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Purpose: This study investigates the influence of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) scores on the financial performance of firms in South Africa across industries. Motivation: In the context of the growing importance of sustainability reporting, understanding the link between ESG and firm performance is critical for informed and sustainable corporate strategies. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study employs panel data regression techniques on secondary data from 120 Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed firms between 2015 and 2020. Main Findings: Overall, the composite ESG scores do not significantly affect the financial performance of South African companies. However, scores from social and governance pillars show a positive association with firm performance, while environmental scores have a limited effect. Practical Implications/Managerial Impact: These findings suggest that not all ESG activities are equally relevant for firm profitability. Corporate managers should prioritise industry-relevant ESG pillars to enhance firm profitability. Novelty/Contribution: The study expands empirical evidence in an emerging market context, analysing the impact of disaggregated ESG scores and providing comparative industry-specific analysis. This contributes to a nuanced understanding of the ESG-performance nexus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) interventions in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) is influenced by multi-level factors (resident, organizational, and external) making their effectiveness sensitive to the implementation context. This study assessed the strategies adopted for the implementation of AMS interventions in LTCFs, whether they considered organizational characteristics, and their effectiveness. Electronic databases until April 2022. Articles covering implementation of AMS interventions in LTCFs. Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool for empirical studies. Data were collected on AMS interventions and context characteristics (e.g. type of facility, staffing, and residents). Implementation strategies and outcomes were mapped according to the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) framework and validated taxonomy for implementation outcomes. Implementation and clinical effectiveness were assessed according to the primary and secondary outcomes results provided in each study. Among 48 studies included in the analysis, 19 (40%) used implementation strategies corresponding to one to three ERIC domains, including education and training (n = 36/48, 75%), evaluative and iterative strategies (n = 24/48, 50%), and support clinicians (n = 23/48, 48%). Only 8/48 (17%) studies made use of implementation theories, frameworks, or models. Fidelity and sustainability were reported respectively in 21 (70%) and 3 (10%) of 27 studies providing implementation outcomes. Implementation strategy was considered effective in 11/27 (41%) studies, mainly including actions to improve use (n = 6/11, 54%) and education (n = 4/11, 36%). Of the 42 interventions, 18/42 (43%) were deemed clinically effective. Among 21 clinically effective studies, implementation was deemed effective in four and partially effective in five. Two studies were clinically effective despite having non-effective implementation. The effectiveness of AMS interventions in LTCFs largely differed according to the interventions' content and implementation strategies adopted. Implementation frameworks should be considered to adapt and tailor interventions and strategies to the local context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regulatory harmonisation stands as a central issue in the European Union (EU), playing a key role in achieving the single market. Accounting harmonisation, in particular, has been the subject of different regulatory frameworks, mainly directives. However, the literature suggests that the implementation of these directives within the EU does not consistently meet its harmonisation goals due to diverse legal, cultural, and business interpretations among the Member States. In the realm of social and environmental accounting, Directive 2014/95/EU (NFRD) compels specific companies to prepare and present Sustainability Reports (SRs), with the primary goal of enhancing the availability of sustainability information while also fostering greater consistency and comparability. Nevertheless, the flexibility afforded by this Directive may give rise to divergences among the national regulations of the EU Member States, as has been the case previously. Therefore, this study aims to analyse the success of the NFRD in harmonising sustainability disclosure by examining the quantity and homogeneity of such information disclosed in the SRs of 100 large agri-food companies in Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, and Spain. To do so, a content analysis and non-parametric tests were applied. The findings show a limited performance and high heterogeneity in disclosure across countries, suggesting that the NFRD has fallen short of harmonising national regulations on disclosing sustainability information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We offer practical, case-based experiences on sustainability reporting in higher education institutions (HEIs), with a focus on the integration of sustainability activities into strategic planning and quality management. A proposed approach is based on the experience of the University of Split, Croatia, and the lessons learned from the SEA-EU University Alliance. In line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), our model emphasizes the active engagement of stakeholders and the continuous collection and review of sustainability data. In addition, we propose to automate the collection and dissemination of sustainability research findings through the implementation of a Current Research Information System (CRIS). Our case study provides a roadmap for improving sustainability performance and reporting. The experience of the University of Split (Croatia) could be helpful and generalizable to a number of universities with an intermediate level of maturity in sustainability management and reporting, trying to improve their university rankings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to identify how literature has addressed sustainability reporting in universities over time and determine traceable patterns and trends. Design/methodology/approach: A comprehensive systematic review protocol of the Emerald Insight, Web of Science, Science Direct, Scopus, Springer Link and Wiley Online Library databases was performed for the studies published during the past decade. The following steps were involved in this study: search and collection of literature, study selection, quality assessment, data extraction and data analysis. A total of 40 articles met the inclusion criteria and the quality assessment. Findings: The results demonstrated that the most used tools to assist sustainability reporting in universities are the global reporting initiative framework and the graphical assessment of sustainability in universities. However, the adoption of the integrated reporting framework is encouraged. The level of reporting is not yet high, and social and educational indicators are being disclosed in the following areas: community, services and transfer; curriculum and teaching; operation; and research. Originality/value: This study provides a recent overview of sustainability reporting worldwide. By discussing the findings, the authors presented the practical implications of starting a sustainability report at the university and the associated difficulties and benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the question of how to align corporate behavior with the public good. It presents two opposing camps in the debate: the economic liberal camp, which argues that market competition automatically aligns corporate activities with the public good, and the social protectionist camp, which advocates for regulation to address the negative impacts of corporate behavior. The authors propose a corporate social assessment (CSA) that would grade corporations based on their contributions to the public good, with the top-ranked corporations earning rewards and the bottom-ranked corporations contributing to a fund. The article raises concerns about the feasibility and effectiveness of implementing a CSA and suggests that a democratization of corporations may be a more suitable approach to aligning corporate activities with the public good. [Extracted from the article]

