The value relevance of corporate sustainability performance (CSP) has been studied from different theoretical perspectives, yielding inconclusive evidence. Therefore, it is imperative to revisit corporate sustainability performance relevance for investors. This study explores the value relevance of corporate sustainability performance by studying the impact that the quality of sustainability reporting has on it. It employed the panel data of 247 firms from 2012 to 2016 for the best 30 green capital markets ranked by the Global Green Economy Index. The results indicated that investors value corporate sustainability performance (achieved through social, economic, and corporate governance dimensions only) and the quality of sustainability reporting. However, the environmental dimension of CSP lacks financial materiality for investors. Furthermore, the quality of sustainability reporting plays an instrumental role in the value relevance of the corporate governance dimension because it is perceived as an alternative corporate governance mechanism by investors. The findings are useful for practitioners, regulators, and other stakeholders interested in understanding the value relevance of corporate sustainability performance and quality of sustainability reporting.

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The importance of downside risk cannot be denied. In this study, we have replaced beta in the five-factor model of using downside beta and have added a momentum factor to suggest a new six-factor downside beta capital asset pricing model (CAPM). Two models are tested—a beta- and momentum-based six-factor model and a downside-beta- (proxy of downside risk) and momentum-based six-factor model. Beta and downside beta are highly correlated; therefore, portfolios are double-sorted to disentangle the correlation. Factor loadings, i.e., size, value, momentum, profitability, and investment, are constructed. The standard methodologies are applied. Data for sample stocks from different non-financial sectors listed in the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) are taken from January 2000 to December 2018. The PSX-100 index and three-month T-bills are taken as proxies for market and risk-free returns. The study uses three subsamples for robustness—period of very high volatility, period of stability, and period of stability and growth with volatility. The results show that the value factor is redundant in both models. The momentum factor is rejected in the beta-based six-factor model only. The beta-based six-factor model shows very low R2 in periods of highly volatility. The R2 is high for the other periods. In contrast, the downside beta six-factor model captures the downside trend of the market in an effective manner with a relatively high R2. The risk–return relationship is stronger for the downside beta model. These reasons lead us to believe that, overall, the downside beta six-factor model is a better option for investors as compared to the beta-based six-factor model in the area of asset pricing models.

Purpose The international institutions, policymakers and governments are promoting green growth as a policy objective for global financial stability (FS) without sound empirical investigation. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate whether the green economy would be successful in achieving its main objective i.e. stabilizing the world financial system because the investment stakes are too high for this green transition. Design/methodology/approach The study used the two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM) methodology on panel data of 90 countries for 6 years from 2010 to 2015 to investigate the impact of green growth economy on FS. Findings The results of the current study revealed that overall green growth enhanced FS in the country for both the short and long run. However, the social inclusive dimension of green growth was irrelevant in creating FS. Research limitations/implications The results of the current study validate the growth-led finance hypothesis and encourage the policymakers to strengthen the policy initiative for green growth. Because green growth mitigates economic and environmental risk to create a stable financial environment. However, social inclusiveness needs to be explored through alternate paradigm in relevance to FS. Originality/value As per the author’s knowledge, it is a pioneer study to empirically investigate the impact of green growth on FS which would be useful in understanding the green growth and FS dynamics.

The role of family owners in the internal control environment is characterized by contradictory theoretical arguments i.e., entrenchment and alignment behavior. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate the behavior exhibited by family owners concerning the internal control environment in an underdeveloped regulatory setting. The study collected both primary and secondary data to use a multivariate regression research design to investigate the impact of family owners and CEOs on the internal control quality and disclosure of enterprises. The results of the current study demonstrated that family owners and family CEO have a negative impact on the internal control quality and disclosure, which validates the entrenchment behavior exhibited by family owners in the Pakistani setting. The results of the current study imply that policymakers should promote strict policy initiatives regarding the effectiveness of internal controls and their reporting so that companies are compelled to have better engagement in internal control practices for the protection of minority shareholders.