Preface

The global landscape of economics and business continually evolves, with emerging markets playing an increasingly pivotal role in shaping the world's economic future. In this edited volume, *New Topics in Emerging Markets*, we delve into a diverse array of subjects that encapsulate the dynamism and complexity of these markets. We aim to provide a comprehensive and accessible exploration of critical issues in emerging markets for a general readership, offering insights into their challenges and opportunities.

Emerging markets, often characterized by rapid growth, changing demographics, and evolving business environments, are at the forefront of global economic discourse. Our contributors come from various academic and professional backgrounds, and their research spans a broad spectrum of topics, reflecting the multifaceted nature of emerging markets.

Chapter 1, "Hodrick-Prescott Filtering of Large Emerging Economies and Decoupling Hypothesis", begins by exploring economic trends in large emerging economies and the intriguing concept of decoupling. Are these economies becoming increasingly independent of their developed counterparts or are they still intricately linked to global economic cycles?

Chapter 2, "The Global Business Cycle within the New Commodities and the Financial Cycle: An Empirical Evidence Based on a Multivariate Unobserved Components Model (UCM)", delves into the intricate relationship between commodities and the global business cycle. As commodities become increasingly vital in today's interconnected world, understanding their impact on the worldwide economy is paramount.

Chapter 3, "Emerging Financial Markets in Ghana and Public Financial Management Crisis Uncertainties Amidst Debt Restructuring", uses Ghana's experience with emerging financial markets as a case study, shedding light on the challenges and uncertainties that arise during debt restructuring and their impact on public financial management.

Chapter 4, "How to Successfully Select the Best-Performing Bank Based on the Best Auditor's Choice Quality in Islamic and Conventional Banks?", explores the intricate process of selecting the best-performing bank, considering the quality of auditors in both Islamic and conventional banking systems.

Chapter 5, "Impacts of Board Quality on Financial Performance in Conventional and Participatory Banks during and after the Covid-19 Crisis: Evidence from Emerging and Developing Countries", investigates the role of board quality in influencing the financial performance of banks in emerging and developing countries during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted global economies.

Chapter 6, "Causal Relationship Among Bank Capitalization, Efficiency, and Risk-Taking in ASEAN Commercial Banks", explores the intricate relationships among bank capitalization, efficiency, and risk-taking in ASEAN commercial banks, as banking stability and efficiency are essential to economic growth.

Chapter 7, "Policies for Improving the Efficiency of Innovative Clustering in an Emerging Market", discusses policies to enhance the efficiency of innovation clusters, which are hubs of creativity and entrepreneurship, in emerging markets.

Chapter 8, "Exploiting Technology during Pandemics in Sub-Saharan Africa", investigates how Sub-Saharan Africa leveraged technology to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chapter 9, "Technological Adoption in Emerging Economies: Insights from Latin America and the Caribbean with a Focus on Low-Income Consumers", explores the phenomenon of technological adoption as a crucial driver of economic growth in Latin America and the Caribbean, focusing on low-income consumers.

Chapter 10, "Dynamics of Innovation Ecosystems: Orchestrating Actors and Interactions in Emerging Economies", uncovers the intricate dynamics of innovation ecosystems in emerging economies.

Chapter 11, "Perspective Chapter: eCommerce in the Web3 Era", provides insights into the intersection of e-commerce and the emerging Web3 world, which is spurring the rapid evolution of future commerce.

Chapter 12, "Fashion-Strategizing Leadership in Sports", explores the unique dynamics of leadership in the sports industry within emerging markets.

Chapter 13, "The Future of Education: Writing Exams in the Metaverse at South African Universities", explores the future of education in the Metaverse. Education is transforming, and South African universities are at the forefront of this change.

Chapter 14, "MNC Strategy in Contested Environments: Stay Put or Stay Foot?", examines multinational corporations' strategic decisions when faced with contested markets.

As you embark on this journey through *New Topics in Emerging Markets*, we hope you gain valuable insights into the intricacies, challenges, and opportunities that define these dynamic and rapidly evolving economies. Whether you are an academic, business professional, or simply an inquisitive reader, this volume offers a thoughtprovoking exploration of the issues shaping the future of emerging markets.

We would like to thank IntechOpen for allowing us to become the editors of this book. We appreciate that they believed we could provide the necessary knowledge and technical assistance. We together managed to find the other great colleagues who contributed to this volume. We thank each author for their valuable contributions

that resulted in this book; it will be an asset to the professional community. We also thank our technical reviewers and colleagues at IntechOpen. We could not have done it without you.