Sustainability information has become an important component of financial statement users' information needs. Over time, a mosaic of sustainability reporting standard setters and standards have emerged with users, regulators, and government creating pressure for firms to disclose ESG (environmental, social, and governance) information. Given the fragmented disclosure landscape, in 2020 the IFRS Foundation released a consultation paper proposing they create a sustainability standards board and develop a single set of standards. This study examines the expectations users, preparers, and the accounting profession have for sustainability reporting through their comment letters on topics such as the need for a single set of sustainability standards, the standards' initial subject matter, the choice of single or double materiality, and the desire for assurance on sustainability information. Our analysis documents a common desire for a single standard setter and standards. However, there is a lack of consensus and significant differences in opinions pertaining to the initial subject matter of the standards and the approach to materiality. The analysis also suggests an inverse expectations gap whereby the accounting profession is misunderstanding the level of assurance demanded by users and preparers. Subsequent Foundation actions compared to our analysis portend challenges in achieving uniformity in sustainability reporting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to examine on the ways in which a company's sustainability reporting (SR) differs depending on the types of ownership it has, notably director ownership (DO), institutional ownership (IO), and foreign ownership (FO). This paper uses a sample of 145 firm-year observations from 29 listed banks in the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) of Bangladesh from 2016 to 2020 and regression analysis to test the relationship between different ownership structures and SR. The study also employed the generalized method of moments (GMM) to deal with the endogeneity issue. The findings show that investors have varying perspectives on SR disclosure activity. The findings show that two stockholding patterns, DO and FO, significantly impact SR disclosure in Bangladesh but that there is no significant association between IO and SR disclosure. In constructing SR, this paper depends on only the quantity of disclosure, not the quality, and is solely based on the published annual report. The study findings also provide a comprehensive overview of the SR practice of Bangladeshi banks, which may be helpful to regulators, policymakers, management, creditors, and other stakeholders in making investment and economic decisions. To encourage SR commitment, the government may need to keep an eye on the ownership structure and implement policies that encourage foreign investment. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to look at how ownership structure influence SR practices in the banking industry of Bangladesh over five years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current time, social sustainability is directed by market turbulence and growing societal and environmental awareness among customers and employees. Manufacturing industries with multi-tier supply chains, especially in developing nations, such as India, are plagued with various social issues, as it employs large manpower. The present study attempts to identify the key social sustainability practices (SSP) and the method to evaluate SSP in multi-tier manufacturing firms. The approach was pilot tested in Indian manufacturing industry. A total of 16 SSP were identified through the process of literature survey and discussions with the domain experts. Furthermore, based on five practitioners' inputs, the relationship between various practices of social sustainability is modelled using Total Interpretive Structural Modelling (TISM). The vagueness in the model and identified relationships are compensated by experts' (practitioners') validation. The practices are classified on the basis of driving and dependence power by adopting the MICMAC analysis. Customer management, information sharing, corporate sustainability reporting and standardisation, and monitoring practices are found to be the most influential practices that drive social sustainability in multi-tier automotive chains. Production managers could adopt these SSP to establish supply chain social sustainability in multi-tier global supply chains and achieve strategic advantage over others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability reporting requires consistency and interdependency of financial accounting and managerial accounting. Accounting is closely entangled with the eco control (EC) in organisations. The quality of (sustainability) reporting and the disclosures is only as good as the quality and consistency of accounting data captured. Therefore, accounting choices and practises have an important role to play in sustainability reporting. This study explores the mechanism through which accounting informs EC. Through the independent and serial use of two levers, first 'interdependency' between financial accounting and management accounting and second, though the use of 'digitalized information' as a moderating variable, it is probed as to how EC are shaped. An empirical investigation is undertaken by carefully curating primary data, analysed through partial least squares structural equation modelling technique to inform broader debates in the 'sustainability reporting' literature concerning the mechanisms through which EC, are influenced by accounting mechanics, choices and disclosures. Sound EC contributes to sustainability accounting and governance to meet needs of the firms direct and indirect stakeholders without comprising the firm's ability to meet the needs of future stakeholders. The study established that the interdependency between the financial accountants and the management accountants output, mediates the effect of a consistent financial language on EC practises and this effect is independent of the firm size or the industry category. This article brings to the fore, the interplay of FA and MA in informing the environmental controls. The under researched perspective addressed by this study is that EC are highly interdependent with the consistency and comprehensiveness of accounting that informs it which in turn is effected by the cooperation and coordination (interdependency) between FA and MA information providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of business activity is of increasing concern to European Union citizens. In response, Directive 2014/95/EU becomes the first supranational regulation that requires companies to report business impacts on social and environmental sustainability using sustainability reports (SR). This study aims to analyse the quantity of sustainability information disclosed by Spanish agri-food companies with respect to the requirements established in Directive 2014/95/EU. In order to achieve this, a content analysis is applied to 30 SR following Global Reporting Initiative – GRI – Standards and published after the transposition of the Directive into Spanish regulation. Our findings show a generally low level of reporting, and most of the analysed SR fails to reliably document the information at indicator level. Indeed, the level of disclosure slightly increases for less material information, such as that related to social local communities and employees. Consequently, Spanish agri-food companies should start to make more of an effort to ensure that the information disclosed is complete and of high quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Businesses today face a strong call for implementing corporate social responsibilities (CSR) subject to stakeholders' multiple expectations on the creation of long-term value. However, a vast majority of companies have struggled with the challenge of stakeholder management in CSR fulfillment, giving rise to a waste of enterprise resources. This study aims to map out stakeholders' relationships in CSR fulfillment to underscore stakeholder management. 