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The aim of this study is to investigate the association between sustainability performance (which is proxied by ESG score) and a firm's financial resilience in crisis conditions. This study is triggered in response to the COVID‐19 pandemic as a global crisis setting. By focusing on five ASEAN countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines, this study argues that companies with higher ESG performance will be more financially resilient during a crisis. This study uses several measurements of the company's financial resilience, both measures that utilize share prices and financial ratios from financial statements. The results show that ESG performance is negatively associated with financial resilience. ESG performance is considered less valuable during a crisis because ESG activities consume the company's financial resources. It implies that survival is more important than sustainability during times of crisis. ESG performance is considered to consume a company's financial resources in times of crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biostimulants include a wide array of microorganisms and substances that can exert beneficial effects on plant development and growth, often enhancing nutrient uptake and improving tolerance against abiotic and biotic stress. Depending on their composition and time of application, these products can influence plant physiology directly as growth regulators or indirectly through environmental condition changes in the rhizosphere, such as nutrient and water availability. This review evaluated 48 case studies from 39 papers to summarize the effects of biostimulant application on fruit and tuber yields and on the quality of processing tomato and potato in open field conditions. For potato, PGPR bacteria were the main studied biostimulant, whereas the low number of studies on processing tomato did not permit us to delineate a trend. The yield and quality were greatly influenced by cultivars and biostimulant composition, application method, period, and dose. For processing tomato, a positive effect of the biostimulant application on the marketable yield was reported in 79% of the case studies, whereas for potato, the effect was reported in only 47%. Few studies, on processing tomato and potato, also reported data for quality parameters with contrasting results. The variability of crop response to biostimulant application in open field conditions highlights the need for more comprehensive studies. Such studies should focus on diverse cultivars, deeply understand the interaction of biostimulant application with agronomic management (e.g., irrigation and fertilization), and evaluate yield and quality parameters. This approach is crucial to fully understand the potential and limitations of biostimulant applications in agriculture, particularly regarding their role in sustainable crop production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amid the global economic crisis due to COVID-19, consumer interest in CSR reports of global corporations has surged. CEO messages within these reports are crucial during such crises. This study aims to understand CEOs' perceptions of key CSR issues and corporate strategies during global crises. Utilizing topic modeling, CEO messages from Fortune Global's top 100 companies are analyzed before and after COVID-19. Compared to previous periods, social and environmental issues like climate change are more prominent. Key strategies include sustainable management development, risk management, and competitive advantage. This study offers insights into the importance of CSR reporting as a communication tool for managing stakeholders during crises. With COVID-19's global impact, understanding changes in global companies and comparing pre-crisis conditions contributes significantly to the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a strategic tool that firms use to gain competitive advantage and enhance profitability in the long run, yet its effect on dividend payout in extraordinary times is limited. Grounded in stakeholder and dual responsibility theories, this study examines the effect of CSR on the relationship between COVID‐19 and dividend payout. Data from the period 2015–2021 were obtained from 114 non‐financial listed firms on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, South Africa, and analyzed by multivariate and logit regression techniques. COVID‐19 has a negative effect on the amount and likelihood of dividend payment, while CSR performance has a positive effect on the likelihood and amount of dividend payment. However, the result of the negative effect of COVID‐19 on dividend payment does not differ between high and low CSR performing firms. Conversely, the impact of COVID‐19 and CSR on dividend payment differ between high and low financial constraint firms. Shareholders should learn to manage their expectations of dividends payment during times of crisis like COVID‐19, as firms tend to focus more on addressing the needs of stakeholders through CSR initiatives, which will enhance profit in the long term, rather than paying out dividend to shareholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability consciousness (SC) is a crucial determinant for the successful execution of sustainability initiatives. The changing of citizens' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors is an essential component in attaining sustainable development (SD). Ensuring a sustainable future hinges on cultivating a durable sense of awareness among citizens. The aim of this article is to present a systematic literature review (SLR) on SC and to reveal the research trends and future perspectives. The data were obtained from the Web of Science (WoS) database and the data analysis of 49 articles selected based on determined criteria was carried out with two approaches: bibliometric and content analysis. The analysis reveals that publications pertaining to the topic of SC have emerged mainly within the past decade, with a maximum annual publication count of nine. The analyzed publications were categorized into four primary themes: (1) SC through education for sustainable development (ESD), (2) SC of consumers, (3) SC in business, and (4) measurement tools for SC. Education and educational research emerged as the primary field of study, with students being