Environmental disclosure is the latest novelty in the corporate reporting field. In fact, it is a tool that can better represent the capacity of companies in creating financial performance over time. Therefore, this paper analyzes whether environmental disclosure (ED) practiced by firms listed on the ESG index affects their financial performance (FP) using the moderating effect of social and ethical practices. The analysis includes a linear regression using panel data from Thomson Reuters and Bloomberg databases. Panel data were collected from a sample of 523 companies listed on the North American and West European stock exchanges. The obtained results show a positive and significant relationship between environmental disclosure (ED) and financial performance (FP). This implies that a strong environmental disclosure increases financial performance while a weak one decreases it. Furthermore, the study suggests a moderating effect of social and ethical practices in the link between environmental disclosure and the firm’s financial performance. In fact, these findings provide interesting insights for academic practitioners and regulators who are interested in discovering environmental disclosure, firm’s performance, and social and ethical practices. These findings also provide insights to stakeholders and regulators on the crucial need to integrate more social and environmental regulations to promote sustainability. Moreover, this paper fills the gaps existing in previous studies that ignore the moderating role of social and ethical practices in the relationship between environmental disclosure and financial performance.

This study aims to examine the potential effect that corporate social responsibility practices (CSR) have on financial performance in ESG firms, using the moderating role of board characteristics. To test the moderating effect of the board characteristics in the relationship between CSR practices and financial performance, we applied linear regressions with panel data using the Thomson Reuters ASSET4 database from European countries in analyzing data of 225 listed companies between 2015 and 2019. The results show that board characteristics partially moderate the relationship between CSR practices and financial performance in European ESG firms. In addition, this study indicates that CSR practices affect the firm’s financial performance positively. The study findings appended a new dimension to governance research that could provide policymakers and regulators with a valuable source of information to strengthen governance mechanisms for better financial performance. Previous studies mostly investigate the direct effect of corporate governance on financial performance. A few studies examine the moderating effect of CSR practice. This paper contributes by investigating the moderating effect of governance mechanisms in the ESG context.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the characteristics of two corporate governance mechanisms, namely, board of directors and ownership structure, on the firm value of European financial institutions.Design/methodology/approach: Using the market-to-book ratio calculated by the Thomson Reuters Eikon ASSET4 database, this study measures the firm value of 111 financial institutions belonging to 12 European countries listed on the stock exchange during the period 2007–2019. Multivariate regression analysis on panel data is used to estimate the relationship between corporate governance attributes, such as board size, board independence, board gender diversity, ownership concentration and CEO ownership, and the firm value of European financial institutions.Findings: The empirical results reveal that board gender diversity and CEO ownership are positively related to the firm value, whereas board size and ownership concentration are negatively related. Furthermore, the findings suggest that board independence is insignificantly correlated with the firm value. Regarding the control variables, the results show that financial institutions' size, age and legal system are significant factors in changing the firm value. Nevertheless, financial institutions' leverage and activity sector are not significantly correlated with their value.Originality/value: This research contributes to the literature by providing the significant links between some corporate governance mechanisms and the firm value of companies from the financial industry, by addressing the information gap for this critical industry in the context of a developed market like Europe.

Purpose: This paper targets to shed light on the relationship between board characteristics, good corporate governance and the integrated reporting quality (IRQ) and even if this relationship is moderated by the corporate social responsibility.Design/methodology/approach: Data from a sample of 185 European firms selected from STOXX 600 Index between 2010 and 2019 are used to test the model using panel data and multiple regression. This paper is motivated by using panel data estimated feasible generalized least squares method. A multiple regression model is used to analyze the moderating effect of the corporate social responsibility on the association between board characteristics, good corporate governance and the IRQ.Findings: Consistent with the expectations, the results showed that there is a positive relationship between board independence, board diversity, good corporate governance and IRQ. Furthermore, the findings suggest that moderating effect positively affects the relationship between the board characteristics, good corporate governance and IRQ.Practical implications: The results of this study have an impact on policymakers. The presence of women and independent members of the board should be encouraged. This has a positive effect on the availability of high-quality information, able to drive investment levels and stakeholder participation.Originality/value: This study supports the existing literature. First, it expands the scientific debate on the topic of integrated reporting (IR). Second, it extends the scope of agency theory, which is rarely used to explain IR-related phenomena. This study is one of the first to examine the moderating effect of corporate social responsibility on the association between a set of governance characteristics (i.e. Board independence and board diversity) and integrated reporting adoption.