253 CSR reports published by Chinese listed construction companies from 2010 to 2021 were collected and analyzed to map the stakeholders' relationships. The results show that construction companies usually stress the importance of corporate governance and workers interest, followed by construction quality and environmental preservation in implementing CSR. They adopt three types of stakeholder management approaches: coercive, cooperative, and coordinated approaches. The study presents the latest effort in managing stakeholders' relationships in the domain of CSR research. It favors construction firms to reconsider CSR activities from the stakeholder management perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, attention to the issue of extending the role of public-private partnership (PPP) in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has significantly increased. There are several reasons for this: a serious lag behind the planned indicators for achieving the SDGs, largely due to the unsatisfactory state of life support infrastructure in countries of developing economies; a constantly widening infrastructure gap; and the insufficient use of private businesses to create the infrastructure critical to achieving the SDGs. To ensure the active participation of private businesses in this process, new institutional mechanisms are needed. Some of these mechanisms, providing for the assessment of compliance of projects with the SDGs, have already been created and are actively promoted for the implementation of PPP projects. This article contains an analysis of these mechanisms and recommendations for incorporating new approaches to assessing the sustainability of businesses interested in implementing infrastructure projects of public interest into the PPP process, based on the principles laid down in the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and European Sustainability Reporting Standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Companies that want to be seen as leaders in Corporate Sustainability Reporting Practices (CSRP) by society and its stakeholders should have a board structure that protects the interests of investors while also considering the demands of other stakeholders. Hence, we assume that competent boards, principally if well organised, drive influence on CSRP. Accordingly, we investigate the effect of board attributes, mainly Board Size (BDZE), Board Independence (BDIND), Board Gender Diversity (BOGD), and board CSR Committee (CSRC), on CSRP. The research covers the period from 2016 to 2021. Using a content analysis technique adapted from the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)-G4 guideline, 56 items were applied to assess the level of CSRP. We used a sample of 34 companies, with 204 observations from the listed firms, assessed by world consensus rater CSRHUB. We hypothesised that all the board attributes positively influence CSRP. The data for this study was analysed using panel-corrected standard error and Driscoll/Karaay regression models. Our findings support all the hypotheses except for BDIND; therefore, we settle that board features such as BDZE, BOGD, and CSRC boost the disclosure of CSRP. Contrary to our forecasts, BDIND negatively affects CSRP. This study offers empirical evidence supporting the legitimacy of the board attributes and stakeholders' opinions on the firm's ability to improve CSRP. Legislators and supervisory bodies might use the study's results to suggest a board attribute that would ensure a responsible CSR plan is implemented, benefiting society and the environment. Additional research into the importance of women's representation on boards of directors is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metrics and other forms of quantification as technologies for rendering knowledge as measurable, usually quantitative "data," in simplified, legible, and portable ways, have become increasingly central within discussions of the economy, and these quantitative tools have equally become the subject of anthropological discussion and critique. The motivations behind and effects of numbers in the field of "responsible finance," already a space where the "ethical claims" of the economy are made explicit, have themselves become the center of ethical discussion, both within the field of responsible finance and among those anthropologists studying that field. The authors of this article (one an academic, one a practitioner in impact investing, and one a hybrid academic‐practitioner in climate finance) respond to the argument that we suggest is implicitly or explicitly present in most of the work around quantification and metrics, namely, that quantification acts as a kind of "antipolitics machine," rendering political problems as technical ones and simplifying complex realities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the future of Progress in Development Studies (PIDS) and the challenges faced by the field of Development Studies. The outgoing Editor-in-chief, Dr. Catherine Locke, is praised for her dedication to the journal and her commitment to building an inclusive platform. The editorial team, taking over from Dr. Locke, acknowledges the distressing state of the world, with only 12% of progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on track. The article highlights the interconnectedness of global crises and the need for more equal political relations. It also emphasizes the importance of reflexive and critical scholarship in Development Studies, which should reassess contemporary socio-economic and politico-ecological trends. The article calls for decolonizing the academy and addressing power imbalances in research partnerships. It argues for the inclusion of historically non-dominant narratives and voices in academic journals and challenges the Eurocentric practices of peer-reviewing. The article concludes by stating that Development Studies must be critical and question the institutions, policies, and practices that have led to the current state of the world. [Extracted from the article]

Purpose: The implementation and reporting of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) is one of the emerging challenges for higher education institutions (HEIs), but the lack of well-defined reporting structures and topics for this sector makes it difficult to map and evaluate HEI performance in relation to 2030 Agenda. This study aims to assess the SDG performance and reporting by the 13 HEIs that integrate the Times Higher Education Impact Ranking (THE_IR), from the perspective of the five pillars of the 2030 Agenda in the Portuguese context, where research on this topic is quite scarce. Design/methodology/approach: Considering the THE_IR methodology, an SDG reporting assessment framework with 85 key topics has been developed to search for in the institutional reports of the 13 studied HEIs. For each topic, depending on the number of institutions that disclose it, a reporting index (RI) has been calculated, which was used to compare the level of reporting between the different SDGs and pillars. Findings: Concerning HEIs' SDG performance in the THE_IR, the People pillar was the one with the most HEIs ranked, followed by the Prosperity pillar. The Planet pillar was less highlighted. SDG reporting varied widely among Portuguese HEIs. The SDG RI presented a mean value of 43.1%. The Kruskal–Wallis test revealed that the RI for the Planet pillar (RI = 23.6%) was statistically and significantly lower than those for the People and Prosperity pillars (RI = 48.6% and 53.5%, respectively). The results thus demonstrated some conformity of the SDG reporting with Portuguese HEI performance in THE_IR. Aside from Goal 5, the SDGs 4 and 3 stood out in the first four positions of the HEIs in the THE_IR. Goals 3 and 4 were also the most disclosed in institutional reports. Originality/value: This study proposed and applied a new SDG reporting assessment framework for HEIs, contributing to better evaluation of the inclusion of important SDG-related topics in their institutional reports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing recognition of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors in financial decision-making has spurred the need for effective and comprehensive ESG risk assessment tools. In this study, we introduce an open-source Natural Language Processing (NLP) model, "ESGify"1,2, based on MPNet-base architecture and aimed to classify texts within the frames of ESG risks. We also present a hierarchical and detailed methodology for ESG risk classification, leveraging the expertise of ESG professionals and global best practices. Anchored by a manually annotated multilabel dataset of 2000 news articles and domain adaptation with texts of sustainability reports, ESGify is developed to automate ESG risk classification following the established methodology. We compare augmentation techniques based on back translation and Large Language Models (LLMs) to improve the model quality and achieve 0.5 F1-weighted model quality in the dataset with 47 classes. This result outperforms ChatGPT 3.5 with a simple prompt. The model weights and documentation is hosted on Github https://github.com/sb-ai-lab/ESGify under the Apache 2.0 license. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a world consensus and a necessity for China. In the process of achieving a sustainable future, evaluating a country's sustainable development progress, understanding China's position in global sustainable development, and identifying the advantages and challenges of China's sustainable development are of great signif-icance for the world to understand China and for China to optimize its sustainable development system. Based on this, this paper took the Sustainable Development Reports issued by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network from 2015 to 2022 as the main carrier to explore the assessment and progress of global SDGs, and analyzed the effects of China's implementation of SDGs and the gap be-tween China and other countries in the world from the perspective of how China was viewed by the world in order to provide a possible path for improving China's sustainable development and to drive the sustainable development of the world. The results showed that, on a global scale, sustainable development had obvious regional and economic agglomeration characteristics, and the progress in realizing the SDGs was homogeneous to a certain extent. From a global perspective, China's sustainable development progress was relatively sta-ble and ranked at the uppermiddle level of the world. In 2022, China's SDG score was 72.4, ranking 56th among 163 countries. In particular, China made remarkable progress in achieving the ' No Poverty,' ' Quality Education,' and ' Responsible Consumption and Produc-tion' goals, and provided basic experience for the sustainable development of the world. The sustainable development goals of ' Life Be-low Water' and 'Life on Land' were prominent weaknesses in China's sustainable development, and there was a certain gap between China and other countries in the world. Further optimizing the assessment system for sustainable development, clarifying priorities for sustainable development, focusing on key regions and groups, and building global partnerships are inherent requirements for implement-ing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and building a more inclusive and sustainable development pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes The World of Accounting Science, a prominent Turkish journal, using bibliometric and mapping analyses over a 24-year span. It delves into articles through research questions, providing vital insights for researchers by identifying key themes and trends, guiding prospective authors, thus enhancing productivity. Notably, it emphasizes the importance of theoretical infrastructure in articles, accounting education studies on accounting subfields and novel articles exploring intersections of current topics such as sustainability reporting, corporate governance, and environmental performance with artificial intelligence applications. The findings will aid authors in future research planning and inform the editorial board in shaping publication strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation: As in much of the Pacific, Samoans understand their culture through Western religious lenses. Christianity and fa'a‐Samoa (culture and practices) are entangled; they determine Samoa's daily reality of governance, society, and economic development. To discuss Samoa's development over the past two centuries without addressing Samoan agency in maintaining the Christian mantle to navigate their worldviews would be to misrepresent modern Samoa. Policy and investment for economic development, especially foreign aid, is largely determined at national level. Samoa's most vital communities to effect change, however, are local: church congregations and their leaders. Purpose: I examine the intersections of religiosity and Samoa's development. Should foreign aid donors consider Samoa's religious communities to implement effective education, poverty, and development programmes if religion is regarded as a cultural entity? Methods and approach: I used talanoa to collect data from discussions with directors of two leading aid donors in Samoa, the United Nations (UN) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the Aid Coordinator for the Government of Samoa. Talanoa is a face‐to‐face dialogue often used in Pacific communities. Finding s : Religion plays a significant role in Samoan society. Samoans view economic development, the improvement of the lives of ordinary citizens, job stability, and education as part of the manuia (blessings) of Samoa's religious and political status and community tapuaiga (prayers). That said, religion is not considered in formal discussions of aid and development. The interviewees agree that aid donors should understand the role of religion in daily society. Policy implications: Perhaps it is time for aid donors and Christian Pacific Island countries to use these unorthodox methods for positive economic and social changes. As stated in Samoa's World Summit on Sustainable Development Assessment Report, "the potential influential standing and the extensive outreach of the church within the community makes it a valuable vehicle to drive pro‐harmony strategies" (Government of Samoa, 2000). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how Malaysian businesses integrate Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their business sustainability practices. First, we capture the extent of SDG integration in three stages: SDG adoption, strategic SDG integration, and SDG as a priority at board level. We find that 68.2% of sample firms reported SDG adoption in 2019, with six SDGs prioritized per firm on average. However, only 17.1% of these firms demonstrated SDG as a priority at board level. We find that firm size, profitability, ownership concentration, and board size have a positive impact on SDG adoption, while firm size and board size also have a positive impact on the extent of SDG integration into firms' business sustainability management. Next, using the publication of the Sustainability Reporting Guide 2018 as a natural experiment, we divide firms into three groups according to the pace of their SDG integration: innovators, immediate, and late adopters. We find that innovators tend to be larger in size and more profitable and have more concentrated ownership. Promoting SDG integration via mandatory reporting, a measure-manage approach, does progressively influence businesses to contribute to sustainable development. However, the extent and pace of SDG integration vary considerably among firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the effect of earnings management on the decision to acquire sustainability assurance (SA) reports. It also offers insight into the moderating impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) committee over the earnings management‐SA nexus. To test the hypotheses, a logit regression for panel data is employed for a sample of 2972 firm‐year observations of non‐financial firms listed on the STOXX Europe 600 during the period 2012–2018. The findings reveal that firms that involve in earnings management, either accrual earnings management or real activities manipulation, tend to obtain SA reports to gain, repair, or maintain their legitimacy. Furthermore, the outcomes show that the existence of CSR committee alleviates the symbolic use of SA. Overall, this study highlights that the sustainability reporting assurance process can be used as a tool to deviate or shift stakeholders' attention from the earnings management techniques used in their reporting. The results, therefore, will benefit standard‐setters, policymakers, and stakeholders to be more cautious in differentiating between the substantial and symbolic SA reports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of increasing attention on museum sustainability, this research adopts a dictionary‐based, content‐analysis approach to measure the degree of sustainability disclosed in European museum annual reports and similar documents. The analysis is carried out through the lens of institutional theory, assuming that the presence of formal and informal regulations positively affects the level of sustainability in annual reporting practices. Furthermore, the paper discusses the level of sustainability disclosed by different types of museums and the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the extent of sustainability‐oriented reporting. The article compares top public museums in the UK and France, the European countries where accountability practices are most deeply rooted for legal and cultural reasons, and where the most visited museums in the world are located. The findings show that the type of museum and the country significantly affect the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) score, whereas mentioning COVID‐19 or the year of publication does not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability reporting standards provide a systematic way for organizations to describe their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives