The banking sector is experiencing an increasing interest in evaluating environmental performance, social responsibility, and corporate governance (ESG), since the internationalcontext aroused discussions on advantages of incorporating ESG-related policies. Therefore,significant relationships between ESG engagement and financial performance and stabilityare expected. This study aims to analyse the impact of ESG engagement on financial stabilityin the banking sector including the period of economic distress. A sample size of 72 listedEuropean banks is studied during the period 2017-2022, using regression analysis. Z-score,Non-performing loan ratio and Tobin’s Q are proxies used to measure banks’ financialstability. Combined ESG score and individual Social, Environmental, and Governance pillarsfrom Refinitiv Eikon database are the target variables. Contrary to expectations, the findingsreveal that ESG engagement does not have a significant positive impact on financial stabilitywithin the banking sector. However, interestingly, among the three ESG pillars the social oneseems to decrease financial stability of banks in some estimations. It is also notable that theregression coefficients for target variables are quite low, especially in comparison withfinancial performance variables ROA and ROE, which indicates that ESG engagement maynot be the most influential factor in banks’ financial stability.

Background: Sustainability reporting has become increasingly important for firms that want to appease their stakeholders and the society, whilst possibly increasing the corporate financial performance (CFP) of the firm. This is because sustainability disclosures currently work as the main channel for firms to inform their stakeholders of the CSR practices and environmental management carried out by the company. However, there have been various previous studies that examine the relation between corporate social performance (CSP) or the reported CSP, and CFP but not a study that would focus on GRI’s adherence level and its effect on Firm value (FV). The adherence level in the context of a GRI Report refers to the extent to which the GRI Sustainability Reporting Framework and GRI Standards have been applied to a company’s sustainability report (Global Reporting Initiative, n.d.). This study intends to examine if stakeholders can be affected by a sustainability report’s adherence ranking made by GRI, although there necessarily would not be a clear connection to a company’s actual environmental performance.  Purpose: The purpose of this study is to find out if the adherence level affects a firm’s value and how, although this classification of reports would not say anything about a company’s level of sustainability or a company’s sustainability performance. In short, the study wants to examine if stakeholders or the society surrounding a company are affected by the adherence level of a company’s GRI reporting and if this then can affect the value of the organization in any way. Aim: The aim of this research is to encourage organizations to become more transparent or elaborate regarding their sustainability practices if any significance between the adherence level and the FV can be found.  Method: This study was conducted by examining 98 European manufacturing firms’ GRI adherence levels for the years 2017 to 2019 and comparing them to respective Firm Values (Tobin’s Q) by the usage of panel data regression analysis.  Conclusion: The results show that no significant relationship between the GRI adherence level and FV can be found in the European manufacturing industry for the period 2017 to 2019.

Aim: The purpose of the study is to investigate the connection between Nordic banks’ sustainability reporting within ESG (environmental, social and governance issues) and the impact it has on their financial performance.   Method: Quantitative data was obtained for 22 public companies for the years 2020-2022 from the Refinitiv Eikon database. The data was then analyzed using Pearson’s correlation test, VIF-test and three multiple regression analyzes through the statistical program IBM SPSS.   Result and conclusion: The study’s results show a weak negative correlation between the ESG-score and the companies’ financial performance. The study finds the strongest significant negative correlation between return on equity (ROE) and ESG-score, where ROE decreases by 12,6% when ESG increases by one unit. The result of the study shows that there is a weak negative relationship between the ESG-score and the banks return on total capital and return on equity. The relationship between ESG’s subcomponents also show a weak negative relationship to the banks return on total capital and return on equity. Finally, the result also shows a weak negative relationship between the bank's market performance and return on total capital and return on equity.    Contribution of the thesis: As the purpose of the study is to study what connection there is between ESG and the financial performance of Nordic banks, the study addresses a research gap as previous studies have not limited themselves to this geographical area. The study thus contributes to research within the subject of business economics. The result consistently shows a negative relationship between ESG and financial performance, which may be of interest to investors and stakeholders as previous research did not establish this result for the area concerned.   Suggestions for future research: A proposal for future research is to measure ESG’s impact on profitability in other industries with an environmental impact and in other countries. Future studies can also choose a qualitative research method to study in depth the impact ESG has on the companies, this because the quantitative research method with the collection of short-term data does not go in depth with this.

