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This study aims to investigate the key company characteristics which influence the adoption of sustainability reporting practices. The study uses a Logit model based on a sample of 366 large Asian and African companies which have addressed the SDGs in their sustainability reports published in 2017. The results suggest that large companies in the low- and middle-income countries which used SDGs have specific characteristics such as a higher market-to-book value (Tobin’s q) and higher adoption of external assurance for their reports. The results also show that having women and younger directors in the company’s management structure is positively related to the adoption of the SDG reporting. Contrarily from previous studies, the industry sector does not have strong influences on the use of sustainability reporting. The paper provides support to the challenges faced by the boards of directors of large Asian and African companies in ensuring their increasing engagement in sustainability initiatives, while acting in the best interest of the company and its stakeholders.

This study analyses the relational dimension and the knowledge transfer mechanisms in an innovation ecosystems (IEs), assuming that the bottom-up creation of synergies and cooperative mechanisms between local actors are the drivers of a regional smart growth. More specifically, the study explores the configuration of the network structure and the variety of inter-organizational relationships in a case of a smart IE by capturing the heterogeneous nature of IE demography, whether most studies limit their analyses to inter-firm relationships and at the node-level. Secondly, the paper provides insights into the network portfolio composition, which has been underexplored in IE literature, allowing for the identification of those relationships considered more fruitful to enhance innovation processes from a local perspective. To capture both aspects of IE’s relational dimension (i.e. network structure and network portfolio of relationships) our paper adopts an explorative approach, by taking evidence from the empirical study of the biopharma IE in greater Boston area, which has been exemplified as a successful case. Our empirical study combines two methods, namely social network analysis and expert interviews. Firstly, we conduct a social network analysis to gain insights about the optimal network structure and secondly, we conduct a round of semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders in the ecosystem to explore the characteristics of the desirable network portfolio. Our findings show that a smart IE presents an open network structure with structural holes, a high level of modularity and a portfolio of relationships that privileges informal and non-redundant ties within small communities focused on specific themes.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants of financial inclusion in the least developed countries in Asia and Africa. We used World Bank data to estimate the probit econometric technique in the studied countries. The results show that young people and women are groups excluded from financial inclusion and that education and income are two of the key pillars for increasing financial inclusion. Furthermore, the results reveal that a higher level of financial inclusion increases the level of official savings in countries, which in turn promotes their development. The findings of this study are beneficial for policymakers in the least developed countries to promote innovative approaches to enhance the involvement of excluded people in formal finance.

Given the increasing concern for the global environmental issues and the relating need for preservation of the ecosystem, sustainability reporting has become more and more important, to both developed and developing economies, sparking the interest of the literature. This study primarily aims to investigate the factors that influence the adoption of new sustainability reporting practices and external assurance. Also, this paper examines the relationship between the reporting activity and firms’ economic performance. The paper combines data from the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) Sustainability Disclosure Database and the Orbis database, from Bureau van Dijk. More specifically, the study uses two logit models and one regression model based on a sample of 366 large Asian and African companies which have addressed the SDGs in their sustainability reports published in 2017. The results reveal that operating in the manufacturing sector and having a higher percentage of women directors in the company’s management structure are positively related to the adoption of sustainability reporting and external assurance. Also, operating in the manufacturing sector leads to better firms’ economic performance. Contrarily from previous studies, the age of the company’s board of directors does not have influences on the use of sustainability reporting. This research contributes to the sustainability issues in the context of emerging markets by explaining the driving factors behind it and its linkage with firms’ performance.