to stakeholders. Unfortunately, even organizations that have voluntarily adopted reporting standards may fail to disclose material ESG information to relevant stakeholders. This study aims to investigate how the institutional environment influences an organization's adherence to the Global Reporting Initiative's sustainability reporting standards. Our analysis is based on a panel data sample of 4380 organizations that adopted Global Reporting Initiative's reporting guidelines from 2006 to 2015. Results of a generalized estimating equation model suggest that institutional norms and the pressure to achieve organizational legitimacy lead to relatively high adherence ratings for state‐owned enterprises and public institutions, large organizations, publicly traded companies, and organizations that conduct external audits of their reports. Our study has multiple implications for researchers and policymakers. First, we answer calls for more large‐scale, cross‐country research on sustainability reporting standards. Second, we add to the literature on sustainability reporting by documenting how institutional factors affect the credibility and transparency of ESG information contained within sustainability reports. Third, for policymakers, we identify the types of organizations that are least likely to comply with reporting guidelines. Policymakers can use this information to target underachieving organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study systematically reviews the evolutionary trajectory of corporate sustainability research spanning from 1973 to 2019. Through a scientometric analysis of 26,111 Web of Science articles, it demonstrates the continuous development of the conceptual foundations of corporate sustainability, leading to changes in research subjects over time. Despite recent efforts to integrate sustainability into mainstream business models, there remains a lack of consensus on theoretical and methodological frameworks. The study aims to enhance understanding of the conceptual foundations of corporate sustainability by classifying 47 years of research into four major periods: the Dawn of Diverse Ideas (1979–2005), the Rise of Conceptual Frameworks (2006–2011), the Era of Heterogeneity (2012–2015), and the Age of Stakeholder Engagement (2016–2019). The analysis examines the leading research subjects, theories, and perceptions of corporate sustainability in each period, providing a comprehensive review of the evolution of sustainability research. Moreover, the study introduces emerging concepts in the latest sustainability research and underscores the significance of academic research in addressing the current challenges practitioners face. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines the influence of sustainability governance attributes such as the sustainability department, sustainability committee, sustainability officer, sustainability policy, sustainability strategy, and sustainability assurance on comprehensive CSR reporting. Content analysis of corporate annual reports and sustainability reports of 280 non‐financial listed companies in Pakistan was used to determine comprehensive CSR reporting score and to capture sustainability governance attributes. Multivariate regression analysis technique was used to test the relationships. The results revealed that all the sustainability governance mechanisms except the sustainability officer and the sustainability department positively influenced comprehensive CSR reporting. This study highlights the usefulness of implementing sustainability governance mechanisms in promoting comprehensive reporting in developing countries and sets implications for shaping future CSR‐related policies and practices. This research extends the literature on the importance of internal corporate governance mechanisms in driving sustainability reporting agenda by providing empirical evidence in favor of sustainability governance mechanisms in improving comprehensive reporting in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability reporting has been widely acknowledged as a crucial corporate sustainability practice and recently received increasing attention from regulators, standard‐setters, practitioners, and researchers. Motivated by the abundance of work, and the variety of theoretical perspectives and existing evidence, this paper explores how the research on sustainability reporting determinants has developed over time and what is known and not known about this topic. To address this question, we conducted a systematic literature review of articles on sustainability reporting determinants published in ABS‐ranked journals between 2002 and 2021. Building on Lozano et al. (2015) framework of corporate sustainability theories, our findings provide an updated overview of factors driving sustainability reporting and the determinants still under debate. Furthermore, to fill existing gaps and inspire future research developments, findings suggest further work focus on non‐listed companies, environmentally sensitive industries, underexplored geographical areas, and qualitative methods. Finally, the paper has implications for managers and policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a guest editorial from the journal "Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Effective Board Performance." It discusses the importance of sustainability, corporate governance, and resilience in times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The editorial introduces a special issue of the journal that focuses on the impacts of global crises on sustainable development, business resilience, and corporate governance practices. The issue includes articles that cover a range of topics, including the influence of women on boards on environmental, social, and governance performance, the quality of disclosure during the pandemic, the integration of sustainable development goals (SDGs) in annual reports, and the regional variations in SDG adoption. Other articles explore the influence of SDGs on corporate purpose, the role of environmental legislation in promoting sustainability, the impact of sustainability marketing on brand loyalty, the role of corporate governance mechanisms in renewable energy transition, barriers to sustainable development in the flexible packaging industry, dimensions of philanthropic corporate social responsibility in the FMCG sector, and the impact of institutional forces on the social sustainability of logistics service providers. Overall, the articles provide valuable insights into the societal value of SDGs in times of crisis. [Extracted from the article]

Purpose: The sustainable development goals (SDGs) are introduced to guide achieving the sustainable goals and tackle the global problems. United Nations members may perform activities to achieve the predetermined goals and report on their SDG activities. The comprehension and commitment of several stakeholders are essential for the effective implementation of the SDGs. Countries encourage their stakeholders to perform and report their activities to meet the SDGs. The purpose of this study is to investigate the extent to which corporations' annual reports address the SDGs to assess and comprehend their level of commitment to, priority of and integration of SDGs within their reporting structure. This research makes it easier to evaluate corporations' sustainability performance and contributions to global sustainability goals by looking at the extent to which they address the SDGs. Design/methodology/approach: In the study, it is revealed to what extent the reports meet the SDGs with the multilabel text classification approach. The SDG classification is carried out by examining the report with the help of a text analysis tool based on an enhanced version of gradient boosting. The implementation of a machine learning-based model allowed it to determine which SDGs are associated with the company's operations without the requirement for the report's authors to perform so. Therefore, instead of reading the texts to seek for "SDG" evidence as typically occurs in the literature, SDG proof was searched in relevant texts. Findings: To show the feasibility of the study, the annual reports of the leading companies in Turkey are examined, and the results are interpreted. The study produced results including insights into the sustainable practices of businesses, priority SDG selection, benchmarking and business comparison, gaps and improvement opportunities identification and representation of the SDGs' importance. Originality/value: The findings of the analysis of annual reports indicate which SDGs they are concerned about. A gap in the literature can be noticed in the analysis of annual reports of companies that fall under a particular