This thesis aims to investigate the relationship between social sustainability and financial performance in Nordic large and mid-cap firms. Lately, there has been an increasing focus on ESG factors, however previous studies of the ESG factors’ relationship to financial performance have given mixed results. Moreover, in previous studies, the focus on social sustainability has fallen behind compared to the environmental and governance pillars. Therefore, the study analyses the relationship between the social pillar of ESG and financial performance, as well as the 4 social subcategories making up the social pillar. Thereby making the study a multi-ESG level study during the period 2018-2022. The study relies on a sample of 136 Nordic firms (123 for the ROE models) extracted from the LSEG database and tests the relationship between social sustainability and financial performance using nine panel regression models. Our findings are mixed, some showcasing negative, positive, and insignificant results. We find the social pillar of ESG to be a negative predictor of ROE, the social category of product responsibility was found to be a positive predictor of Tobin’s Q, and finally, the category of human rights was found to be a negative predictor of ROE. The other ESG variables were found to be insignificant as predictors of financial performance. The study thereby contributes to the research by investigating the under-researched pillar of sustainability, i.e. social sustainability, as well as shedding a light on the relationship in a Nordic context.

The concept, sustainability, has developed throughout the years and has become an important part for different actors around the world. Due to many organizations like the United Nations acknowledging this aspect together with governments, initiatives and laws have been implemented for businesses to follow. This forms the basis of what is now called ESG which includes three individual aspects: environment, social responsibility and governance. One of the actors includes investors who have now started to shift their focus onto sustainable investments. In order for them to make decisions about the company's way of working towards a sustainable business, analytics began to measure both each individual aspect of ESG and as a whole. Therefore, ESG rating has become a well-known way of measuring how companies perform when it comes to environment, social responsibility and governance. The pharmaceutical industry in Europe is the second largest in the world and has become acknowledged due to the covid-19 pandemic. It has not only faced criticism and uncertainties both during and after the pandemic, but also faces problems in each individual aspect of ESG. When it comes to environmental issues, the pharmaceutical industry stands for 55% more of carbon emissions than the automotive sector due to non-sustainable supply chains. For the aspect, social responsibility, their main problems include addiction, antibiotic resistance and accessibility of pharmaceuticals. Further, governance issues include illegal marketing and fraud. Due to this, governments and organizations have put pressure on businesses to work towards a sustainable industry. Therefore, ESG ratings have become an important measurement for investors. The aim of the study is to analyze the relationship between ESG and financial performance in the pharmaceutical industry in Europe with a time period of 2018-2022. The results will indicate if the Shareholder’s theory or the Stakeholder’s theory is more applicable for this industry. The result shows a negative significant relationship between the overall rating of ESG and Tobin’s. When it comes to the individual aspect, governance is statically proved to have a negative significant relationship with Tobin’s Q. This concludes that the Shareholder’s theory is more aligned with the results meaning that the pharmaceutical industry may focus on profit maximization for shareholders. Since there was a non-statically proven relationship between ESG and ROA, the study suggests further research within this topic.

在知識經濟時代，電子工業環境趨於成熟的環境下，無形資產是企業成長的重要關鍵。台灣電子工業發展至今近四十年，建構完善電子產業生態鏈，在全球站穩關鍵性地位，佔國內GDP產值之比例也非常高。 而併購是企業獲取商譽和無形資產的重要手段，對於電子工業來說，尤為重要。而Tobins’Q利用公司市值為產出指標來衡量廠商之技術創新或品牌形象等無形資產的價值，能反映無形資產在公司未來的成長機會。因此本研究欲探討電子工業和非電子工業併購取得之商譽和無形資產佔贈購價格之比例，了解其差異，並以Tobins’Q值作為公司價值之衡量，探討電子工業和非電子工業於併購當年和併購後所取得之商譽和無形資產是否能增加公司價值。 本文實證結果顯示，電子工業相對於非電子工業因併購所取得商譽和無形資產佔併購價格比例愈高，公司價值在併購後逐年提升度愈大，而電子工業相較於非電子工業更為顯著，顯示出無形資產及商譽在知識經濟時代之重要性。 / In a knowledge-based economy, the electronics industry is driven to maturity stage . Therfore , the intangible assets are the keys to enhance the coporations’ performance. The electronics industry has developed nearly 40 years ,building the perfect economic chain .Now it’s the key position in the world . The electronics industry also has higher propotion of GDP than before . Merge and acquisition is an important method to aquire Goodwill & Intangible assets , except for the electronics industry . Tobins’Q can reflect the opportunity the future of the coporation .Therefore , this research aims to the propotion of acquisition price which is different between electronics industry and non- electronics industry . The research also adopts Tobins’Q as measuring the value of coporation , which aims to define the relationship between Goodwill & Intangible Assets . The empirical results are as follows. The total acquired intangible assets of the propotion of acquisition price are positively associated with the coporation value , and electronic industry is more positive than non-electronic industry .The electronic industry’s Tobins’Q , which means the value of coporation , will be increase year by year .

Bakgrund: Samhällsintresset bland konsumenter har ökat, vilket har bidragit till att både svenska och internationella företag måste agera och ta sitt sociala ansvar.  Hållbarhet berör alla företag runt om i världen och i takt med detta skapas en angelägenhet för företag att arbeta i linje med CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). Hur mycket ansvar ska företagen ta? Är målet att endast uppnå vinstmaximering eller ska CSR-perspektivet tas i beaktning? Syfte: Syftet i denna studie är att undersöka hur CSR-arbete påverkar svenska företags finansiella prestanda, med avseende på lönsamhet (CFP). Metod: Denna studie har använt en deduktiv kvantitativ metod, för att kunna besvara studiens frågeställning samt uppfylla syftet. Folksams rapport “Index för ansvarsfullt företagande” användes för att operationalisera CSR-variabeln och Tobin’s Q, ROE, ROA samt vinstmarginal användes för att operationalisera lönsamhet. För att undersöka vilket samband som råder genomfördes multipel regressionsanalys. Slutsats: Studiens resultat påvisar att det råder ett negativt samband mellan CSR och lönsamhetsmåttet ROE. Resterande lönsamhetsmått Tobin’s Q, ROA och vinstmarginal råder det inget samband, då det inte går att statistiskt påvisa. / Background: Consumer interest in the community has increased, which has helped both Swedish and international companies to act and take their social responsibility. Sustainability affects all companies around the world and, such as, creates an issue for companies to work with CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). How much responsibility should companies take? Is the goal to only maximize profits, or should the CSR-perspective be considered? Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine how CSR affects Swedish company’s financial performance, in terms of profitability (CFP). Methodology: This study has used a deductive quantitative method to be able to make a statistical generalization, to answer the question of the study as well as fulfillment the purpose. Folksam’s report “index för ansvarsfullt företagande” was chosen to operationalize the CSR-variable, and Tobin’s Q, ROE, ROA och profitmargin were used to operationalize profitability. To examine how CSR affects financial perfomance a multiple regression analysis was used. Conclusion: The studys results indicate that there is a negative correlation between CSR and ROE. Remaining profitability Tobin’s Q, ROA and profitmargin indicates that there is no significant correlation between CSR and profitability.

