Sustainability reporting in food industry: an innovative tool for enhancing financial performance

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amina Buallay

PurposeThis study investigates the relationship between the level of sustainability reporting and Food Industry Performance (operational, financial and market).Design/methodology/approachUsing data culled from 1426 observations from 31 different countries for ten years (2008–2017), an independent variable derived from environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) score is regressed against dependent manufacture performance indicator variables [return on assets (ROA), Return on Equity (ROE) and Tobin’s Q (TQ)]. Two types of control variables complete the regression analysis in this study: firm-specific and macroeconomic.FindingsThe findings elicited from the empirical results demonstrate that there is a significant relationship between ESG and financial performance (ROE). However, there is no significant relationship between ESG and operational performance (ROA) and market performance (TQ).Originality/valueThis paper presents a new framework that considers sustainability reporting as an innovation tool, examining innovation in terms of its positive or negative impact on financial performance. It contributes to research on the innovation paradigm and knowledge management by highlighting the significance of sustainability reporting as a tool of innovation in enhancing the financial performance.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amina Buallay ◽  
Jasim Al-Ajmi ◽  
Elisabetta Barone

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the relationship between the level of sustainability reporting and tourism sector’s performance (operational, financial and market).Design/methodology/approachUsing data culled from 1,375 observations from 37 different countries for ten years (2008–2017), an independent variable derived from the environmental, social and governance (ESG score) is regressed against dependent performance indicator variables (return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE) and Tobin's Q (TQ)). Two types of control variables complete the regression analysis in this study: firm-specific and macroeconomic.FindingsThe findings elicited from the empirical results of the linear models demonstrate that there is a significant relationship between ESG and operational performance (ROA) and market performance (TQ). However, there is no significant relationship between ESG and financial performance (ROE). Furthermore, the results of the nonlinear models suggest that the relationship between sustainability performance and firm's profitability and valuation is nonlinear (inverted U-shape).Originality/valueThe models in this study presents a valuable analytical framework for exploring sustainability reporting as a driver of performance in the tourism sector's economies. In addition, this study highlights the tourism sector's management lacunae manifesting in terms of the weak nexus between each component of ESG and tourism sector's performance.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amina Buallay

PurposeThis study investigates the impact of sustainability reporting on agriculture industries’ performance (operational, financial and market).Design/methodology/approachUsing data culled from 1426 observations from 31 different countries for ten years (2008–2017), an independent variable derived from the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) score is regressed against dependent manufacture performance indicator variables [return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE) and Tobin's Q (TQ)]. Two types of control variables complete the regression analysis in this study: firm-specific and macroeconomic.FindingsThe findings elicited from the empirical results demonstrate that there is no significant relationship between ESG and operational performance (ROA), financial performance (ROE) and market performance (TQ). Surprisingly, when each component of ESG is regressed separately against the performance, the results reveal that governance disclosure has a positive impact on market performance.Research limitations/implicationsThis study captures only quantity rather than the quality of ESG disclosure. Therefore, the results of this study may not necessarily give the “true” motivation for firms to disclose sustainability activities.Originality/valueThis study highlights the agriculture industry management lacunae manifesting in terms of the weak nexus between each component of ESG and agriculture industries’ performance.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kofi Mintah Oware ◽  
T. Mallikarjunappa

Purpose Technological innovation (TI) has become a competitive advantage to firm sustainability and survival; however, stakeholders struggle to embrace this revolution. There is a fear that technology innovation leads to massive job loss. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate TI, employee disability (EDI) and financial performance. Design/methodology/approach Using the Indian stock market as a testing ground, the authors used panel regression to analyse 80 sustainability-reporting firms (640 firm-year observations) between 2010 and 2017. Findings The findings show that technology innovation has a positive association with EDI. It further indicates EDI with TI improves the financial performance (return on assets and return on equity) of firms. Also, the study shows that EDI in the service and manufacturing sector are the critical contributors when combined with TI towards an increase in financial performance. Practical implications The implication for the study allows firms to increase employment of people with disabilities in the workplace because TI has a positive effect on EDI. The results from the study confirm the service sector as the highest contributor to financial performance in the emergence of TI. Originality/value The novelty of this research provides empirical evidence that the service sector contributes more to financial performance when EDI combines with TI.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kofi Mintah Oware ◽  
Arunima Kambikkanon Valacherry ◽  
Thathaiah Mallikarjunappa

Purpose The purpose of this study is to focus on examining whether third-party assurance (TPA) and mandatory corporate social responsibility reporting (MCSR) matter in the association between philanthropic giving (PHG) and listed firms’ financial performance. Design/methodology/approach Using the Indian stock market as a testing ground, the study used interactive regression and panel regression to analyse 80 sustainability-reporting firms with 800 firm-year observations between 2010 and 2019. Findings The first findings show a positive association between PHG and financial performance (return on assets, ROA and stock price returns, SPR). Also, the study shows that the interactive variable of MCSR and PHG has a mixed association with financial performance. The second findings show a positive and statistically significant association between TPA and SPR. Also, the interactive effect of TPA and PHG has a negative association with return on equity (ROE) and a positive association with SPR. The third findings show a negative association between MCSR and financial performance (ROA and ROE) and a positive association with SPR. However, when a firm combines MCSR and TPA, the outcome is a negative association with ROE. The fourth findings show that MCSR has a positive association with TPA. The study control for any form of heteroscedasticity, serial correlation and endogeneity effects. Practical implications Managers, if given a choice, must opt for TPA over MCSR because the βcoefficient is higher in TPA than MCSR in PHG-financial performance nexus. Originality/value The study addresses the information asymmetry problem from the application of TPA and MCSR, which is new to an emerging economy context.


