This study investigates the relationship between corporate governance mechanisms and tax avoidance in Greek service-sector firms over the period 2014–2023. Using panel data, the analysis evaluates the influence of board characteristics, audit committees, auditor quality, and ownership structures on firms’ tax behavior. The results reveal that traditional governance mechanisms—such as board size, independence, audit committee composition, and gender diversity—do not significantly constrain tax avoidance, reflecting the formalistic rather than substantive adoption of governance practices in Greece. In contrast, external audit quality and ownership structure emerge as critical determinants. Engagement with high-quality auditors, particularly Big 4 firms, is associated with reduced tax aggressiveness, while state ownership similarly curbs avoidance, consistent with reputational and political accountability incentives. Conversely, managerial and foreign ownership are positively related to aggressive tax planning. The findings underscore the contextual nature of governance effectiveness: in weak enforcement environments, formal mechanisms serve largely symbolic roles, whereas external oversight and ownership incentives carry greater weight. This study contributes to agency and institutional theory by highlighting the limits of formal governance reforms absent substantive independence and enforcement.

This study reviews the literature on the determinants influencing corporate tax avoidance and evasion. Building on the reviews on tax avoidance, this work updates and extends their scope to incorporate recent research on tax evasion. Drawing on economic cost-benefit framework, empirical findings from 55 relevant studies on tax avoidance and evasion are classified. A bibliometric analysis of these 55 studies is conducted to map author collaborations and identify thematic trends in literature. The findings indicate that tax avoidance is largely driven by internal organizational factors, with executives’ perspectives and beliefs having a significant impact. In turn, tax evasion is predominantly influenced by external factors, such as economic conditions and institutional quality. This review provides valuable insights for policymakers and tax authorities in developing effective strategies to address corporate tax avoidance and evasion.

This paper examines the interrelationship between Corporate Governance (CG), Internal Control System (ICS), and Organizational Performance (OP), with a particular focus on the effectiveness of the ICS in relation to the quality of its components. Drawing on recent literature and empirical evidence, the study demonstrates that strong governance frameworks—characterized by board independence, effective audit committees, and proactive risk management—are closely linked to robust internal control environments. Together, these mechanisms enhance transparency, reduce risks, and foster stakeholder trust. The analysis further highlights that governance and internal control are evolving beyond compliance, increasingly serving as strategic levers for creating sustainable value. The findings underscore important implications for practitioners and policymakers. Organizations are encouraged to strengthen internal controls, invest in audit and risk management capacity, and embed ethical and sustainability considerations into governance structures. Regulators, in turn, should support frameworks that promote both accountability and innovation. Overall, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of how governance and control mechanisms can secure organizational resilience and drive long-term performance in a rapidly changing business environment.

This chapter focuses on the energy transition and explores its connection with sustainability accounting and the performance management of economic organizations. This transition requires strategic actions from economic entities, aiming to promote the adoption of renewable energy sources. A bibliometric analysis was conducted using the VOSviewer software, based on 129 papers retrieved from the Scopus database. The analysis aimed to explore emerging research trends in the areas of sustainability accounting, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and performance measurement indicators. The results reveal significant thematic clusters and recurring scholarly interests. The findings underscore the strategic challenges faced by key stakeholders - particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)-in aligning their operations with sustainability objectives. Finally, the literature highlights that integrating emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain constitutes a critical factor for improving the quality and transparency of sustainability accounting systems.

The significant increase in non-performing loans (NPLs) during the escalating recession of the Greek economy motivates us to study the predictive power of credit rating models in periods of economic shocks. In parallel, we examined the responsibilities of bank management in the expansion of NPLs in this adverse environment. Certain studies connect bad loans with turbulent conditions. Our paper weighs the relative significance of both economic shock and management effectiveness using data at an individual level, which provides the originality of our study. We use a unique dataset of small business loans that were granted during 2005 (expansion period) by a large commercial Greek bank, and we explore their performance between 2010 and 2012 (early recession period). In the context of a stepwise methodology, we compare the Bank’s credit scoring model with three other prediction models (binomial logistic regression, decision tree, and multilayer perceptron neural network) to check both the predictive ability of credit scoring models during recession and the effectiveness of bank management. The comparative analysis confirms the management’s responsibilities in granting NPLs, since the Bank’s model exhibited the worst predictive performance. Additionally, we find that adverse external conditions lead to an increase in NPLs and decrease the predictive performance of all credit scoring models. The study offers a reliable methodological tool for lending management in economic downturns.