement is highly ranked as the most read voluntary narrative disclosure statement. Furthermore, as assurance providers and governance structure, the audit committee is expected to assure the organisation as a whole. The study uses quantitative content analysis on integrated reports of the JSE-delisted companies from 2016 to 2021. Impression management is examined for length, use of passive voice, and the use of personal references in the chairman's statement and audit committee report. The study examined and provided insight into impression management practices used by delisted companies and ascertains whether there is a systematic difference in the use of impression management between profitable and unprofitable in the year preceding delisting. The study shows that delisted companies used impression management on the verge of delisting and this opportunistic behavior was used by both boards of directors and audit committees. This study contributes to the novelty of knowledge on impression management. It is the first of its kind.

Abstract
Dividend policy remains one of the top ten unresolved issues in corporate finance including in the banking sector. Hence, this study explores data from 250 commercial banks in 30 Sub-Saharan African countries to establish the causal relationship between the use of two major dividend policies in the sector and financial performance for the period 2006 to 2015. The empirical results of the vector error correction block exogeneity Wald test and Pairwise Granger causality test reveal that only retention policies Granger cause performance (ROA), even though both major policies posit a positive relationship with performance (ROA) in the Vector Error Correction Model estimate. Therefore, commercial banks in Sub Saharan Africa and also in the entire world should use their free cash flows wisely by exploring all available viable investment opportunities. By doing this, not only owners' profit but wealth is fully maximised such that their survival, value creation, and future growth is fully justified.

In South Africa, the devastating effects of the COVID-19 plague forced several corporates to resort to business rescue proceedings to guarantee the continuance of their operations. However, the low success rates associated with the current South African business rescue regime are a thing of concern among policymakers. In this article, we conduct a systematic literature review highlighting the shortcomings of the current South African business rescue mechanism and recommendations that can be adopted to improve its success rates. The study then proposes a broad agenda for future research. We discover that even though the South African business rescue mechanism is an economically significant, promising framework that gives companies time and space to find solutions for their problems, it is associated with numerous shortcomings that lessen its success rates. Also, the study results indicate that the regime can be improved in more than a few dimensions to augment its success rates. Further, the review divulges that implementing the current South African business rescue framework has some uncharted areas that need to be investigated. As a recommendation, policymakers should improve the business rescue regime to increase its success rates.