framework. In addition, it has sparked the idea of conducting research on a global scale and in a time series. With the aid of this research, decision-making procedures can be guided, and advancements toward the SDGs can be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the processes of sustainability reporting assurance (SRA) and the influence they have on shaping perception from disclosures. Given the evidence of inconsistencies and ambiguities in assurance processes, this paper examines how legitimacy is attained and maintained at different stages of SRA. Design/methodology/approach: Evidence collected from 23 semi-structured interviews with assurance providers (APs), consultants, professionals and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) (non-APs) was used to conduct a thematic analysis from the perspectives of interviewees. Findings: APs and non-APs are united in recognising the value of SRA, although, perspectives on transparency between the two groups differ. Experience and industry knowledge are essential to SRA delivery with non-APs preferring accounting APs. Nevertheless, non-APs are concerned about the role of companies in deciding assurance scope, as it can affect scrutiny. APs favour data accuracy (as opposed to data relevance) assurance due to team dynamics and internal review influences, with the latter also restricting assurance innovation. APs are interested in accessing better evidence and stakeholder engagement evaluations. Providing advisory services was not rejected by all APs. The perspectives of APs and non-APs demonstrate how progress in SRA has gained pragmatic legitimacy with noticeable gaps that serve to undermine attainment of moral legitimacy. Research limitations/implications: SRA is a developing practice that will adopt changes as it continues to mature; some of these changes could impact findings in this research. General perspectives on SRA were sought from interviewees, this affected the ability for an in-depth focus on any of the range of interesting SRA issues that arose over the course of the research. Interviews were conducted with relevant parties in the SRA space that operate in the UK. Perspectives from parties outside the UK were not solicited. Practical implications: Companies make an important decision to commission SRA. Findings in this research have highlighted specific non-APs issues of concern that can be useful in structuring operations and reporting regimes to facilitate assurance procedures. The findings will also be helpful to APs as they can direct more emphasis on stakeholder concerns towards demonstrating greater stakeholder accountability. Regulatory and standard setters can enact appropriate policies that can potentially drive the practice forward for assessment of cognitive legitimacy. Social implications: The findings provide relevant account of stakeholder voices on the quality of corporate disclosures that has a direct effect on the wellbeing of communities and sustainability of societies. Collective stakeholder input on expectations can shape sustainability discourse. Originality/value: This research demonstrates the applicability of financial audit quality indicators in SRA processes, extends the debate around the effectiveness of new audit fields and highlights the challenges of maintaining legitimacy with different audiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to examine sites of dissonance or consensus between global investor responses to the draft standards, International Financial Reporting Standards S1 (IFRS) (General Requirements for Disclosure of Sustainability-related Financial Information) and IFRS S2 (Climate-related Disclosures), issued by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB). Design/methodology/approach: A thematic content analysis was used to capture investor views expressed in their comment letters submitted in the consultation period (March to July 2022) in comparison to the ex ante position (issue of draft standards, March 2022) and ex post summary feedback (ISSB staff papers, September 2022) of the ISSB. Findings: There was investor consensus in support of the ISSB and the development of the draft standards. However, there were sites of dissonance between investors and the ISSB, notably regarding the basis and focus of reporting (double or single/financial materiality and enterprise value); definitional clarity; emissions reporting; and assurance. Incrementally, the research further highlights that investors display heterogeneity of opinion. Practical and Social implications: The ISSB standards will provide a framework for future sustainability reporting. This research highlights the significance of such reporting to investors through their responses to the draft standards. The findings reveal sites of dissonance in the development and alignment of draft standards to user needs. The views of investors, as primary users, should help inform the development of sustainability-related standards by a global standard-setting body apposite to current policy and future reporting requirements, and their usefulness to users in practice. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this paper makes an original contribution to the comment letter literature, hitherto focused on financial reporting with a relative lack of investor engagement. Using thematic analysis, sites of dissonance are examined between the views of investors and the ISSB on their development of sustainability reporting standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to contribute to the development of the European Union (EU) regulatory environment for sustainability reporting by analyzing how materiality is defined in the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD) and Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and by examining the added value and challenges of legalizing reporting and materiality requirements from both regulatory and practical company perspectives. It provides insights on whether this is reflected by EU pharmaceutical companies and to what extent companies report information on their materiality analysis process. Design/methodology/approach: Doctrinal analysis was used to examine regulatory instruments. Qualitative document analysis was used to analyze companies' reports. The added value and challenges were examined using a governance approach. It focused on legalizing reporting and materiality requirements, with a brief extension to corporate management and organization studies. Findings: Materiality has evolved from a vague concept in the NFRD toward double materiality in the CSRD. This was reflected by the industry, but reports revealed inconsistencies in materiality definitions and reported information. Challenges include lack of self-reflection and company-centric perceptions of materiality. Companies should explain how they identify relevant stakeholders and how input is considered in decision-making. Practical implications: Managers must consider how they conduct materiality assessments to meet society's expectations. The underlying processes should be explained to increase the credibility of reports. Sustainability reporting should be seen as a corporate governance tool. Originality/value: This work contributes to the literature on materiality in sustainability reporting and to the debate on the need for a holistic, society-centric approach to enhance the sustainability of companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides an overview of the Norwegian feed system for farmed Atlantic salmon, focusing on its sustainability and robustness. The authors use the Food Systems Approach and gather stakeholder inputs to assess the system. The text discusses the perspectives of feed and animal producers in the aquaculture sector, relevant regulations, and environmental and socio-economic drivers. It also highlights the importance of reducing phosphorus and nitrogen emissions from aquaculture and the vulnerability of the feed system to global conflicts and events. The document concludes by emphasizing the need for a thorough understanding of the feed system and its potential impact on the sustainability of the aquaculture industry. [Extracted from the article]