selected as the focus of research. However, research has indicated that even among children who receive SC education, there may be a decline in SC levels over a period. The attainment of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) necessitates a society characterized by a high level of SC. The scope of SC should extend beyond educational institutions to encompass broader societal contexts, including corporations and professional environments. The findings of this study demonstrate significant deficiencies in the existing literature on SC and emphasize the significance of SC in attaining the UN SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable development goals (SDG) incorporate multiple dimensions to measure the progress made by nations in consolidating their economic and human development. Consequently, the main objective of this study is to explore the structures of variation and covariation between the SDGs indicators interpreting and describing their current status by countries and regions of the world. This study assessed 40 SDG indicators reported by 125 countries in the 2021 Sustainable Development Report, using the HJ-Biplot multivariate technique, through which it is possible to analyze the existing relationships between indicators and countries in a multidimensional way. The results indicate that the global North countries currently display solid sustainability characteristics that favor economic growth, though more work is required to protect the environment and promote responsible production and consumption. On the other hand, the countries of the global South with less purchasing power must still work on policies and strategies to promote the health and well-being of their populations, enable access to essential household services (water, sanitation, electricity, and internet, among others), and promote equality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In periods of crisis, companies face a financial reality that forces them to decide whether to maintain their commitment to sustainability or prioritize their financial returns. The study of what happened during the COVID‐19 pandemic is vital, given the hard blow it has implied for business and, consequently, for employment. Thus, this paper seeks to determine whether the business commitment to sustainability policies focused on employment and gender diversity translates into concrete results. In a sample of 1761 multinationals (8963 observations) during the 2015–2020 period, we found that the pandemic has harmed employment at the microeconomic level. However, this impact is moderated by the level of responsibility that companies have with their workers. Therefore, the most sustainable companies have been more reluctant to reduce their workforce and even more so when they are women. These results help to position sustainability performance as a way to achieve gender equality at the business level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the face of climate change (CC), "business as usual" is futile. The increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events (e.g., hurricanes, floods, droughts, and heatwaves) have hurt lives, displaced communities, destroyed logistics networks, disrupted the flow of goods and services, and caused delays, capacity failures, and immense costs. This study presents a strategic approach we term "Climate-Change Resilient, Sustainable Supply Chain Risk Management" (CCR-SSCRM) to address CC risks in supply chain management (SCM) pervading today's business world. This approach ensures supply chain sustainability by balancing the quadruple bottom line pillars of economy, environment, society, and culture. A sustainable supply chain analytics perspective was employed to support these goals, along with a systematic literature network analysis of 699 publications (2003–2022) from the SCOPUS database. The analysis revealed a growing interest in CC and supply chain risk management, emphasizing the need for CCR-SSCRM as a theoretical guiding framework. The findings and recommendations may help to guide researchers, policymakers, and businesses. We provide insights on constructing and managing sustainable SCs that account for the accelerating impacts of CC, emphasizing the importance of a proactive and comprehensive approach to supply chain risk management in the face of CC. We then offer directions for future research on CCR-SSCRM and conclude by underlining the urgency of interdisciplinary collaboration and integration of climate considerations into SCM for enhanced resilience and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban environments are key to mitigating the effects of climate change, contributing to sustainability and improving people's lives. A significant part of the commitment to sustainable development is made by assuming the vital role played by local governments as the administrations closest to citizens and responsible for providing most of the essential services for the community. Therefore, knowing local governments' levels of spending efficiency in urban environments, as well as the exogenous factors that explain these levels, will allow us to analyse the management carried out in this area and propose improvements to achieve the commitments made (Agenda 2030, the Green Deal, Fit for 55). One of the novelties of our research is considering climate as an exogenous variable in explaining efficiency levels. We find that cities with more extreme climates are more efficient in managing environmental expenditure, and densely populated municipalities are less efficient. We also conclude that local governments with more revenues or where tourism is one of the main economic activities improve efficiency, while the gender of the mayor (in our case, women) and political fragmentation reduce it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For much of the Caribbean region, plastic pollution and the persistence of the great Atlantic Sargassum belt lead to significant regional loss in biodiversity, employment and tourism. Yet, seaweeds such as Sargassum possess all the characteristics for bioplastic production. This study presents a new process on the production of biodegradable calcium alginate (Ca(Alg)2) composite bioplastic, and evaluates its economic feasibility and environmental impact in the Caribbean, compared to bio-based polylactic acid (PLA) and