2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatrice Desiree Simo Kengne

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the presence of women among owner-stakeholders affects firms’ financial performance. Particularly, it extends the corporate governance literature by linking stakeholder theory and gender differences to explain why gender composition of ownership matters for firms’ performance. As the management of small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) revolves around owner-managers and their individual characteristics that are likely to affect their achievements, the study further investigates the relationship between the gender composition of ownership and the firm survival. Design/methodology/approach Using survey data on SMEs for 2007 and 2010, this study uses a panel-level heteroskedasticity technique and a probit methodology to assess the effect women’s presence among owners may exert on SMEs performance and survival, respectively. Findings Results indicate that firms jointly owned by men and women appear to perform better than those owned by men although the presence of women among owners does not correlate with firm survival. Research limitations/implications While the findings of this study shed some light on the performance impact of gender composition of firm ownership, reports based on the presence of women among owners may not present the full picture. Whether the ownership is shared equally between different genders might provide further insides on the magnitude and/or robustness of such effect. Moreover, a small sample period (T = 2) was used to analyse a single industrial sector (manufacturing), and even though the Hausman test confirmed the use of random-effects specification, caution should be taken when generalizing the findings to other cases. Practical implications The findings suggest that the leadership in mixed-gender context propels a perspective of women as a valuable resource within SMEs, but relying on it to sustain the survival would be unwise. Social implications South Africa scores particularly high on positive actions towards women entrepreneurship, and this is compounded in the SMEs sector by managerial attitudes that could offer positive developments for women. Originality/value The positive and significant relationship between women’s presence among owners and SMEs financial performance in South Africa complements the almost exclusively reported negative impact of gender diversity on firm performance. Consequently, mixed-gender owners’ team can be used as a fulcrum to promote SMEs growth in South Africa.


2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (9) ◽  
pp. 1142-1163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Wiengarten ◽  
Muhammad Usman Ahmed ◽  
Annachiara Longoni ◽  
Mark Pagell ◽  
Brian Fynes

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the impact of complexity on the triple bottom line by applying information-processing theory. Specifically, the paper assesses the impact of internal manufacturing complexity on environmental, social, and financial performance. Furthermore, the paper assesses the moderating role of connectivity and shared schema in reducing the potential negative impact of complexity on performance. Design/methodology/approach Multi-country survey data collected through the Global Manufacturing Research Group were utilized to test the hypotheses. The authors used structural equation modeling to test the measurement and initial structural model. Furthermore, to test the proposed moderating hypotheses, the authors applied the latent moderated structural equations approach. Findings The results indicate that while complexity has a negative impact on environmental and social performance, it does not significantly affect financial performance. Furthermore, this negative impact can be reduced, to some extent, through connectivity; however, shared schema does not significantly impact on the complexity-performance relationship. Originality/value This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the impact of complexity on sustainability. Furthermore, it provides managerial applications as it proposes specific tools to deal with the potential negative influences of complexity.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayman E. Haddad ◽  
Hussain Alali

Purpose This study aims to explore the extent of risk disclosure (RD) among conventional banks (CBs) and Islamic banks (IBs) listed on stock markets in the Gulf cooperation council (GCC). It also examines the influence of RD on the banks’ financial performance as measured by return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE). Design/methodology/approach This study uses content analysis to examine RD in the annual reports of 16 CBs and 14 IBs in the GCC for a sample of 240 firm-year observations over the period 2007 to 2014. Findings The study shows no significant differences between the RD reported in the annual reports of CBs and that of IBs. On average, a CB reported 234 sentences while an IB disclosed 244 sentences of RD in its annual report. The authors also find that both types of banks had an upward trend over the periods. While the means of RD reported by CBs have significantly improved over the period, the RD reported by IBs has not. Similar results are also found when the authors compared the RD pre- and post-financial crisis period. Finally, the authors find that there is a significant association between RD and both models of financial performance (ROA and ROE) for IBs, after controlling other variables. However, RD has a significant association with only ROE for CBs. Research limitations/implications The bank selection was restricted to publicly traded banks in the GCC. Other financial institutions and different types of industries were not considered. Further research could determine whether the results obtained in this study could be generalized to different industries in the GCC and or in other countries. Practical implications This study provides evidence on the significant association between RD and the financial performance of CBs and IBs in GCC countries. This study could be helpful to regulatory authorities in encouraging banks to adopt the best practice of RD and thus promote banks’ transparency. Originality/value This is the first known study to examine the RD practices of both types of banks and their association with banks’ financial performance in five-GCC countries (Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain), based on a longitudinal analysis of year-end annual reports, covering eight years period from 2007 to 2014.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Punam Prasad ◽  
Narayanasamy Sivasankaran ◽  
Samit Paul ◽  
Manoharan Kannadhasan

