The purpose of this research is to examine how environmental committees, institutional shareholdings, and board independence affect managerial carbon disclosure decisions, particularly those of firms belonging to highly polluting industries. We focus on Italian firms that operate in a code law environment but that have the option either to adopt the unitary corporate structure prevalent in common law countries or to retain the dual corporate structure used in code law countries. We use weighted and unweighted carbon disclosure indexes based on the Kyoto Protocol requirements. The findings show that all factors greatly affect voluntary carbon disclosure and that their impact is especially strong for firms in highly polluting industries. This study has important implications for managers and regulators.
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the relationship between the female board participation and the readability of annual report.
Design/methodology/approach
Using hand-collected data from a “network-oriented market”, as exists in Italy, which includes 435 annual reports, this study uses a regression analysis to test whether female board participation affects the annual report readability.
Findings
Female board participation is found to have a positive impact on disclosure readability in firms with small boardroom connections but the opposite effect in firms with large boardroom connections.
Research limitations/implications
This paper responds to recent calls in the corporate governance literature by investigating whether the female board participation affects the transparency of the disclosure practices.
Practical implications
This study has policy implications, as it helps to improve evaluations of how, and under which circumstances, female board participation may lead to higher disclosure quality and thus benefit investors.
Originality/value
This paper shows that female board participation has different effects on the disclosure readability at different levels of board positions in inter-firm networks.
a b s t r a c tThis paper explores how a change in the management accounting systems (MAS) of healthcare organisations was implemented in a manner acceptable to those involved. The study employed a longitudinal case study of a university hospital in southern Italy, and was informed by Broadbent and Laughlin's Middle Range Theory (MRT). The findings revealed that the change in the MAS was successful due to the involvement of professionals in the ongoing process of change. This involvement reduced their natural tendency to resist, and increased the commitment of the various groups of professionals to the new business culture.
Purpose
This study aims to examine the impact of corporate board characteristics and country-level legal system on corruption disclosures mandated by the recent European Union (EU) Directive No. 95/2014.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a sample of 234 European listed companies and covering the 2017–2018 period, this study uses regression analyses to empirically test the association of independent directors, board gender diversity and country’s legal system with disclosure of corruption information.
Findings
The presence of independent directors and female directors is positively associated with corporate corruption disclosures. The association between independent directors and corruption disclosures is especially strong when firms are operating in the common law environments.
Research limitations/implications
This study is exclusively focused on larger European listed firms and therefore the findings may not be valid for small and medium firms.
Practical implications
This study provides important information to policymakers to have a better understanding of the factors that influence firms’ disclosure policy on corruption-related activities. It also offers useful information to investors because it shows firms’ propensity to disclose corruption information that would enable them to evaluate their risk and return better.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that evaluates firms’ response to the EU Directive No. 95/2014 in disclosing corruption information after its implementation in 2017. It documents the effective role played by female directors in influencing firms’ information disclosure policies. It also confirms that common law environment is more conducive to disclosures.
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