Submitted by Fabio Gomes (fanapchan@gmail.com) on 2018-02-19T15:06:38Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Final Pós-Banca - Fabio NG.pdf: 377844 bytes, checksum: 2b6b7940c027ce97c4e2faeeed4407d7 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Thais Oliveira (thais.oliveira@fgv.br) on 2018-02-20T18:57:14Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Final Pós-Banca - Fabio NG.pdf: 377844 bytes, checksum: 2b6b7940c027ce97c4e2faeeed4407d7 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-02-21T12:13:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Final Pós-Banca - Fabio NG.pdf: 377844 bytes, checksum: 2b6b7940c027ce97c4e2faeeed4407d7 (MD5) / O principal objetivo deste trabalho é avaliar o efeito da troca de comando nas empresas, especificamente a mudança de CEOs, no desempenho das mesmas, medido pelo retorno total, pelo Q de Tobin e pelo múltiplo Preço/Lucro (P/L). Com essa finalidade, foi utilizada uma amostra de 195 empresas e, por meio dos métodos Pooled GLS e Efeitos Fixos e Aleatórios, foram avaliadas as associações entre o retorno total em empresas que observaram trocas de executivos e variáveis relacionadas ao mercado acionário e cenário macroeconômico de maneira geral. A conclusão apresentada foi de há uma relação inversa estatisticamente significante entre troca de CEOs e a performance pós-mudança. Variáveis de mercado e macroeconômicas também colaboram para explicar as variáveis dependentes. Este modelo foi aplicado de forma comparativa a empresas que não apresentaram mudanças no comando. / The main objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of top managemet turnover in the companies, specifically the CEO turnovers, in their performance, measured by the total return, Tobin’s Q and the P/E multiple. For this purpose, a sample of 195 companies was used and, through the Pooled GLS and Fixed and Random Effect methods, the associations between the total return in companies that observed executives' changes and variables related to the stock market and general macroeconomic scenario were evaluated . The conclusion presented was that there is a statistically significant inverse relation between CEO turnover and performance after the change. Market and macroeconomic variables also contribute to explain the dependent variable. This model was applied in a comparative way to companies that did not present CEO changes.

Submitted by Samantha Goins (samgoins@gmail.com) on 2018-02-22T13:32:31Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Samantha Goins FGV Thesis.pdf: 686394 bytes, checksum: b49c6e62f9e0148e72636c40c16c0249 (MD5) / Rejected by Josineide da Silva Santos Locatelli (josineide.locatelli@fgv.br), reason: Dear Samantha, Please, see below the corrections you need to do in your thesis: Page 1: give spaces for FGV name goes to the next page; Page 2: Give 5 spaces before city and year; Page 3: Put the “Ficha Catalográfica” on the end the page; Page 4: Put the title in CAPITAL letters, withdraw the words: adviser and discussant in yellow; Page 5, 6 and 7: Put the titles in each page: “RESUMO”, “ABSTRACT” and “TABLE OF CONTENTS” Withdraw all the page numbers before the introduction, but they need to be considered. Justify your text, it is untidy on 2018-02-22T14:50:41Z (GMT) / Submitted by Samantha Goins (samgoins@gmail.com) on 2018-02-23T12:59:36Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Samantha Goins FGV Thesis.pdf: 691624 bytes, checksum: 080bbe2da3c8d804443e7bacd5ac7659 (MD5) / Rejected by Josineide da Silva Santos Locatelli (josineide.locatelli@fgv.br), reason: Dear Samantha, There are somethings to correct yet: Page 1: The city and year are missing on the end the page, Page 2: Withdraw the city and year of the start the of page, separate FGV name of your name, put the city and year on the end the page according the example; Page 3: Put the “Ficha Catalográfica” on the end the page; Page 7: Put the title “TABLE OF CONTENTS” on the middle of the page. Withdraw all the page numbers before the introduction, however, they must to be considered. Example: if there are 9 pages before, the introduction must to starts with the page 10 on 2018-02-23T13:32:34Z (GMT) / Submitted by Samantha Goins (samgoins@gmail.com) on 2018-02-23T14:32:57Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Samantha Goins FGV Thesis.pdf: 672050 bytes, checksum: 7eb015e0f412a310ccdadbcf30e9dc1b (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Josineide da Silva Santos Locatelli (josineide.locatelli@fgv.br) on 2018-02-23T15:10:49Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Samantha Goins FGV Thesis.pdf: 672050 bytes, checksum: 7eb015e0f412a310ccdadbcf30e9dc1b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-02-23T15:49:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Samantha Goins FGV Thesis.pdf: 672050 bytes, checksum: 7eb015e0f412a310ccdadbcf30e9dc1b (MD5) / This paper investigates the relationship between the quality of a firm’s corporate governance and firm valuation, as measured by Tobin’s Q, for Brazilian firms listed on the BM&FBovespa from 2010 to 2014. A corporate governance index is constructed from a set of five sub-indices which were compiled from publicly available information. The indices have been used to determine how corporate governance practises have evolved over the period. The results of the study show a positive and significant relationship between firm value and greater overall corporate governance in Brazilian listed firms, as well as the component sub-indices. / Esta tese investiga a relação entre a qualidade da governança corporativa das empresas e o seu valor de mercado, como é medido pelo Q de Tobin, para empresas brasileiras listadas no BM&FBovespa entre 2010 e 2014. O índice de governança corporativa utilizado foi construído a partir de um conjunto de cinco sub-índices que foram compilados a partir de informação disponível publicamente. Estes índices foram utilizados com o intuito de determinar como as práticas de governança corporativa evoluíram durante o período em estudo. O resultado desta tese mostra uma relação positiva expressiva entre o valor de mercado das empresas e a manutenção de uma melhor governança corporativa nas empresas brasileiras listadas, assim como com os sub-índices referidos.