synthetic plastics (PET). Our cradle-to-gate life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) shows normalized (kg CO2eq per kg plastic) greenhouse gas (GHG) impacts 3 to 7 times higher for the baseline alginate composite process over those of PLA and PET films – linked mainly to chemical consumption. However, through the integration of abundant bioenergy from the local paper industry and the nascent E-methanol (E-MeOH) supply chains, GHG impact reduces by 79% – illustrating a pathway to a sustainable bioplastic production flowsheet. More attractively, the alginate bioplastic outperforms in providing ultra-low oxygen barrier packaging properties – with a required mass of plastic material producing a total carbon footprint (kg CO2eq) 64–978 times lower than PLA and PET respectively, and overall packaging costs 280 times less than current synthetic plastic. Techno-economics illustrate that a total annualized cost (TAC) for alginate bioplastic of $US 4.56 per kg is possible, ensuring high economic feasibility, comparable to current commercial bio-based alternatives. Moreover, sensitivity analysis highlights that variability in TAC was mainly associated with sodium alginate utilization in the manufacture process – contributing up to 67% to the overall cost. In light of this, the integration of sound policies aligned to improved consumer awareness and reduced plastic waste can help to drive greater economic feasibility of the alginate bioplastic industry. Ultimately, our study illustrates a viable and sustainable alginate bioplastic alternative, promoting and informing on packaging innovation while achieving low carbon operations within the Caribbean plastic sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to investigate the current state of play on Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) integration and check the validity of the current metrics system by assessing if it will survive the COVID-19 crisis. By adopting a qualitative research approach through semi-structured anonymous interviews with 14 senior managers of six European listed companies we use a framework by assessing the mechanisms of reactivity on the effectiveness of ESG measures in times of COVID-19. By interpreting the practitioners' points of view through the lens of the sociological framework by Espeland and Sauder (Am J Sociol 113:1–40, 2007) our findings show different mechanisms of reactivity by companies on the effectiveness of ESG measures in times of COVID-19, i.e., active and passive conformity and active resistance. We also identified the main Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) institutional factors that affect managers' reactivity. An extensive re-formulation of the ESG metrics is required in the light of times of crisis, given that accountability and transparency are strongly linked to quantitative measures which can play a critical role in the financial system and investors' engagement. Particularly, the strict distinction between "E", "S" and "G" issues should be abandoned claiming a different holistic re-design of sustainability measures by considering the increasing relevance of the Social dimension in time of COVID-19. This study provides a valuable contribution to the existing literature on the measurement of sustainability within the link of accountability and crisis by highlighting new corporate needs to re-design the ESG metrics system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From a business perspective, the health and socio‐economic effects of the COVID‐19 have affected a firm's stakeholders to a different extent, making it necessary for them to develop sustainable initiatives that allow them to meet their needs. Decisions must be made and implemented in a recessionary environment in which companies debate whether it is economically reasonable to promote them and whether they can afford not to do so. In this work, based on the theory of social identity, we argue that these business commitments will have been promoted in companies with boards of directors that have a greater female presence. The results obtained for a sample of 4821 multinationals confirm that the repercussion of incidental affect on the social identity of the in‐group of female directors has partially slowed the setback that business sustainability has suffered due to the pandemic, which is especially important with respect to good governance policies and practices and guaranteeing the social and environmental commitment of previous years. This evidence has important theoretical and practical implications, contributing the current debate on strategic decisions regarding sustainability and the benefits associated with board gender diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, a growing number of stakeholders recognise that sustainability determines success on multiple levels. Therefore, asset managers in developing and emerging countries increasingly focus on sustainable investment opportunities. While institutional investors largely centred on governance considerations pre-2020, the Coronavirus pandemic highlighted substantial social and environmental concerns at companies worldwide. As South Africa is the most unequal country globally according to the World Bank, decisions made by local institutional investors can have significant implications for individuals and environments where capital is invested. The objectives of this study were hence to analyse the sustainability themes on which South African asset managers focused in their stewardship reports and to explore the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that they addressed through their investment mandates. A content analysis was performed on stewardship reports that were published in 2020 and 2021 to consider the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic. The findings indicate that prioritised sustainability themes include climate action, infrastructure development and social considerations. The considered asset managers accordingly focused on addressing climate action (SDG 13), decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), and affordable and clean energy (SDG 7). Promising investment opportunities in companies that address key social issues, including the health and well-being of society (SDG 3) and broadening access to quality education (SDG 4) were also highlighted. The leaders of local investee