Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Early Stage of the Governance of Sustainability in Italy and the UK: The Scenario in 2013

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Corporate Governance and Sustainability

  • 1189 Accesses

Abstract

The chapter presents the results of three distinct activities: an initial investigation carried out interviewing Italian firms listed on the FTSE-MIB index; a second investigation conducted by interviewing a benchmark sample of independent directors from the same firms; and a third investigation conducted by carrying out a desk analysis of the main corporate documents that the top listed firms in Italy and the UK published in 2013. The chapter reveals that sustainability in 2013 was already part of the agenda of the board of directors, even if the integration of social and environmental issues was not complete or homogeneous. Moreover, the desk analysis indicates that sustainability issues were integrated by many firms listed on the top indexes of the Italian and London Stock Exchanges.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Allegrini, M., & Greco, G. (2013). Corporate boards, audit committees and voluntary disclosure: Evidence from Italian listed companies. Journal of Management and Governance, 17(1), 187–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Apostolides, N. (2010). Exercising corporate governance at the annual general meeting. Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, 10(2), 140–149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elkington, J. (2006). Governance for sustainability. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 14(6), 522–529.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Escrig-Olmedo, E., Munoz-Torres, M. J., & Fernandez-Izquierdo, M. A. (2010). Socially responsible investing: Sustainability indices, ESG rating and information provider agencies. International Journal of Sustainable Economy, 2(4), 442–461.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Felo, A. J. (2001). Ethics programs, board involvement, and potential conflicts of interest in corporate governance. Journal of Business Ethics, 32(3), 205–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grayson, D., and Kakabadse, A. (2013). Towards a sustainability mindset: How boards organize oversight and governance of corporate responsibility. London: Business in the Community. Retrieved May 5, 2014, from https://www.bitc.org.uk/resources-training/research/towards-sustainability-mindset-how-boards-organise-oversight-and.

  • Hair, J. F., & Black, W. C. (2000). Cluster analysis. In G. G. Laurence & P. R. Yarnold (Eds.), Reading and understanding more multivariate statistics. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harjoto, M. A., & Jo, H. (2011). Corporate governance and CSR nexus. Journal of Business Ethics, 100(1), 45–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kakabadse, A., Ward, K., Korac-Kakabadse, N., & Bowman, C. (2001). Role and contribution of non-executive directors. Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, 1(1), 4–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kakabadse, N. K., Kakabadse, A. P., & Lee-Davies, L. (2009). CSR leaders road-map. Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, 9(1), 50–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kolk, A. (2010). Trajectories of sustainability reporting by MNCs. Journal of World Business, 45(4), 367–374.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kothari, C. R. (2004). Research methodology: Methods and techniques. New Age International.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mackenzie, C. (2007). Boards, incentives and corporate social responsibility: The case for a change of emphasis. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 15(5), 935–943.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malhotra, N. K. (1996). Marketing research: An applied orientation (2nd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mancinelli, L., & Ozkan, A. (2006). Ownership structure and dividend policy: Evidence from Italian firms. European Journal of Finance, 12(3), 265–282.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mazzotta, R., & Veltri, S. (2014). The relationship between corporate governance and the cost of equity capital. Evidence from the Italian stock exchange. Journal of Management and Governance, 18(2), 419–448.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCaston, K. (1998). Tips for collecting, reviewing, and analyzing secondary data. Atlanta: CARE.

    Google Scholar 

  • Minor, D., & Morgan, J. (2011). CSR as reputation insurance: Primum non nocere. California Management Review, 53(3), 40–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mio, C., & Venturelli, A. (2013). Non-financial information about sustainable development and environmental policy in the annual reports of listed companies: Evidence from Italy and the UK. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 20(6), 340–358.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morsing, M., & Schultz, M. (2006). Corporate social responsibility communication: Stakeholder information, response and involvement strategies. Business Ethics: A European Review, 15(4), 323–338.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Post, C., Rahman, N., & Rubow, E. (2011). Green governance: Boards of directors’ composition and environmental corporate social responsibility. Business and Society, 50(1), 189–223.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Punj, G. N., & Stewart, D. W. (1983). Cluster analysis in marketing research: Review and suggestions for application. Journal of Marketing Research, 20, 134–148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rake, M., & Grayson, D. (2009). Embedding corporate responsibility and sustainability—Everybody’s business. Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, 9(4), 395–399.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rao, K., & Tilt, C. (2016). Board composition and corporate social responsibility: The role of diversity, gender, strategy and decision making. Journal of Business Ethics, 138(2), 327–347.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spitzeck, H. (2009). The development of governance structures for corporate responsibility. Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, 9(4), 495–505.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strandberg, C. T. (2008). The role of the board of directors in corporate social responsibility. Conference Board of Canada. Retrieved February 3, 2013, from https://www.conferenceboard.ca/e-library/abstract.aspx?did=2657&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1.

  • Vartanian, T. P. (2010). Secondary data analysis. Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yin, R. K. (2003). Case study research: Design and methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy

    Marco Minciullo

Authors
  1. Marco Minciullo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marco Minciullo .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Minciullo, M. (2019). The Early Stage of the Governance of Sustainability in Italy and the UK: The Scenario in 2013. In: Corporate Governance and Sustainability. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18885-6_3

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation