Purpose: Higher education institutions (HEIs) are critical in the sustainability agenda, not only as catalysts for promoting sustainability practices but also because their activities have substantial social, economic and environmental impacts. Yet there is limited research that examines their sustainability performance. This paper aims to investigate the factors that are associated with sustainability performance in HEIs. Specifically, drawing from the stakeholder theory and exploiting Ullmann’s (1985) conceptual framework, this study examines the association between sustainability performance and stakeholder power, strategic posture and financial slack resources. Design/methodology/approach: The authors draw the sample from the People & Planet University Green League Table for the period 2011–2019 and use the generalised estimating equations for the modelling approach. Findings: This study finds that stakeholder power, in particular, funding grant income, tuition fee income and student and staff numbers, are positively associated with sustainability performance. In relation to strategic posture, this study finds that sustainability performance is negatively associated with governing body independence and gender diversity, and positively associated with internal structures. Finally, regarding financial slack resources, this study finds that surplus income (staff costs) is positively (negatively) associated with sustainability performance. Practical implications: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research contributes to several existing literature focusing on the not-for-profit sector by documenting, for the first time, the role of stakeholder power, strategic posture and slack financial resources on sustainability performance. Social implications: The paper includes relevant implications for HEI managers and regulators for promoting sustainability. Originality/value: These results contribute to the literature on the factors influencing sustainability performance.

The publication of Directive 2014/95/EU represents an important milestone related to the disclosure of non-financial information. This fact together with the role of the corporate governance guide firms towards achieving of an ethical, transparent, and responsible behavior. To contribute towards the understanding of this issue, this study investigates the relationship between corporate governance mechanisms and corporate social responsibility disclosure, namely, in corruption aspects relating to Directive 2014/95/EU. In so doing, a multiple regression analysis was carried out on a panel data sample of 198 European listed firms that are part of the EuroStoxx 200 index, in a studied period from 2014 to 2017. The findings reveal that outside directors and CEO duality impact positively and significantly on corruption disclosure. Therefore, this paper contributes to the existing research on corporate social responsibility disclosure, specifically, to the corruption disclosure literature by studying the corporate governance mechanisms that enhance these practices.

La Responsabilidad Social de la Universidad (RSU) puede ser definida observando los impactos que provoca en el desarrollo de sus actividades. Partiendo de los grupos de impactos, podemos considerar un modelo de medición, identificando los aspectos de la RSU, con cuatro dimensiones: 1) organizacional, 2) educativa, 3) investigadora y 4) epistemológica y social.El objetivo del presente trabajo consiste en verificar la validez de un conjunto de indicadores propuestos de RSU, bajo el prisma de la dimensión organizacional.Los indicadores de medición de los impactos a nivel organizacional se definen partiendo de la clasificación por dimensiones propuesta por el Global Reporting Initiative, incorporando aquellos considerados específicos de la actividad universitaria. De las cuatro categorías identificadas en esta dimensión, analizaremos la del Gobierno Corporativo, ya que los indicadores del impacto económico, social y medioambiental están ampliamente contrastados por el mismo.La metodología utilizada es de naturaleza empírica y está basada en la interacción directa con un conjunto de expertos. Un requisito que la información contable externa debe cumplir es el de fiabilidad. En el estudio, se plantea inferir la validez de los indicadores propuestos, en relación con el citado requisito, mediante valoraciones particulares relativas a la Imparcialidad, Objetividad, Verificabilidad y Representación fiel.