Although the current empirical literature has focused predominantly on the direct relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and firm value, in this paper, we aim to explore firm‐level moderators that may contribute to disentangling this relationship. On the basis of a dataset of Western European listed companies, we use a moderation analysis of panel data to examine whether firm size and age drive the impact of CSR on firm value. Our estimations show that the relationship between CSR and firm value is moderated by firm size and age so that it is negatively impacted when small and/or young companies are considered. This finding seems to be consistent with the view that CSR initiatives could be ineffective in smaller and younger companies due to their lack of financial resources, experience, reputation, and so forth. Implications for firms are also discussed.

Background Type 2 diabetes represents an increasingly critical challenge for health policy worldwide. It absorbs massive resources from both patients and national economies to sustain direct costs of the treatment of type 2 diabetes and its complications and indirect costs related to work loss and wages. More recently, there are innovations based on remote control and personalised programs that promise a more cost-effective diabetes management while reducing diabetes-related complications. In such a context, this work attempts to update cost analysis reviews on type 2 diabetes, focusing on France and Germany, in order to explore most significant cost drivers and cost-saving opportunities through innovations in diabetes care. Although both countries approach care delivery differently, France and Germany represent the primary European markets for diabetes technologies. Methods A systematic review of the literature listed in MEDLINE, Embase and EconLit has been carried out. It covered interventional, observational and modelling studies on expenditures for type 2 diabetes management in France or Germany published since 2012. Included articles were analysed for annual direct, associated and indirect costs of type 2 diabetes patients. An appraisal of study quality was performed. Results were summarised narratively. Results From 1260 records, the final sample was composed of 24 papers selected according to predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria. Both France and Germany revealed a predominant focus on direct costs. Comparability was limited due to different study populations and cost categories used. Indirect costs were only available in Germany. According to prior literature, reported cost drivers are hospitalisation, prescriptions, higher HbA1c and BMI, treatment with insulin and complications, all indicators of disease severity. The diversity of available data and included costs limits the results and may explain the differences found. Conclusions Complication prevention and glycaemic control are widely recognized as the most effective ways to control diabetes treatment costs. The value propositions of self-based supports, such as hybrid closed-loop metabolic systems, already implemented in type 1 diabetes management, are the key points for further debates and policymaking, which should involve the perspectives of caregivers, patients and payers.

Innovative health technology deployment represents the primary challenge within the sustainability of public health systems. On one hand, new technologies may potentially improve access to care and the quality of services. On the other hand, their rapid evolution and broad implications on existing procedures increase the risk to adopt technologies that are not value for money. As a consequence, Health Technology Assessment (HTA) is a critical process at each level of the National Health System. Focusing on the organisational level, this paper explores the current practices of Hospital-Based HTA (HB-HTA) in terms of management, control and behaviours of various actors involved. Among several tasks, decision-makers are appointed at managing the conflict of interest around health technology development, that could pave the way for corruption or other misleading behaviours. Accordingly, the purpose of the study is proposing a new strategic framework, named Health Technology Balanced Assessment (HTBA), to foster hospital-based health technology management aimed to align strategy and actions. The conceptual model is developed on three perspectives (clinical, economic and organisational) to make the actors involved in the assessment (clinicians, health professionals, hospital managers and patients) aware of the impact of new technology on the value chain. Besides supporting the decision-making process, such a tool represents support for the internal control system as a whole. By promoting structured evaluation, it increases transparency and accountability of public health organisations. Moreover, in the long run, the framework proposed will be useful to reach selected United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) to enhance the quality of healthcare in the future.

Purpose The increasing responsibility of organisations towards society and the environment has inverted the relationship between accounting and accountability, leading to accountability-based accounting systems. This study aims to explore the debate on accountability for climate change within the integrating thinking (IT) perspective. Ascertaining the most significant trends in the debate around purposes and performance that characterise climate mitigation engagement and their connections, the study would explore if and to what extent organisations are tackling climate actions. Design/methodology/approach A narrative review of the extensive academic literature developed from the Kyoto Protocol to date was performed. After selecting a representative sample, papers were analysed with the support of a new analytical framework that involves three dimensions – answerability, enforcement and outcome – and governance schemes that emerge from the involvement of the private and public sector and civil society. With the support of NVivo software, themes arisen were analysed and coded. Key items were labelled, creating specific nodes and synthesised into the proposed framework. Findings A “silo approach” largely characterises the debate on accountability for climate change. The most significant reasons behind the shortcomings of extant climate actions may be retrieved firstly in the weakness of the motivations that guide organisations to operate in a climate-friendly way. Social implications This study underlines the need for a 360° integrated approach for strategically tackling climate actions. Originality/value This study would represent a further step towards an integrated approach for studying organisations behaviours in the “climate war”, embracing the connectivity between purposes and outcomes, capitals and the relationships amongst the various stakeholders.

Background Type 2 diabetes represents an increasingly critical challenge for health policy worldwide. It absorbs massive resources for both patients and national economies to sustain direct and associated costs of treatment and indirect costs related to loss of work and wages. Last years are fuelling of innovations grounded on the remote control and personalised programs which are significantly improving the management of diabetes and the reduction of its related complications. In this view, this work attempts to update cost analysis reviews on type 2 diabetes, focusing on France and Germany, in order to explore most significant cost drivers and rooms for cost savings by technology advancement. Although characterized by different approaches in delivering care, France and Germany represent the primary European markets for diabetes technologies. Methods A systematic review of the literature was carried out in MEDLINE, Embase and EconLit for interventional, observational, and modelling studies on expenditures for type 2 diabetes management in France or Germany published since 2012. Included articles were analysed for annual direct, associated, and indirect costs of type 2 diabetes patients. An appraisal of study quality was performed. Results are summarised narratively. Results From 1.260 records, the final sample was composed of 24 papers selected according to predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria. Both France and Germany revealed a predominant focus on direct cost. Comparability was limited due to different study populations and cost categories used. Nevertheless, France seems to reimburse higher direct costs than Germany. Indirect costs were only available for Germany. According to prior literature, reported cost drivers are hospitalisation and prescriptions as well as higher HbA1c and BMI, treatment with insulin and complications all indicating the severity of the disease. Diversity in available data and in included costs limit the results and may explain differences found. Conclusions Preventing complications and glycaemic control are widely recognized as the most effective ways to govern the expenditure for the treatment of diabetes. The implementation of self-based supports, such as hybrid closed-loop metabolic, already implemented for type 1 diabetes management, are the key pillars for further debates and policymaking, involving the perspectives of both caregivers and patients.