Sustainability reporting has become increasingly crucial for businesses worldwide, communicating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance to stakeholders. Despite the growing importance of sustainability reporting, there remains a gap in understanding how financial indicators influence the disclosure process, particularly in Vietnamese enterprises. This paper aims to address this gap by investigating the influence of financial indicators on the sustainability reporting practices of Vietnamese companies. Employing a mixed-methods approach, combining a quantitative analysis of financial data with a qualitative assessment of sustainability reports, the research seeks to uncover the nuanced relationship between financial performance metrics and the quality and extent of sustainability disclosures. The research was conducted to identify, evaluate, and measure financial factors affecting the quality of companies' sustainability reports in Vietnam. The research is based on scoring the sustainable development reports of the top 100 listed joint stock companies on the HOSE—Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange. Based on the research model of Dissanayake, in the case of Vietnam, we build a scoring model for the sustainable development report based on GRI standards and add additional criteria appropriate to the situation of each listed company on the Vietnam stock exchange. Based on the research overview, our team tested hypotheses related to the short-term current ratio, total asset turnover ratio (AT), return on equity ratio (ROE), and debt-to-equity ratio (DE). The empirical results show that the AT and ROE significantly positively affect the sustainability reports; the DE hurts the sustainability reports. The findings are expected to provide valuable insights into the factors shaping sustainability reporting practices in Vietnam and contribute to the existing literature on corporate disclosure and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using an hourly data set on retail investor individual security positions from Robinhood Markets, we find no evidence that environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosures inform retail investors' buy and sell decisions. The response on ESG press release days by retail investors is indistinguishable from nonevent days. In contrast, these same investors make economically meaningful changes to their portfolios in response to non-ESG press releases, especially those that pertain to earnings announcements. We use stock return tests to show that there is economic content in ESG press releases, and we conduct subsample analyses showing that retail investors do not respond to the most salient and economically transparent ESG disclosures. Collectively, these tests suggest that a lack of economic content, a lack of visibility, and difficulty with investment integration are unlikely to explain our findings. This paper was accepted by Suraj Srinivasan, accounting. Supplemental Material: The data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4822. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines incentive effects of sustainability reporting, based on proposals for mandatory sustainability reporting standards in the EU, the US, and the IFRS Foundation, and highlights conceptual differences between sustainability and financial reporting. Sustainability reporting is an instrument of transparency regulation intended to influence management decisions. It requires disclosure of a large set of data points but does not provide aggregate measures. It is production-oriented and does not include accruals. It expands reporting to include disclosure of long-term policies and targets, and of information of firms in the value chain. Consequently, sustainability reporting is not very useful for tracking sustainability performance and for comparisons across firms. Overall, it would benefit from applying more generally accepted accounting concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Konfliktmanagement is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of FinanzRundschau is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Sustainable development requires several stakeholders, including companies, to take action. For this, employees need to have their positions and sustainability roles defined so they can carry out activities. In turn, activities need alignment with corporate policies and strategy. However, the literature lacks discussion about job specifications and which activities relate to sustainability. Therefore, this article aims to explore the panorama of positions and professional activities of corporate sustainability professionals. To achieve this goal, we conducted a bibliometric assessment of terms related to corporate sustainability professionals and to understand what scholars have addressed in the area thus far. In the second stage, we tackle this problem by conducting a world survey of 143 professionals working in sustainability‐related positions. The methods are complementary because they provide different types of information that can be used to gain insights into research topics and trends. In this sense, this research contributes to the literature and practice in two main ways. First, the sustainability professionals' positions are still recent and under construction; few sustainability professionals are leaders. Second, this research identified that the sustainability professionals' actions focus on the environmental dimension, suggesting that companies have to invest more in social and governance dimensions. In addition, the findings evidence the need for more reporting on these dimensions as well as aligning all sustainability‐related policies, practices and activities with the strategy's company. Theoretical and practical implications, such as the need for more training on sustainability aspects, and the study's limitations are also addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to investigate the factors that influence the adoption of new sustainability reporting (SDG) and external assurance (EXTA) practices. This study also examines the relationship between sustainability reporting activity and corporate economic performance for a sample of 99 companies in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries that addressed SDGs in their sustainability reports published in 2019. Design/methodology/approach: Using a two-stage analysis, this study examines how firms' characteristics and corporate governance variables affect SDG and economic performance, as well as the firm's decision to adopt EXTA statements for a sample of companies in that addressed SDGs in their sustainability reports published in 2019. The authors collected data from the Global Reporting Initiative's (GRI) Sustainability Disclosure database and the Bureau van Dijk for Orbis database. Findings: The results show that the variables firm size, profitability, big 4 auditors and government ownership significantly affect SDG and economic performance. The results also reveal that firms operating in the manufacturing sector are positively correlated with SDG and the firm's decision to adopt EXTA statements. Furthermore, the results indicate that board independence positively affects SDGs and EXTA. Research limitations/implications: The results can be particularly relevant and timely in helping large GCC companies promote their engagement to sustainable development practices by adopting more sustainable long-term strategies and policies. The findings could also guide managers in the strategic direction to identify firms' characteristics and corporate governance features essential to promote sustainability reporting, an increasingly important performance indicator for investors and to enhance their confidence in the capital market. The results may also have practical implications to policymakers and other regulators in GCC countries to define effective frameworks that promote sustainable development reports and the use of EXTA. Originality/value: The results make significant contributions by providing new insights to the existing literature on sustainability reporting in emerging markets by examining a unique perspective on the influence of firms' characteristics and corporate governance features on the adoption of new sustainability reporting practices. The authors further add to the previous literature on the relationship between a firm's economic performance and sustainable reporting by providing evidence from large companies in GCC countries, which might benefit from the adoption of multiple conceptual lenses, in this case, legitimacy and stakeholder theories. Lastly, through the empirical findings, this study provides economic validity to the 2018 joint initiative of the GRI and the United Nations Global Compact to strengthen corporate actions to achieve the United Nations SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concerns remain about how companies will reconcile environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues with their core mandates. This is one reason why many organisations did not initially subscribe to sustainable investing, reporting and accounting, especially where it is not mandatory, despite growing stakeholder pressure to do so. This paper examines how state‐owned enterprises (SOEs) with social and commercial mandates