companies are thus encouraged to ensure concise, transparent reporting on these material matters to enhance communication and engagement with institutional investors and other key stakeholders. This study offers a novel perspective on sustainable thematic investing in a highly unequal society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates whether increased female representation on a board improves firm performance in terms of electric vehicle (EV) sales in China when government subsidies are available. The increase in EV sales in China is a direct result of the sustainability efforts spearheaded by the various levels of local and state governments. This area is of importance due to the rising Chinese footprint in global EV sales, the increasing role of subsidies, and a transformation from State‐Owned Enterprises (SOEs) to market‐driven firms that are more likely to pay attention to corporate governance issues such as board diversity. Using the instrumental variable (IV) approach, we estimate a two‐stage least squares (2SLS) regression to control for more women representation on EV boards using firm‐level data. The results indicate that board gender diversity (BGD) positively impacts firm performance in terms of EV sales. Furthermore, the effect amplifies in the presence of government subsidies. The insights provide valuable contributions to bridge the critical literature gap on how board diversity impacts firm performance in the presence of subsidies and offer valuable insights into corporate governance and policymaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to review and systematize prior works that investigate how the presence of women in top echelon positions of firms affects sustainability and to create an agenda to guide future research in this promising area. In contrast to previous reviews, ours examines how women in top echelon positions affect sustainability by distinguishing both the position women held in the firm (i.e. Board of Directors—BoD, top management team, CEO and relevant committees) and the specific elements of sustainability (i.e. activity, performance, and disclosure). Our structured systematic review resulted in 187 publications retrieved from Web of Science and Scopus and revealed that the presence of women in top echelon positions is associated with greater engagement in social and environmental projects. Their presence also positively influences the environmental and social performance and increases the level, quality, and transparency of sustainability disclosure. Furthermore, the presence of women in top echelon positions and the implementation of sustainable activities improve both the firm financial performance and value. However, conflicting results have also emerged. On the basis of these findings, research gaps and future research agenda are identified and presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporate social responsibility and its relationship with firm performance have been the focus of studies concerning the area of social responsibility of companies over the last four decades. The area has undergone significant progressions and shifts over time. There is a tremendous interest among the researchers in analyzing the relationship between corporate social responsibility and firm performance, as evident by the increasing surge in the research publications in this domain, especially since 2010. This study intends to highlight the knowledge expansion and research dispersion in the broad area concerning corporate social responsibility and its effect on firm performance. For this purpose, the research articles published in the Scopus database from 1987 to 2021, covering 34 years, have been taken to perform a bibliometric analysis. The study explains the descriptive trend of research publications focusing on performance indicators and uses a thematic evolution tool to highlight the major themes. The results of the bibliometric studies reveal that the focus of research encompasses the dimensions of sustainability, strategic management, institutional pressures, disclosure, and corporate social responsibility reporting. Based on these dimensions, the paper presents insights into the existing studies and offers the scope for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based upon the "quintuple helix" model (Carayannis et al., 2012; Carayannis & Campbell, 2010), this research analyzes whether the differences in the level of achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) among 64 countries worldwide can be explained by a series of 19 institutional variables related to five dimensions such as cultural orientation, economic development, the education‐labor system, the political‐legal system and innovation. Our results highlight the crucial role of public policies in attaining SDGs through the improvement of institutional quality, governance systems and economic freedom as well as with the promotion of education and the innovation ecosystem. In this regard, the adoption of the "quintuple helix" model through the interrelation of the government, Universities and the private sector is deemed relevant in order to face the social and environmental challenges posed by the SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the relationship between sustainability and financial performance using a sample of G7 firms from 2004 to 2020. We find a positive bidirectional relationship that firms with better sustainability performance are more profitable in the future and firms with better financial performance have higher subsequent sustainability performance. In addition, we test how two major crises (the financial crisis and the COVID‐19 pandemic) affect the sustainability‐financial performance relationship. Firms with better sustainability performance are hit harder on their financial performance, but the benefits of financial performance on sustainability are strengthened during the financial crisis. During the ongoing COVID‐19 crisis, firms with strong sustainability performance have been more resilient, and their financial performance has dropped less than firms with poor sustainability performance. However, the benefits of profitability on sustainability are weakened. Our results suggest that sustainability provides "insurance"‐like protection against economic downturns during COVID‐19 and mature sustainability offers economic benefits