Corporate Social Responsibility and Financial Performance of First Bank Limited in Nigeria (Published)
The study focused on the nexus between corporate social responsibility and financial performance of First Bank Limited in Nigeria. The financial performance of commercial banks in Nigeria pertains to the detailed analysis and disclosure of specific factors influencing the after tax profit, the effectiveness of credit risk management practices, and the impact of macroeconomic variables on asset quality, which are crucial for assessing the overall health and stability of the banking sector. The specific objectives were to: ascertain the effect of social expenditure on profit after tax; and determine the effect of environmental expenditure on profit after tax of First Bank Limited. Ex-post facto “design was adopted for this study. Ex-post facto design was used since the researcher relied on historic or secondary accounting data obtained from published annual financial statements of the bank for a period of ten years covering 2013 to 2022. The finding of the study indicates that: there is a positive and significant effect of social expenditure on profit after tax; and there is a positive and significant effect of environmental expenditure on profit after tax of First Bank Limited. The study concluded that there is significant effect of corporate social responsibility and financial performance of First Bank. It was recommended that the bank continues to prioritize and potentially increase investments in social initiatives, ensuring alignment with its corporate objectives, and also expand its environmental sustainability initiatives, leveraging opportunities to invest in eco-friendly technologies and green infrastructure.
Keywords: Profit after tax, Sustainable Growth, environmental expenditure, social expenditure
The Effect of Interest Rate Spread on Economic Growth: Ghana’s Perspective (Published)
The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of interest rate spread on economic growth using annual time series data from 1975 to 2018. The study used the Engel-granger two-step procedure which uses the OLS technique to establish both the long-run and short-run relationships between interest rate spread and economic growth. The study established that interest rate spread is a statistically important determinant of economic growth but it has a negative impact in the long-run. Also, the result shows that labour force, capital stock, and exports affect economic growth in Ghana positively both in the long-run and short-run. However, government expenditure appeared not to be a statistically significant factor in determining economic growth in Ghana. Policy actions that ensure macroeconomic stability should be embarked upon to achieve stability and sustainable growth of the economy. Export promotion, investment opportunities as well as producing active labour force should be given a priority.
Keywords: Ghana, Interest Rate Spread, Sustainable Growth, economic growth, government expenses