The paper aims to test whether corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance affects the costs of debt, equity, and a weighted average of those two components in BRICS countries. Theoretically, a decline in the cost of capital is linked to a decrease in the firm risk. We measure CSR performance using the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) combined score from the Thomson Reuters EIKON database for non‐financial enterprises between 2014 and 2019. A panel regression analysis has been run in order to test whether (1) the inclusion in the ESG combined ranking or (2) the level of the scores for ESG combines is linked to a decline in the cost of capital. Empirical evidence suggests that the level of the ESG combined score does not affect the firm's financial risk. Inclusion in the ESG combined index decreases the cost of equity and the average cost of capital instead. Firms that received an ESG combined score pay lower returns to investors.

The utilization of digital technologies is rapidly increasing businesses’ capacities for innovation and growth, especially in the case of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with strong benefits in efficiency, competitiveness, and market reach. We aimed to study the impact of digital technologies on cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) in Italian SMEs, with regard to three main ICT areas: e-business, e-marketing, and e-commerce. Using a regression analysis, the study found that e-business tools have an unclear impact on cross-border e-commerce, while e-marketing tools, such as data tracking for medium-sized enterprises and social media for all SMEs, have a positive and significant impact on the online export performance. Finally, we examined the impact of being present on a marketplace rather than having a proprietary e-commerce website, and we found that having a presence on marketplaces such as Amazon or Alibaba is more effective than having a proprietary e-commerce website in terms of cross-border online sales. These results are useful both for policy makers and managers, since making informed decisions to develop SMEs is crucial for industrial strategy effectiveness.

This work investigates the relationship between family variables (parents’ educational level, relationship quality, intrusiveness, support, and autonomy) and young Italians’ status as NEETs (Not in Employment, Education, or Training). We used data from a representative sample of 9,087 young Italians. Each participant filled out an anonymous online questionnaire that contained several scales to measure the variables mentioned above. The results reveal that parents’ educational level and support have a protective effect on the risk of becoming a NEET for both genders. Autonomy has a specific negative impact for males while intrusiveness has a positive impact mainly for females.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to verify the theoretical assumption about a weaker role of internal governance structures (namely, board and CEO) in determining sporting and financial performances in highly concentrated club ownership environment.Design/methodology/approach: Using data from the Italian and English football clubs playing in their national top divisions, over the period 2006–2015, the authors apply agency theory, property rights theory and win maximization logic to test the absence of a significant impact of internal governance structures on financial performances and clubs’ sporting performance. Ownership structure’s variables are used as control variable.Findings: Empirical findings document an overall poor impact of board structure and CEO features on financial performances, in comparison with the influence of ownership structure; the consolidation of win maximization logic of clubs’ owners has been demonstrated in this specific context. However, the authors found that some internal governance elements have also an impact on performance even if their contribute is limited: board size results negatively associated to club profitability, board independence and CEO tenure are positively related to sporting performance; in addition, CEO tenure also increases profitability.Originality/value: The originality of the paper lies on the contribution arising from this empirical research, since a scarcity of empirical studies analyzing the correlation between internal governance and performance in European football sector is noticed.