in South Africa, where sustainability reporting is mandatory, balance ESG practices and financial sustainability to fulfil their mandates. This article proposes and evaluates propositions about SOEs adopting and reporting ESG components using a survey questionnaire and semi‐structured interviews with important SOE stakeholders to show that its sustainability accounting approach benefits policy and non‐policy observers. More than half of the studied SOEs have embraced and disclosed their ESG practices, yet there appears to be no systematic way in which they balance ESG practices and financial sustainability, resulting in conflict. This paper appears to be the first SOE study on this topic. In this regard, this study offers novel insights into how sustainability practices may be incorporated into the social and commercial objectives of SOEs, which in most cases are conflicting, while still allowing SOEs to be financially sustainable and depend less on state bailouts, which is often the case, especially in Africa and in countries that face a high level of corruption. Considering the characteristics and mandates of SOEs, part of being socially responsible is utilising public resources in the form of taxpayers' money in an efficient, effective and accountable manner. The discussion in this paper indicates that paying attention to ESG issues is part of a broader accountability mechanism expected from SOEs. Also, the choice of South Africa and of SOEs in South Africa has implications for theory and practice since SOEs in South Africa have social and commercial objectives such that they are expected to be agents of social responsibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation: In the face of contemporary environmental and economic challenges, a transition to more sustainable global plastics economy is crucial. Countries are implementing circular economy solutions, but one of the common problems is so called "waste tourism" -- export of plastic waste to other countries, often less developed. It contributes to global environmental problems but frequently surfaces also as inefficient resource management/trade and an ethical question as well. Transboundary movements of plastic waste from EU countries should be based on the principles set out in the Basel Convention which entail minimizing and disposing all kind of waste in an environmentally sound manner, minimizing the amount of waste transported and treating and disposing it as close as possible to its place of origin. Unfortunately, European plastic waste is exported in large quantities, often to less developed countries and not processed in accordance with European standards. Aim: This paper aims to identify the volume and directions of UE countries export patterns of plastic waste, its impact on the Sustainable Development Goals and trends in global and EU rules on transboundary plastic waste movements. The considerations are based, to a great extent, on literature on the subject-matter and secondary data, i.e. export data under the trade code 3915 (Waste, pairings and scrap of plastics) derived from the UN Comtrade and Eurostat Database, SDGs data derived from Sustainable Development Report 2022 and UN database and main legal basis for the international trade in plastic waste (the Basel Convention with its recent amendments) and its trends. Results: EU countries are still the leaders in exporting plastic waste, making it difficult to achieve the 12th SDG. Changes to the Basel Convention have not significantly affected the volume and destinations of EU plastic waste exports. They organize the categories of plastic waste but still leave an ample room for undesirable activities. Although the EU's proposals are more restrictive, the most desirable solution is a complete ban on the export of plastic waste by EU countries outside the EU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of BIT: Banking & Information Technology is the property of ibi Research GmbH an der Universitaet Regensburg and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

SUMMARY: Companies are increasingly reporting and assuring sustainability information. Once the decision to assure is made, a company must choose an assurance provider, but should the company use the same firm as its financial statement auditor or a different assurance provider? Lu, Simnett, and Zhou (2023) find that perceived independence concerns deter companies from choosing the same provider, while a provider's assurance expertise and higher levels of information integration between the financial statements and the extended external report both increase the likelihood of using the same provider. Companies using the same provider for both services benefit from higher financial statement audit quality without paying significantly higher audit fees. The findings of this research are useful for companies in deciding whether to employ their financial statement audit firm to also provide assurance of extended external reports. The findings also have implications for auditors and standard-setters/regulators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of sustainability practices on firm performance and the moderating role of firm, industry, and country‐level factors on that association. The samples of our study are listed firms in ASEAN 5 (Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines), with total observations are 1069 from the years 2004–2019. We use regression analysis to test our hypotheses. We find that sustainability performance has a significant positive association with firm performance, which supports our prediction. By engaging in socially responsible activities, companies can gain trust and loyalty from customers and other stakeholders, maintain their competitive advantage, and thus higher financial performance. However, there are no significant differences in the financial performance between firms that issue stand‐alone sustainability reports and those that do not. We cannot find any significant moderating role of the firm, industry‐, and country‐level factors on the association between sustainability practices and firm performance. We have not found any extant studies that have examined firm‐, industry‐, and country‐level factors simultaneously on the association between sustainability practices and firm performance. Our study also contributes to a better understanding of the impact of sustainability practices on firm performance in ASEAN, where sustainability practices are expected to be in greater demand than in mature markets due to the higher social and environmental concerns in such regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability reporting (SR) has emerged as a critical mechanism for organizations and nations to communicate their performance in terms of environmental, social, and governance (ESG). The present study investigates the challenges that prevent SR from being useful for system transparency and accountability. It identifies formidable barriers such as intentions, knowledge gaps, resource constraints, and the intricate nature of measurement metrics which necessitating a global collaborative efforts to improve SR's adaptability and acceptance within diverse systems. In addition, this pioneering research examines the factors that influence SR adoption and commitment at the national level. In the study, total interpretive structural modelling (TISM) is used to investigate the hierarchical relationship between factors while MICMAC analysis is administered to identify driver‐dependent connections. It reveals a multi‐layered structure in which macroeconomic factors such as political stability and resource availability drive regulatory effectiveness, operational factors such as administrative efficiency and awareness synergise for progress, and performance factors provide comprehensive insights into SR maturity at national level. The findings contribute significantly to the refinement of theoretical frameworks while emphasizing the importance of SR in advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It emphasizes on political will, resource allocation, and tailored regulatory frameworks for comprehensive reporting of sustainability. This study provides practical insights for managers, policymakers, and businesses navigating sustainability reporting. It identifies drivers of national SR commitment and guides corporate practices towards sustainable development goals. Understanding these issues strengthens risk management and governance, while advanced measurement tools facilitate assessment and communication. Overall, it empowers stakeholders to elevate their engagement in enhancing sustainability practices, refining governance structures, and informing policy formulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]