5 research outputs found
Oil and Gas Sustainability: Understanding Regional Differences and Determinants of Sustainability Performance
No full textQuesto studio ha esaminato le determinanti del reporting di sostenibilità e delle prestazioni di sostenibilità delle società petrolifere e del gas (O&G) in quattro regioni: Americhe, Asia, Europa e Oceania, e ha esaminato le differenze nelle prestazioni di sostenibilità delle società in queste regioni. Questo studio è motivato dal divario nella letteratura. In particolare, la mancanza di uno studio regionale sulla sostenibilità aziendale del settore O&G, nonostante il potenziale di crescita del settore nel contribuire all'agenda della sostenibilità globale attraverso operazioni sostenibili. Di qui la necessità di uno studio regionale che serva da curva di apprendimento per le imprese a basso rendimento e che non dichiarano. Lo studio ha analizzato i dati secondari dell'anno di fermo relativi a 161 società O&G in quattro regioni, trenta paesi e in tre industrie del settore Oil and Gas per un periodo di 8 anni, dal 2014 al 2021, recuperati dal database Refinitiv DataStream, dati sulla politica ambientale da banca dati OCSE e dati sulla segnalazione obbligatoria dalla banca dati carote e bastoncini. Lo studio utilizza un progetto di ricerca comparativa per identificare i fattori che contribuiscono alle differenze osservate nelle prestazioni di sostenibilità tra le compagnie petrolifere e del gas in diverse regioni. L'analisi di decomposizione Blinder-Oaxaca è stata utilizzata per esaminare le differenze nelle prestazioni di sostenibilità e le determinanti delle differenze spiegate. Lo studio ha rilevato che le aziende O&G dichiaranti hanno ottenuto risultati migliori in tutte le misure di sostenibilità, compresi i punteggi ambientali, sociali e di governance (ESG) e le controversie ESG, rispetto alle loro controparti non dichiaranti. Le società del settore O&G in Europa hanno dominato nei punteggi ESG e dei pilastri sociali, mentre le società O&G in Asia sono in testa ai punteggi del pilastro ambientale, seguite dall'Europa. Le Americhe hanno riportato il punteggio più alto per il pilastro della governance. Lo studio ha inoltre rilevato che le aziende del settore O&G che hanno ottenuto buoni risultati in termini di fattori ESG hanno un'elevata probabilità di riferire sui loro impatti sulla sostenibilità. La costituzione del comitato di governo societario è risultata essere un fattore significativo che influenza positivamente la performance di sostenibilità. Anche le caratteristiche dei comitati, come dimensioni maggiori del consiglio, più consiglieri donne, un'elevata percentuale di membri del consiglio indipendenti, frequenti riunioni del consiglio e un mandato più lungo o esteso, aumentano le prestazioni di sostenibilità. È importante sottolineare che lo studio ha rilevato che la rendicontazione obbligatoria non era un fattore significativo nel determinare le prestazioni di sostenibilità. Pertanto, i responsabili politici dovrebbero prendere in considerazione meccanismi alternativi per migliorare la rendicontazione della sostenibilità e le prestazioni delle società O&G. In conclusione, questo studio evidenzia l'importanza della struttura e delle caratteristiche del comitato di governo societario, delle linee guida per il reporting di sostenibilità e del tipo di revisore esterno nel determinare le prestazioni di sostenibilità.This study investigated the determinants of sustainability reporting and sustainability performance of oil and gas (O&G) companies across four regions – Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania, and examined the differences in the sustainability performance of the companies across these regions. This study is motivated by the gap in the literature. Specifically, the lack of regional study of corporate sustainability of the O&G sector, albeit the sector’s growth potential in contributing to the global sustainability agenda through sustainable operations. Hence, the need for a regional study to serve as a learning curve for low-performing and non-reporting firms. The growing debate on mandatory reporting required a global study.
The study analyzed secondary firm-year data on 161 O&G companies across four regions, thirty countries, and in three industries in the Oil and Gas sector for a period of 8 years, 2014 to 2021 retrieved from the Refinitiv DataStream database, environmental policy data from OECD database, and data on mandatory reporting from the Carrots and Sticks database. The study employs a comparative research design to identify the factors that contribute to the observed differences in sustainability performance between oil and gas companies across different regions. The Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition analysis was used to examine the differences in sustainability performance and the determinants of the explained differences.
The study found that reporting O&G companies performed better in all sustainability measures, including environmental, social, and governance (ESG) scores, and ESG controversies, compared to their non-reporting counterparts. O&G companies in Europe dominated in ESG scores and social pillar scores, while O&G companies in Asia topped the environmental pillar scores, followed by Europe. The Americas reported the highest score for the governance pillar. The study also found that O&G companies that performed well on their ESG have a high likelihood of reporting on their sustainability impacts.