but not early‐stage sustainability. It expands the contingency perspective of sustainability–financial performance relationship to crisis management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In particular, the results show that corporate social responsibility strengthens the relationship between corporations and employees due to employees' positive perception toward their organizations for the implementation of CSR initiatives. When corporate social responsibility (CSR) increases performance: Exploring the role of intrinsic and extrinsic CSR attribution. The results indicate that cross-cultural legitimacy is significantly associated with responsible innovation practices and firm performance within the Asia-Pacific CBM, while the cross-cultural legitimacy-firm performance association is partially mediated by the responsible innovation practice. This editorial of corporate social responsibility and environmental management summarizes the papers included in the Special Issue "The managerial implications of assessing corporate social performance.". [Extracted from the article]

Remaining competitive and profitable in addition to meet environmental and social demands, mandated by regulation and valued by the stakeholders, is a current challenge for companies. This scenario has awakened the interest of academics in the association of sustainability with organizational performance, creating models such as SEM (Sustainability Evaluation Model). This article aims to validate the practical application of SEM as useful to managerial decision-making process in a multi-case study in the factories of a Brazilian food and beverage manufacturer. Based on the TBL X BSC matrix, integrating sustainability and performance concepts, SEM has provided managers with a clear view of business units performance, naming their gaps to improve performance and enabling a classification among them. In addition, the correlation analysis allowed the company to clearly identify its differentials from competitors, which in this study was its focus on people as the basis for a competitive operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is devoted to building up a comprehensive model of the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability practices based on the analysis of their main predictors to ease the process of managing CSR and sustainability activities and provide practical recommendations for businesses regarding successful realization of their business, social and sustainable development goals. Currently, businesses integrate corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability practices into their strategies to enable the fulfillment of sustainability goals and gain competitive advantages. Therefore, to achieve the aim of the study, a systematic review methodology was used in six stages: (1) defining the benchmarks; (2) extraction of papers from the two most cited databases: Web of Science and Scopus; (3) Manual content analysis of all extracted papers; (4) Identification of the dominant categories of this research topic; (5) The development of a comprehensive model of the relationship between CSR and sustainability, and(6) Discussion and control of obtained results and provision of recommendations for future studies. The model suggested is seen as a roadmap for organizations in different sectors of the economy and includes a variety of determinants that were divided into two groups depending on their relevance to an organization: the components of human and social capital, the technical characteristics of an organization and financial dimensions, and the outside business environment, which is determined by the political system and the level of corruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building a sustainable organization is one of the most important goals in business. To build sustainability, firms need to have strong social commitment to establish value‐creating stakeholder relationships. As boards of directors play a critical role in setting strategy, providing management oversight and monitoring, it is also their responsibility to ensure the firm's commitment to its social responsibilities. With the right composition, boards can be effective in driving long‐term vision and creating good stakeholder relationships, contributing to firms' social capital. In this paper, we analyze board characteristics of publicly listed US firms and find evidence that support the diversity theory. In particular, that board gender diversity (proportion of female directors) is positively associated with firms' social commitment to human rights, product responsibility, and their community and workforce, evidencing female directors' contribution to firms' sustainability. To ensure the robustness of our analysis, we conduct additional analyses including propensity score matching, entropy balancing, and instrumental‐variable analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates whether and how non‐pecuniary employee rewards based on corporate social responsibility (CSR) in association with human resource management (HRM) affect firm value. In the context of Japanese manufacturing firms for the 2006–2019 period, the regression results provide several important findings. Non‐pecuniary rewards work individually and synergistically with pecuniary rewards to enhance employee motivations for innovation, through which the CSR‐HRM nexus increases firm value. However, non‐employee perception of employee‐oriented CSR negatively moderates the relationship between innovation and firm market value. In the Japanese market, investors are fully aware about the CSR‐HRM effect on employee motivations and highly concerned with risk due to conflicts of interest between employees and non‐employee stakeholders. This suggests the importance of stakeholder engagement to link organizational innovation capability with firm value. These findings provide useful implications for the alignment of CSR strategies with HRM policies for optimizing innovation performance for corporate sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The objective of the paper is to assess food and beverage companies' levels of communication about their activities and sustainability performances, in terms of their compliance with the requirements of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards and the consistency of the contents