The pharmaceutical industry, concerned about the impact of its activity, has integrated responsible principles and practices with a view to improving its sustainable and financial performance. This study analyzes the relationship between environmental, social, governance, and controversy indicators and financial performance, measured through return on equity (ROA), return on assets (ROE), and Tobin’s Q, which are applied to the listed companies in the Nasdaq US Smart Pharmaceuticals Index. This index is composed of 30 international companies with a presence at the global level. All the data have been extracted from the Thomson Reuters database. The analysis was performed using structural equation modeling implemented with partial least squares. The results confirm the positive relationship between the construct composed of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) indicators and the aforementioned financial ratios. Additionally, a positive relationship of the controversy indicator with Tobin’s Q is supported. This suggests that the pharmaceutical multinationals focus their investments in sustainability on ESG and pay attention to controversies to boost the visibility of the company and thus increase its value. These conclusions confirm that investing in ESG is a profitable strategy. It is also relevant for managers as it increases the profits and the market value of multinational pharmaceutical companies.

The objective of this work was to research the impact of environmental, social, governance, and controversies (ESGC) indicators on financial performance. We used a sample of financial and nonfinancial business data from international countries for 2017 obtained through the Thomson Reuters environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) database. The company participants in the study belong to the tourism sector and are listed on international stock market indices. The methodology used was based on parametric and nonparametric statistical tests. Evidence supports that governance practices significantly influence financial performance. The contribution of the study is two-fold—from a theoretical perspective, it adds to the existing literature and, from an empirical point of view, we developed ESGC indicators and their relationship with financial performance using a binary regression logistic model, with results that can be applied to an international tourist perspective.

Quality improvement is one of the strategies that many tourist destinations are currently using in order to increase their competitiveness in international tourist markets. In this respect, this paper analyses existing perceptions on the quality of Nerja as a tourist destination by using a measurement tool to specify and quantify perceived quality levels. The method used in this paper is a modified version of the well-known SERVQUAL scale, widely used to measure quality of service. Apart from verifying the validity of the tool used, the results of this study highlight the importance of hotel services, the climate and the beauty of the landscape, and the friendliness of personnel towards customers. It must be pointed out, however, that overcrowding stands out as the biggest problem which may adversely affect Nerja's future as a tourist destination.

Purpose: In order to meet the increasingly demanding needs of international markets, quality and food safety systems have become widespread among companies in the agri-food sector. This has led to a transformation of the agri-food sector that has also been detrimental for companies seeking to adopt such standards. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to define the determining factors that affect the process of adopting quality and food safety standards in agri–food companies, from the implementation of standards in company quality management systems to the process of certification of these standards.Design/methodology/approach: To this end, a literature review is carried out in which the motivations, benefits, barriers and contingency factors are identified, analyzing and delimiting the scope and contribution of each of them to the company’s quality management.Findings: The results show that the most important benefits and motivations are access to new markets and compliance with legislation, while the most important barrier is the high cost of adopting QFS systems within the company. Finally, the most relevant contingency factor when adopting these systems is the size of the company. Furthermore, the analysis shows that the results are closely interrelated. In conclusion, the consideration of the determinants identified in the paper contributes to a better implementation of agri-food quality and safety standards by companies.Originality/value: This paper combines an analysis of the determining factors for the adoption of quality systems in the agri-food industry with the identification of contingency factors that, despite their importance throughout the process, are scarcely analysed in the rest of the literature. Finally, the work points out future lines of research that are still underexplored, such as the relationship between quality assurance and financial development; the role of contingency factors in the process of adopting these systems and the analysis of HACCP systems in the agri-food sector.

Those responsible for developing sustainable solid waste management programmes must consider the impacts of programme elements on everyone involved. This paper focuses on identifying the effects of waste management activities and assessing their overall impact on stakeholders. Collaborating with four focus groups and 36 experts, 19 effects were identified and nine questionnaires were designed to evaluate them, one for each stakeholder group. All told, 1805 people took part in the survey. The results show that the effects most important to the survey participants are: (a) recycling solid urban waste, (b) pollution and (c) corporate social responsibility.