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The objective of this study is to examine the effects of board characteristics and country governance quality on both individual aspects and the overall level of environmental performance through the lens of agency, resource dependency, and institutional theories. The study is based on a sample of 3023 firm-year observations from European companies operating in 22 countries between 2009 and 2016. Data on the resources, emissions, and innovation dimensions of environmental performance and board governance data were collected from the Refinitiv database, whereas financial data were extracted from the Worldscope database. The study employs a multilevel modeling analysis and the generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation technique to analyze the data. The findings suggest that board gender diversity and the presence of a corporate social responsibility and sustainability committee have a positive impact on environmental performance. The results also show that country governance quality is positively related to environmental performance. The findings have important implications for practitioners, regulators, and policymakers with respect to the effectiveness of corporate governance mechanisms and country governance systems in determining corporate environmental practices.

Drawing on upper echelons and resource dependence theories and using data of European listed companies over the period 2009–2016, we examine the effects of corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy and board gender diversity on environmental and social performance. In particular, we investigate whether CSR strategy contributes to improving corporate environmental and social performance, and whether this relationship is moderated by board gender diversity. Our empirical findings suggest that firms with more effective CSR strategies exhibit better environmental and social performance. The results also show that board gender diversity is positively associated with environmental and social performance, thus supporting the notion that board gender diversity promotes sustainable development. Furthermore, the findings reveal that the positive relationship between CSR strategy and environmental performance is negatively moderated by board gender diversity. Finally, the results show that that national governance quality and firm size are important underlying factors affecting corporate environmental and social performance.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine whether board gender diversity and other board characteristics affect earnings management practices of top public companies in Kazakhstan. Design/methodology/approach The study analyzes data of top public companies for the period 2010-2016. Data on corporate governance were manually collected from annual reports and investment memorandums, and financial data were collected from audited financial statements. Findings The empirical results show that companies with greater board gender diversity are more effective in constraining earnings management. The findings also indicate that companies with larger boards adopt a more restrained approach to earnings management practices, thus supporting the theoretical framework of the study. However, the results provide weak evidence of the association between board independence and earnings quality. Originality/value This study is the first to investigate the relationship between gender diversity and earnings management in emerging markets such as Kazakhstan that offers managerial and policy implications.

Purpose This paper aims to explore the extent and nature of corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting practices in the banking sector of Kazakhstan and investigates the effects of board characteristics on CSR disclosures in the given emerging economy. Design/methodology/approach Data on CSR disclosures were manually collected from annual reports of all commercial banks listed in the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE) for the period 2010-2016. Financial data were obtained from audited financial statements available on bank websites and the Web page of the National Bank of Kazakhstan. Findings The empirical results reveal that board gender diversity has a positive influence on CSR reposting, while board size and board independence have no impact on the level of CSR disclosures. Furthermore, the results show that bank size and bank age are significant factors in the dissemination of CSR disclosures. Additionally, the findings suggest that banks with a share of foreign ownership disclose more extensive and transparent information on CSR activities than banks owned by local investors and state-owned banks. Originality/value The study provides evidence on the relationship between corporate governance and the level of CSR in the context of an emerging economy such as Kazakhstan, representing the Central Asian region. The study contributes to the current literature by focusing on the banking sector of Kazakhstan as a research context due to its substantial representation in the capital market of the given emerging economy.

Based on essence of the stakeholder and resource dependence theories, this study examines relationships between corporate board characteristics and sustainability reporting (SR) in oil, gas and mining companies in Kazakhstan. All data on board characteristics and SR were collected manually from annual reports, investment memorandums, sustainability reports, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports, while financial data were extracted from financial statements of the companies. The results show that board characteristics such as board size and gender diversity are the most important factors in determining the scope and quality of sustainability information. The findings of the study will be useful for investors, policy makers, regulators and practitioners, as they suggest that effective board characteristics could improve corporate governance (CG) practices, which, in turn, could lead to more transparent and better corporate reporting practices in emerging economies generally and the 15 former USSR countries specifically.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of different dimensions of corporate governance practices such as board characteristics, ownership structure, corporate disclosure and CEO education on the operating performance of Russian banks before, during and after financial crises. Based on the findings, it proposes some policy measures for improved governance practices to protect banks from future financial crisis or economic downturns. Design/methodology/approach The study comprises data from the largest publicly traded Russian banks listed on the Russian Stock Exchange RST for the period. Operating performance data were collected from financial statements, while corporate governance mechanisms were collected from annual reports available on the banks’ websites. Because panel data were used, the panel regression model was used to control unobserved time-constant heterogeneity. Findings The findings revealed a positive impact of corporate governance on bank performance before and after the financial crisis. The financial crisis enforced Russian banks to improve their corporate governance practices, resulting in better operating performance after the crisis. Surprisingly, the results for the during-crisis period show that better governance did not yield higher operating performance in Russian banks. Originality/value This is one of the first studies to provide empirical results regarding the relationship between corporate governance practices and bank performance in Russia across different financial crisis periods. The findings revealed the uniqueness of corporate governance scenarios of Russia which could provide important guidelines for other transition economies and emerging markets.

This study explores corporate governance practices in Russian oil and gas companies over the 2009-2012 periods and examines the relationship between accounting performance measures and corporate governance mechanisms. Our findings suggest that managerial ownership and foreign ownership are positively associated with firm performance. Similarly, the results on government ownership also support our initial hypothesis and indicate that government ownership positively affects accounting performance. However, our findings suggest that board size and independent directors on the board do not appear to affect firm performance. This study demonstrates that corporate governance practices implemented in developed markets have some relevance and synergies to transition economies such asRussia.