of the sustainability reports they publish on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Design/methodology/approach: To this end, a content analysis of the non-financial reports published by 102 food and beverage companies in the year 2018 has been conducted to identify the most adopted GRI guideline and the nature of the communicated SDGs. Finally, three t-tests have been used to understand how the presence on a listed market, the geographical settlement and nature of the company affects the corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication. Findings: The study has revealed how the transition to the more recent GRI Standards guidelines is still on going. Also, it has emerged how food and beverage companies are supporting the pursuit of the SDGs through the reduction of work inequalities. At last, the analysis has showed how the presence on a listed market is a driver of CSR communication. Originality/value: The findings of the present study provide a picture of the current CSR practices in the food and beverage sector and allow companies to effectively choose the most suitable non-financial indicators and GRI guidelines. Also, the present contribution has revealed the key SDGs considered by food and beverage companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the effects of various internal (board independence, gender diversity, and specialized sustainability committee) and external (analysts' coverage and institutional ownership) corporate governance mechanisms on firms' decision to purchase external assurance for their corporate social responsibility (CSR) report. Using an international sample, we show that board diversity, the existence of a CSR committee, analysts' coverage, and institutional investors increase the probability of assuring a CSR report, while board independence decreases it. The findings further suggest that several configurations of these mechanisms complement each other in improving the credibility of nonfinancial disclosure through assurance. However, other configurations do not work in tandem, supporting the existence of substitution effects. Overall, bundling various governance mechanisms effectively could be more useful in formulating and implementing a corporate strategy than individual mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the relationship between corporate social responsibility, corporate innovation, and corporate performance in developing countries. Firm level governance and corporate social responsibility data for 150 companies from 12 developing countries were collected from Datastream and Bloomberg for 2014–2019. The results show that in the context of developing countries there is no significant relationship between corporate social responsibility and corporate innovation. Our findings raise concerns about the level of R&D investments and commitment to corporate social responsibilities in developing economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporate governance has long been the subject of interest for researchers in business administration. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices decided by boards of directors are now a key issue in the decision‐making process of companies. The relationship between the governance structure and CSR policies is crucial to defining the companies' strategic view. In this paper, we identify how the characteristics of corporate governance impact CSR disclosure. Our findings show that a large board of directors reduces the probability of adhering to practices that involve stakeholders more closely in company activity, while companies with more independent directors have a higher level of stakeholder protection almost by definition. Thus, there is a need for additional ways of involving stakeholders in company activity. Our results also reveal that an overlap between the roles of the CEO and the board chairman is an undesirable influence on a CSR report. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) presents a valuable tool of a better management of enterprises for the benefit of the whole society. Small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) have been facing this challenge for a shorter time than large enterprises. The aim of the article is to evaluate the impact of the CSR indicators on the sustainability of SMEs in Central European (CE) countries. Factors of the sustainability of SMEs are innovative ways to win new markets and retain existing customers, the innovation of our products and services, and lower probability of SMEs' bankruptcy. Linear regression analysis was applied to verify causal relationships. The sample size was constructed of 1,585 SMEs on basis of the questionnaire's answers. The results show that the knowledge of the CSR concept and its assertion in business is the most important CSR indicator with a positive impact on each factor of SMEs' sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated reporting is a fairly recent phenomenon in the corporate reporting realm. Its dawn marks a new age of corporate reporting where financial and non‐financial information and their interrelation create an integrated and holistic approach for telling a value creation story. In tandem with this transformation, business sustainability in general and environmental performance, in particular, are also gaining prominence in the corporate landscape. This scholarly article investigates the relationship between integrated reporting and corporate environmental performance. A panel‐data is used to carry out the study using a sample of 110 firms listed on the Johannesburg Stock exchange for the years 2014–2018, where Integrated Reporting was first mandated. The empirical results are robust and consistent with our predictions in that integrated reporting is found positively associated with corporate environmental performance. Our findings pave the way for a new stream of literature on the transformation and the connectivity functions of integrated reporting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability is a central topic for an increasing number of companies, as a part of their business strategies. Human sustainability, that is, preserving and improving the quality of human life, in other words, maintaining and advancing human capital, appears as one relevant issue in that context. Humans and human capital are the foremost resources for professional service firms. Their role in the international economic scenario will most likely depend on how they deal with human sustainability and the wellbeing of their people. In this perspective, the paper investigates the antecedents, and organisational implications, of human sustainability in such firms using a structural equation model (SEM) developed on 4,301 questionnaires filled by Italian Chartered Accountants. Findings shed new lights on some implications of human sustainability. Results show that human sustainability has a direct and significative impact on a firm's ability to innovate, fostering creativity and intellectual capital, thus being significant for corporate performance. As a practical implication, firms should accordingly shape their business strategies towards accounting for human sustainability aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the focus on sustainability and social impact has increased, companies through environmental programs and social practices have also begun to change their model in response to the demands of stakeholders and the market. A more sustainable approach is also driven by the 17 goals defined by UNESCO in the Sustainable Development Goals. The idea of sustainability derives directly from the concept of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), a real way of doing business in a strategic way, which consists in acting responsibly from a social and environmental point of view and in building solid and long-term relationships between companies and stakeholders, from the supplier to the final consumer. The "Mediterranean Commission for Sustainable Development" (MCSD) established in 1995 started the project "Sustainable development indicators" (SDI), which aims to develop indicators of progress towards sustainable development in the countries of Europe, Africa and Asia that face the Mediterranean, offering the great opportunity to compare developments in the process of integrating the environment into profoundly different national reality policies. Currently, the most widespread worldwide of all the SDI indicators is the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), established in 1999. The index is the first to assess the financial performance of global companies that follow sustainable principles. Unfortunately, all the studies conducted through the use of DJSI to evaluate the main sustainable firms do not consider the Sharia compliant market but are based only on the Dow Jones market. Therefore, there is no sustainability model that takes into account the companies that have had access to the Dow Jones Islamic Market. This Gap in literature and in practice does not allow us to confirm or contribute further to the use of the sustainability indicator with models that are particularly sensitive to the sharia compliant criteria. The statistical analysis has verified a difference between companies belonging to the Dow Jones Market and the Dow Jones Islamic Market model. This difference confirms the interest in testing the behaviour of the social and environmental sustainability index as well as the economic one even in companies belonging to the shariacompliant market. The qualitative analysis of the models allows a possible future adoption in these markets based on scientific and literary evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender policies concerning the composition of board of directors are included in the legislation of many countries, especially promoted by the European Commission to reach gender equality in the processes of decision making. On the other hand, in the last decades, sustainable development problems caused by economic progress have enhanced the interest in environmental policies. Using the data from top Spanish listed companies, from 2003 to 2017, we test if the higher number of women on their board influences corporate social responsibility (CSR), through the disclosure of reports following the Global Reporting Initiative guidelines and the inclusion in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. By using probit models and instrumental variable estimation to address endogeneity and reverse causality problems, we find that the female presence in management positions is positively linked to a voluntary disclosure of CSR reports and the inclusion in a sustainability index, which supports gender legislation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to provide useful knowledge to policy makers and practitioners on how to promote the practices of sustainability transparency in local governments, based on the influence of the cultural environment on the disclosure of governmental information on sustainability, including social, environmental and economic information. We perform a comparative analysis of the effects of four types of variables (demographic, sociological, economic and financial) on the disclosure of information on sustainability in two different contexts: Anglo-Saxon and Nordic administrative cultures. Our results show that the factors of the administrative culture context do influence practices of transparency on governmental sustainability. In the Anglo-Saxon environment, the explanatory variables are population size, dependent population and education level. For the Nordic area countries, the main variables are unemployment, dependent population, financial autonomy and debt per capita. Taking into account the study results obtained, we propose measures to facilitate the dissemination of sustainability information in each cultural environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metropolitan areas constitute a critical arena in which to protect the environment and handle climate change efforts, both because they are at the root of the problem and they form a suitable working ground to deal with their systemic nature. Using a multi-regional input-output modelling framework, with energy-environmental extensions, this paper proposes a comparative analysis of the Sao Paulo and Lisbon metropolitan areas, distinguishing territorial, production-based and consumption-based responsibilities. This research reveals that the consideration of interregional interactions and leakages to other regions/countries, as well as the appraisal of trade-offs between socio-economic and environmental targets, are critical for climate change policy's definition and