For the corporate sphere, cybersecurity becomes an inescapable business responsibility, and accountability becomes a way of providing trust and ensuring resilience against cyber risks and high-impact cyber threats. The purpose of this study was to create a disclosure index that allows analysis of the scope of the disclosure of voluntary and mandatory cybersecurity information. The content analysis technique used focuses on the examination and identification of the cybersecurity information revealed in the annual reports and the 20 F annual forms of the companies with the highest stock market prices in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru during the period of 2016–2020. Longitudinal analysis indicates an increase over time in the disclosures and scope of information. The findings highlight that the country with the highest related disclosure is Argentina; the most extensive disclosures are due to the financial sector; and the strategy dimension represents the greatest weight in the index score. The study provides a novel instrument for measuring the content of disclosure on cybersecurity that is applicable in any specific context. In this case, the scope of disclosure in Latin America—a region which, according to our research, does not have previous studies on the subject—is evaluated.

A pesar de que las empresas familiares representan un gran porcentaje del conjunto de empresas a nivel mundial, las aportaciones metodológicas acerca de su estimación son muy escasas. El presente trabajo ofrece una metodología de identificación de empresas familiares versus no familiares utilizando como fuente de información la base de datos SABI Informa (versión española de Orbis), considerando fundamentalmente variables de propiedad y de gobierno corporativo para su clasificación. El diseño de la metodología SAFER permite su aplicación sin necesidad de realizar una extracción masiva de datos, lo que contribuye a su accesibilidad y facilidad de uso por parte de los investigadores. Asimismo, la metodología propuesta ha sido testada utilizando una muestra de 500 empresas, encontrando un error de clasificación inferior al cinco por ciento. Este trabajo aporta a los investigadores una metodología consensuada para la selección de muestras de empresas familiares, pudiendo ser trasladada a bases de datos equivalentes en otros países (e.g., AIDA, Italian company data o Markus en Alemania), o escaladas a la base de datos Orbis de ámbito global. Finalmente, nuestros resultados también representan un avance al facilitar la labor de los profesionales y responsables políticos en el desarrollo de informes sobre empresas familiares a través de un proceso riguroso de identificación y clasificación.

This study analyse the impact of female on the management of financial risk faced by local governments (LGs), through political and population variables. We conduct a statistical analysis of panel data to examine the financial behaviour of 133 large LGs in Spain during the period 2009-2017. The results reveal that LGs with a female mayor are at lower risk of default. Likewise, we found that the number of female members of the city council and the degree of political fragmentation are inversely associated with the risk of default. This risk is also alleviated by population variables, such as a larger female population, a larger rate of unemployment among women and a smaller population of women aged over 65 years. Our findings have important implications and usefulness for a wide range of stakeholders, including policymakers, managers, practitioners and fiscal authorities concerned by solvency, financial risks and possible default in LGs. En este estudio se analiza el impacto de la mujer en la gestión del riesgo financiero de los gobiernos locales (LGs), a través de variables políticas y demográficas. Se realiza un análisis estadístico de datos de panel para examinar el comportamiento financiero de 133 grandes LG en España durante el período 2009-2017. Los resultados revelan que los LGs con un alcalde mujer tienen un menor riesgo de impago. Asimismo, descubrimos que el número de mujeres miembros del ayuntamiento y el grado de fragmentación política están inversamente asociados al riesgo de impago. Este riesgo también se ve aliviado por variables poblacionales, como una mayor población femenina, una mayor tasa de desempleo entre las mujeres y una menor población de mujeres mayores de 65 años. Nuestras conclusiones tienen importantes repercusiones y utilidad para una amplia gama de interesados, incluidos los encargados de formular políticas, administradores, profesionales y autoridades fiscales preocupados por la solvencia, los riesgos financieros y el posible incumplimiento en los LGs.

In Europe, the contribution of SMEs is enormous in terms of job creation and added value, although in recent years worrying levels of business failure and disappearance have occurred. These circumstances have led various researchers and international organisations to recognise the need for indicators that will enable the early detection of insolvency risks so that preventive and corrective measures can be taken. In this context, Directive (EU) 2019/1023 obliges EU Member States to define early warning indicators of insolvency, and in most cases has been transposed into the respective national regulations. The present paper aims to identify financial and non-financial indicators of insolvency risks in SMEs, to facilitate early detection. To this end, we analyse a sample of 1,736 Spanish SMEs, studying their behaviour for the period 2010-2020. Certain financial and non-financial factors are identified as early warning indicators of insolvency, a result that will prove useful both for the self-diagnosis of insolvency and for the design of restructuring plans to enhance SMEs’ chances of survival. En Europa, la contribución de las PYMEs es enorme en términos de creación de empleo y valor añadido, aunque en los últimos años se han producido preocupantes niveles de quiebra y desaparición de empresas. Estas circunstancias han llevado a diversos investigadores y organismos internacionales a reconocer la necesidad de contar con indicadores que permitan detectar precozmente los riesgos de insolvencia para poder adoptar medidas preventivas y correctoras. En este contexto, la Directiva (UE) 2019/1023 obliga a los Estados miembros de la Unión Europea a definir indicadores de alerta temprana de insolvencia, y en la mayoría de los casos ha sido transpuesta a las respectivas normativas NACIONALES. El objetivo del presente trabajo es identificar indicadores financieros y no financieros de riesgos de insolvencia en las pymes, para facilitar su detección temprana. Para ello, se analiza una muestra de 1.736 PYMEs españolas, estudiando su comportamiento para el periodo 2010-2020. Se identifican determinados factores financieros y no financieros como indicadores de alerta temprana de insolvencia, un resultado que resultará útil tanto para el autodiagnóstico de insolvencia como para el diseño de planes de reestructuración que mejoren las posibilidades de supervivencia de las PYMEs.

Throughout Europe, one of the main problems facing policymakers is that of falling rural populations. In many cases, this is aggravated by high levels of local government borrowing. Although researchers have sought to determine the causes of this debt, much remains to be known about the factors influencing the default risk of small- and medium-sized towns, information that would help them formulate policies to combat the loss of population. The aim of our study is to identify factors relevant to this default risk. We analyzed demographic, socioeconomic, and financial factors in a sample of 6456 Spanish local governments by their population size. Our findings show that financial policies applied to reduce this risk should vary according to the population size, as certain factors exert a specific influence on smaller municipalities. Nevertheless, socioeconomic and financial variables have more impact on default risk than demographic factors. Our findings are novel and useful for all concerned in combating the depopulation of rural areas in Europe, owing to the relevance of conclusions for the design of public policies based on the sustainability of public services in small municipalities. Points for practitioners The measurement of the default risk in local governments reveals very relevant information for the design of public policies against depopulation. Socioeconomic and financial variables have more impact on default risk than demographic factors. The evolution of the measurement of default risk reveals that policies against depopulation must be defined based on the size of the municipalities. The influencing factors on the default risk are interesting to decide if finance government investments through loans that allow the repopulation of small municipalities.

A family identity of a firm, exhibited by the presence of the family name in the business name, can influence the value of economic profitability. The present analysis also explores if this relationship varies depending on the size and the generation running the business. The sample used to conduct this study comprises a panel data set of 21,149 Spanish family firms containing information from 2003 to 2015, which translates into a balanced database including 274,937 observations. For analysis purposes, the firms are classified into small, medium-sized and large ones. Contrary to the competitive advantages brought about by the family identity of the businesses highlighted by previous research, the current study suggests its negative effects on the profitability of small and medium-sized family firms. This effect is more acute when the company is managed by its founding generation. The findings in the case of large family firms indicate that the company name does not have an impact upon economic profitability.