Corporate governance committee setup was found to be a significant factor that positively influences sustainability performance. CSR sustainability and audit committees were significant positive predictors of sustainability performance, while board committees were found not to have a significant effect on sustainability performance. Committee characteristics, such as larger board size, more female directors, a high proportion of independent board members, frequent board meetings, and longer or extended board tenure, were also found to increase sustainability performance. Importantly, the study found that mandatory reporting was not a significant factor in determining sustainability performance. Therefore, policymakers should consider alternative mechanisms to enhance sustainability reporting and performance of O&G companies.
In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of corporate governance committee setup, and characteristics, sustainability reporting guidelines, and external auditor type in determining sustainability performance. The findings support the agency, stakeholder, legitimacy, signaling, and institutional perspectives to sustainability reporting and performance, hence, the need for the integration of perspective in corporate decisions making. The study findings also suggest that there are significant differences in sustainability performance between regions, with O&G companies in Europe having the highest performance and Oceania having the lowest. These results have important implications for policymakers, investors, and stakeholders in the oil and gas industry. The results show that mandatory reporting was not significant in determining sustainability performance
Carbon Transition in the Automotive Industry: what are stakeholders’ expectations?
No full textFrame of the research. The automotive sector is undergoing an unprecedented transformation. The success of their transition depends on identifying viable alternatives and understanding stakeholder expectations toward the industry’s future.
Purpose of the paper. The aim of this study is to shed light on the stakeholders’ public discourse on the low-carbon transition of the European automotive sector.
Methodology. We carried out a qualitative analysis using data from European and international newspapers from 2020 to 2024, in particular: Financial Times (London), the Guardian (London), the Time (London), New York Times (International Edition).
Results. We found that electric vehicles dominate discussions, with strong support from the automotive industry despite concerns over charging infrastructure and affordability. Academic institutions focus more on hydrogen solutions, though skepticism remains about scalability. While automakers prioritize production and sales, cities and mobility
providers emphasize shared mobility and public transport.
Research limitations. This study relies on media sentiment analysis, which captures prevailing discourse but may not fully represent all stakeholder perspectives, and it is limited to European context.
Managerial implications. The findings suggest that policymakers and industry leaders must address critical barriers such as infrastructure expansion, policy coherence, and affordability. Strengthening incentives for consumers, improving public charging networks, and fostering cross-sector collaboration will be essential to accelerate the transition.
Originality of the paper. By integrating Stakeholder Theory and the Multi-Level Perspective on socio-technical transitions, this paper offers a comprehensive framework for identifying viable alternatives and analyzing stakeholder expectations for a sustainable and equitable automotive future
Land disputes and conflicting land-court judgment resolution in Ghana: Perspectives of regulatory stakeholders
No full textThe Effect of Foreign Aid on Economic Growth in Ghana
No full textThis paper uses time series data from 1972 to 2012 on Ghana to test the hypothesis that foreign aid can promote growth in developing countries. The ARDL approach to cointegration (bounds test) was employed to examine both the long run and short run relationships between aid and economic growth. The results of the bounds test showed that there is cointegration between foreign aid and economic growth in Ghana. This was further confirmed by the error correction term which was very significant and correctly signed. The error correction term showed that the speed of convergence to long run equilibrium is moderate. From the results, labour, capital and government expenditure have positive impact on economic growth in Ghana in both the long run and the short run whereas foreign aid and interest payment on external debt have negative impact on growth. In order to derive a positive benefit of foreign aid, we recommend the provision of economic aid which is geared towards capital formation and skills development of labour through education and training rather than political aid since the results show that capital and labour have positive impact on economic growth. We also recommend the provision of more grants and less loans as aid to Ghana because interest payment on external debt has been found in the study to have negative effect on economic growth because most foreign aid are not invested in projects with direct future cash flows
LAND DISPUTES AND CONFLICTING LAND-COURT JUDGEMENT RESOLUTION IN GHANA: PERSPECTIVES OF REGULATORY STAKEHOLDERS
No full textConflicting land-court judgements is becoming a growing concern to researchers and practitioners. This study focused on identifying the main forms and causes of land disputes as well as gaining understanding of the rationale behind conflicting land-court judgements. A purposive sample of lawyers, land court officials and officials from Lands Commission formed the focus for an in-depth data gathered via individual interviews and analysed using the thematic approach. Contesting claims over land titles and boundary disagreements were the main forms of land conflicts resulting mostly from inappropriate surveys, double sales and poor system of land administration among others. Multiple filing, poor data management, lack of automated data system, and lack of coordination between land court and Lands Commission were some of the causes of conflicting land-court judgement. The study suggested the need for building resilient coordination between the Lands court and the Lands Commission to reduce occurrence of conflicting land court judgements