Purpose The purpose of this study is to introduce working capital efficiency multiplier (WCEM) as a direct profitability measure of working capital management. The existing accounting measures in the literature establish an indirect approach to study the relationship between working capital efficiency and profitability of the firms. Design/methodology/approach Using the help of a set of companies from CMIE Prowess database, the study introduces WCEM as a direct profitability measure of working capital efficiency. Findings In this study, a new direct measure of working capital efficiency is introduced which is multiplicative in nature. WCEM is a product of three components, namely, WACC, ratio of the sum of trade receivables and inventories to trade payables and ratio of net working capital (NWC) to net sales. Practical implications The importance of direct measure like WCEM could be enormous in performance evaluation of a firm. It can be used as an indicator for choosing a suitable investment opportunity by an investor. This is due to the fact that the firm that is highly efficient in managing working capital is less exposed to liquidity risk. At the same time, the firm is less dependent on external financing. Therefore, such firms eventually create more value for their shareholders. Another indication that WCEM provides is to gauge the bargaining power of the firm and its competitive position in the market. Lower WCEM indicates higher bargaining power of a firm across the value chain, and its superior position relative to its competitors. Originality/value Most of the studies on WCM are of the empirical type and there is a complete dearth on theoretical framework. Researchers hereafter can consider WCEM as one of the financial performance variables in place of the existing measures such as return on asset (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), return on equity (ROE), gross operating income (GOI) and net operating income (NOI) and thereby can contribute new empirical insights through their research outcomes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 401-427
Author(s):  
Babatunji Samuel Adedeji ◽  
Tze San Ong ◽  
Md Uzir Hossain Uzir ◽  
Abu Bakar Abdul Hamid

Purpose The non-existence of the corporate governance (CG) concept for practices by non-financial medium-sized firms (MSFs) in Nigeria informed. This study aims to determine whether CG practices influence firms’ performance and whether sustainability initiative (SI) mediates the relationship between CG and MSFs’ performance in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach A total of 300 firms were selected on convenience sampling basis from South Western Nigeria using a structured questionnaire. The authors used Statistical Package for Social Sciences for exploratory data analysis and hypotheses were tested using covariance-based structural equation modelling. Findings The results show that CG has a significant positive effect on performance [financial performance (FNP) and non-financial performance (NFP)] and SI. SI has a mixed impact on performance, e.g. a significant positive impact on NFP but insignificant negative impact on FNP. Similarly, SI has a combined mediating effect in the relationship between CG and performance, e.g. fully mediates CG → NFP and does not mediate CG → FNP. Firms are to invest in social and environmental initiatives substantially. CG codes will complement the International Financial Reporting Standards for MSFs. Research limitations/implications This study supports the assumptions of theories (institutional, stakeholder and agency) as the basis for the usage of multiple approaches to determine the outcome of hypotheses, especially in developing climes. Practical implications The study contributes to CG and performance literature by examining the mediating effects of SI. The paper also shows the necessity to emphasise NFP aspect. Policymakers should evolve CG codes to encourage stakeholders to believe more in the corporate existence of MSFs for strengthening capital-base and quality personnel engagement. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first empirical attempts showing the evidence on the relationship between CG and NFP in Nigeria.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 929-944
Author(s):  
Rahma Wijayanti ◽  
Vera Diyanty ◽  
Sugiyarti Fatma Laela

Purpose This study aims to provide empirical evidence on the contingency factors that affect the implementation of education strategies and the impact of education strategy misfit on the performance and effectiveness of the board’s moderating role on the misfit level and performance of Islamic banks. Design/methodology/approach This research is a quantitative study with pooled ordinary least square panel data during the years 2007-2014 from all Indonesian Islamic commercial banks. Islamic bank performances are measured by the level of profitability and sharia financial performance. Board effectiveness is analysed by measuring the effectiveness of both the board of commissioners (BoC) and the sharia supervisory board (SSB). Findings This study proves that organisational competent qualities and chief executive officer tenure are the contingency factors that affect the implementation of the education strategy. This study’s results indicate that the effectiveness of both the BoC and SSB has a positive impact on the bank’s profitability and sharia financial performance. The results also show that misfit has a negative effect on sharia financial performance and that board effectiveness is proved to reduce the negative impact of a misfit on sharia financial performance. However, there is no strong evidence that board effectiveness reduces the negative impact of a misfit on profitability. Originality/value This study emphasises the importance of enhancing the competence and innovation of organisations in the implementation of education strategy and the need for synergy and increased capabilities among board members to achieve well-established Islamic bank performance.


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