Purpose: This paper aims to study the co-integration among the stock markets of BRIC nations of Brazil, Russia, Indian and China to analyze if the series move apart or they move together in the long term. and to examine the implied volatility transmission between the Indian implied volatility index and three international indices and vice-versa by using synchronized daily data by using techniques such as generalized impulse response functions and variance decompositions. More specifically, the authors investigate how shock to one volatility index affects another volatility index and what is the magnitude and sign of affect and how long does the effect persist? Design/methodology/approach: Unit root tests are conducted to determine the order of integration for each index. The cointegration analysis is used to evaluate the co-movement of a long-term equilibrium relationship among the four stock market indices. Variance decomposition test helps to explain that how much movement in the dependent variable is explained due to its own shock vis-a-vis to the shock of other variables under the study. Impulse response function is used to find out the impact of the standard deviation of shock given to one variable on the impact on the other variable. Findings: There exists one long-run cointegrating relationship between the four stock markets under study. The coefficient of VECM is −0.00031 which is negative and highly significant at 1 per cent. This confirms the existence of a stable long-run causal relationship between the variables. Variance decomposition shows that indices of Brazil, China and Russia can explain on average 4, 0.5 and 5 per cent, respectively, of the forecast error variance of Indian index. On the other hand, Indian market can explain on an average 6.7, 5 and 3 per cent of the forecast error of Brazilian, Chinese and Russian markets, respectively. Originality/value: The research paper is an original work of the author.

Purpose: This paper systematically analyzes the literature on environmental, social and governance (ESG). It explores the antecedents, decisions and outcomes (ADO) influencing ESG investments; theories used in the literature; publication years, geographical locations and journals of publication of ESG-related articles; notable gaps in research on ESG investments; theoretical and managerial implications and prospective research avenues within the ESG field. All ESG components are interconnected with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).Design/methodology/approach: The PRISMA framework was employed to screen articles from the Scopus database. A total of 386 articles spanning 2011–2024 were included. The search terms used to screen the articles for inclusion were “sustainable finance,” “ESG,” “environment, social, corporate governance,” “green finance,” “green bond,” “social bond,” “blue bond,” “social finance” and “corporate social responsibility.”Findings: The findings indicate that organizations utilize green bonds, blue bonds and green loans to mitigate environmental concerns. To address social issues, companies issue social bonds and sustainable bonds and engage in socially responsible investing. To address concerns about corporate governance, companies emphasize corporate social responsibility and intellectual capital.Practical implications: The findings can be used to inform policymakers on the implementation of comprehensive regulatory frameworks in the realm of ESG. Tax benefits and subsidies should be extended to firms fostering ESG practices.Originality/value: This study offers a comprehensive synthesis of the ESG literature by examining the ADO framework, which has not been systematically applied to ESG investments before. It integrates diverse components of ESG investments with the United Nations’ SDGs, providing a unique perspective on how these investments align with global sustainability objectives.

Impact investing is ‘blended value proposition’ that generates a mix of financial, social and environmental values for the investor, organization and businesses. This study aims to explore the factors influencing the Indian investors’ intention towards impact investing (II) using the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), extended with two constructs, that is, risk perception and internal motivation, to predict such a phenomenon in the Indian context. The data has been collected from 338 Indian investors who primarily engage in impact investing. The collected data have been analysed using two-step structural equation modelling. The findings of this study indicate a positive and significant impact of attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control on investors’ intention towards impact investing in India. Risk perception has been showed the least positive influence on the investors’ intention whereas internal motivation has a highly positive influence on investors’ intention to invest for impact. This is the first attempt to measure investors’ intentions towards impact investing from the Indian perspective using the TPB model with the extended constructs, that is, risk perception and internal motivation, which is the novelty of this study. This study will help policymakers to take important regulatory measures to build an effective ecosystem for impact investing in India.