Journal of Business and Administrative Studies

EDITORIAL NOTE: RETRACTION

JBAS — 2025-08-07

The article titled “The Mediating Role of Perceived HRM Practices in the Relationship
Between Managerial-Rated HRM Practices and Employee Engagement in Ethiopian Higher
Education”, authored by Zerihun Kinde Alemu, Sheref Betabo Gogsido, and Tesfaye
Tilahun Aragaw, and published in JBAS, Volume 16, Issue No. 2, pages 1–17, has been
formally retracted due to a conflict of interest.
A claimant, who was originally intended to be listed as a co-author but was omitted from the
authorship, submitted an official complaint citing a competing conflict of interest. Following a
thorough review by the Editorial Board of JBAS and the Research and Publication
Standing Committee of St. Mary’s University (the publisher of JBAS), it was determined
that the article must be retracted.
Readers are therefore strongly advised not to cite or reference this article in any academic
or professional context.
JBAS Editorial Board
St. Mary’s University

Corporate Social Responsibility and Profitability of Nigerian Listed Deposit Money Banks: A Panel Data Analysis (2005-2020)

Azeez Tunbosun Lawal — 2025-08-07

Nowadays, a lot of banks publish statistics on their CSR expenditures, indicating that they have included the discretionary type of CSR into their business operations. Still, a lot of them haven't figured out how this will affect their revenues. The purpose of this study is to ascertain whether or not CSR spending affects banks' profitability by examining the link between CSR expenditure and the profitability level of Nigerian listed banks. Based on secondary data analysis from fifteen listed banks' annual reports for the years 2005 through 2020, the study was conducted. Out of the thirty-three licensed deposit money banks (DMBs) in Nigeria as at 2020, all fifteen listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) were chosen using a purposive sampling technique. This study used panel data regression analysis to investigate the impact of CSR spending on the profitability of deposit money banks listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. The period of study covered 2005 to 2020, providing insights into the effectiveness of CSR initiatives on financial outcomes. The results show a significant correlation between the tested banks' profitability and their spending on corporate social responsibility (CSR). Specifically, each unit increase in CSR spending was accompanied by slightly above a percent rise in the banks' profit after taxes. The study comes to the conclusion that CSR spending has a major role in understanding why banks' profitability levels vary. Therefore, it is advised that banks strategically allocate the CSR funds they spend in order to boost their long-term profitability for survival and, as a result, optimize the advantages for sustainable development in society.

Determinants of Tax Morale in Ethiopia with Emphasis on the Moderating Roles of National Pride and Fiscal Exchange on the Effect of Trust: Evidence from Taxpayers in Addis Ababa City Administration, Ethiopia

Lemessa Bayissa Gobena — 2025-08-07

This study examines the determinants of tax morale in Ethiopia with emphasis on the moderating roles of national pride and perceived fairness of fiscal exchange in the relationship between trust in government and tax morale. By employing a correlation matrix, PROCESS Macro, and hierarchical regression analyses, we examined the association between the independent variables and the dependent variable as well as the moderating roles of national pride and fiscal exchange on the effect of trust on tax morale. The correlation matrix revealed that the empirically documented relationships between tax morale and such independent variables as gender, corruption, and religiosity did not hold in this study as the correlations were found to be insignificant. More importantly, however, we found support for our hypotheses that posit that national pride and fiscal exchange moderate the effect of trust on tax morale. Nonetheless, the moderating effects are opposite in that national pride moderates the effect of trust on tax morale when it is at its high level, whereas fiscal exchange does the moderation when it is at its low level. The findings imply interesting theoretical and policy inputs with data from a typical developing country, Ethiopia.

Financial Technology (FINTECH) and Financial Inclusion: Micro-Level Evidence from Ethiopia Using 2018/2019 Ethiopian Socio-economic Survey Data

Meskerem Bogale Gebre — 2025-08-07

As the banking system evolves toward a cashless economy, digital transactions are rapidly increasing. In today’s financial landscape, cashless systems are no longer just a convenience but a necessity. As a result Financial Technology (FINTECH) is adopted to help companies, business owners and consumers better manage their financial operations. This paper investigates whether or not FINTECH contributes to financial inclusion at the household level in Ethiopia. The research analyzed 2018/19Ethiopian Socio Economic Survey (ESS) data using a multivariate Probit model. A new evidence is presented to show that FINTECH or mobile payments have a significant effect on Iddir which is an informal finance mechanisms. Additionally, it is disclosed that FINTECH significantly enhances formal savings and insurance uptake, though it shows no statistically significant effect on household account ownership or borrowing behavior. These findings suggest that policy makers should leverage the positive influence that FINTECH has on informal financial systems. That could be made possible by integrating digital payment solutions into platforms like Iddir. Expanding access to FINTECH services through promotion of savings and insurance among underserved populations can also advance financial inclusion. FINTECH does not appear to influence account ownership or household borrowing. Therefore, policy efforts should address structural barriers that are beyond access. Strengthening consumer protection measures could also further enhance inclusive access to financial services.

Effects Of Bank Activity Restriction and Stringent Capital Regulation On Bank Stability In Sub-Saharan Africa

Kidist Jiffar — 2025-08-07

This study investigates the effect of bank activity restrictions and stringent capital regulation on bank stability in commercial banks from Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries. Secondary data for this study are collected from the Global Financial Development Database, Bank Regulation and Supervision Database, World Development Indicators Database, the Global Economy Database, and Worldwide Governance Indicators for the period 2003–2021. The dependent variable is bank stability, and the independent variables are stringent bank capital regulation and bank activity restrictions. The lag of the dependent variable, gross domestic product, inflation, bank concentration, and corruption are added as control variables. The purposive sampling method is employed to select the sample from the SSA population and the data analyzed using the dynamic model two-step General Method of Moment (GMM) estimation techniques. Bank activity restrictions and capital stringency are indexed based on the bank regulation and supervision survey of 2003- 2021. The empirical findings suggest strict capital regulation has negative effect and activity restriction has positive effect on bank stability. It was recommended that central banks and commercial bank management in the Sub-Sahara Africa economies work on enhancing the degree of strictness on capital regulations to attain a more stable banking sector so as to build shock resistant financial industry.

The Antecedents of Board Task Performance at State-Owned Enterprises in Ethiopia: Empirical Evidence from a Developing Country

Andualem Zenebe Mamo — 2025-08-07

This study investigates the effect of board processes on the performance of the board control and service tasks in State-Owned Enterprises of Ethiopia. Based on analysis of primary data collected through a questionnaire from a sample of 100 respondents from 33 SOEs using structural equation modelling, we found that effort norms have significant positive effect on board control and service task performance whilst use of knowledge and skills and cognitive conflict have significant positive effect on board control task performance. The results add empirical evidence to the extant liter