monitoring. The results also stress the importance of tailoring policy measures to the territories and, concurrently, the need for significant changes regarding the discussion of climate change policies on a subnational scale, namely concerning policy concertation and coordination at the global, national and subnational levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The aim was to analyse the implementation dynamics of the essential medicines list (EML). We used the government expenditures on medicines and Brazil as a case study. Drug purchases were considered as a proxy for utilization. The essential medicines (EMs) expenditures were followed over time by Brazilian National EMLs life-time and defined by broad therapeutic categories and by specific medicines. Brazil increased the number of the medicines during the last four editions of Brazilian National EMLs and the federal government expenditures on them. The EML implementation dynamics changed the distribution of expenditures on EMs. We identified a common set of 404 EMs present in all four editions of the Brazilian National EMLs. There was a proportional decrease in expenditures on anti-infectives for systemic use, blood and blood-forming organs and alimentary tract and metabolism, and increase in expenditures on antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents. The expenditures distribution per specific medicines revealed that a small set of EMs was responsible for 50% or more of expenditures considering Brazilian National EML life-time for all four periods. The increase in expenditures on EMs in Brazil was a consequence of the newer medicines incorporated over time in the Brazilian National EMLs. The use of the medicines expenditures as a source of data and the definition of an EML life-time permitted follow-up of the implementation dynamics of different versions of the Brazilian National EMLs. Our results have implications for policymakers and stakeholders to gain a better understanding of the role EMLs play in health system sustainability and in the provision of the most beneficial heath care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public and private universities tasked with incorporating principles of social responsibility (SR) into their activities face the multiple challenges of addressing expectations of diverse stakeholders, establishing mechanisms for dialogue, and achieving greater information transparency. This article has two goals: first, to analyze whether SR has become an essential element in activities associated with university accountability, information transparency, and the use of the Internet; second, to analyze whether SR is used by universities as a differentiating factor in relation to their status. A comparative study of public and private US universities shows that neither is strongly committed to the online disclosure of SR information, including in relation to sustainability-related activities. Moreover, there is a uniformity in the accountability activities of both university types, suggesting that the challenges are not being faced, and SR is not being used as a differentiating factor in the pursuit of positional or competitive advantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decade, a growing number of organizations worldwide have started reporting on issues concerning their economic, social and environmental behaviour. However, public administrations show a delay in this regard although there is growing interest from citizens regarding sustainability transparency. This paper contributes to intra-country analyses of non-financial reporting in the public sector by studying transparency concerning sustainability in municipalities; it analyses the coherence between societal values, identified using Hofstede's cultural dimensions, and local governments' corporate social responsibility disclosures. We undertook a content analysis of 101 Colombian, Portuguese and Spanish local government websites and employed different graphical and statistical techniques to analyse the extent of disclosure and the relationship with societal expectations of transparency. The results showed several thematic differences between countries in disclosure preferences relating to societal cultural values of collectivism, femininity, tolerance and equity. Countries with equilibrium in all cultural values are more transparent; those with a prevalence of masculine and uncertainty avoidance cultural dimensions are particularly oriented to social perspectives and show a higher preference for strategic and economic information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: Early intervention professionals are involved in the reconceptualisation of their service due to the exceptional situation caused by the COVID-19 epidemic, within the family context and aware of the children's needs, with an impact on their emotional well-being to ensure sustainability. An analysis of their socio–emotional profile and training is increasingly needed to face their professional development effectively; (2) Methods: In this study, 209 early intervention professionals participated (n = 209), with an average age of 37.62 (±9.02). The following instruments were used: Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Wong Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS-S) and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9). The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between early intervention (EI) and engagement as predictors of greater life satisfaction using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). (3) Results: There exists a relationship between some dimensions of the instruments used (p < 0.01). The model obtained good structural validity (χ² = 3.264; Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) =.021; Goodness-of-Fit Index (GFI) = 0.991; Comparative Goodness of Fit Index (CFI) = 0.999; Incremental Fit Index (IFI) = 0.999). Subsequently, the results described above were verified through Bayesian statistics, thereby reinforcing the evidence provided; (4) Conclusions: Findings highlight the importance of providing professionals with emotional tools and strategies, from the educational context, in order to carry out their activity effectively and ensure the sustainability within the current situation, while remaining fully engaged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]