Med en växande efterfråga efter hållbarhet är förhållandet mellan environmental, social & governance (ESG) och företagsprestanda ofta föremål för forskning. Forskningen om detta ämne har dock hittills inte varit entydig. Orsakerna till detta är olika metoder som används och snäva områden som endast representerar det specifika sammanhanget. Dessutom har förhållandet mellan ESG och företagens resultat hittills mestadels genomförts med fokus på rent finansiella mått, vilket gör att marknadsvärden i viss mån fortfarande är outforskade. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka förhållandet mellan ESG och marknadsvärde (mätt med Tobin’s Q) inom kontexten av den skandinaviska industrisektorn. Med olika perspektiv från "shareholder theory”, "stakeholder theory” och från rationella eller etiska investerare, säger studiens hypoteser att det bör finnas ett signifikant positivt samband mellan ett företags ESG betyg och dess marknadsvärde, och att det bör finnas ett signifikant negativt samband mellan ett företags ESG risk och dess marknadsvärde. Genom en kvantitativ metod har tvärsnittsdata samlats in och införlivats i en multipel regressionsmodell med flera variabler. Studiens resultat tyder på att det inte finns något signifikant samband (positivt eller negativt) mellan ESG och marknadsvärde. Studien förkastar därav nollhypoteserna och således förklaringsförmågan hos de ovan nämnda teorierna. Det konkluderas att den skandinaviska marknaden troligen består av både rationella och etiska investerare, vilket neutraliserar den effekt som ett företags ESG värde har på dess marknadsvärde. Resultatet föreslår också att företag inom den skandinaviska industrisektorn kan implementera ESG utan att det missgynnar dess marknadsvärdering. / With a growing demand for sustainability, the relationship between environmental, social & governance (ESG) and corporate performance is frequently occuring in research. However, research on this topic has as of now been inconclusive. The reasons for this are the different methodologies used and the narrow scopes that represent the specific context only. Furthermore, the relationship between ESG and corporate performance has mostly been conducted with a focus on strict financial metrics, leaving the perspective of market value to a certain degree still unexplored. This paper aims to examine the relationship between ESG and market value (measured by Tobin’s Q), in the context of the Scandinavian industrial sector. With different perspectives from Shareholder theory, Stakeholder theory and those from a rational or ethical investor, this study’s hypotheses states that there should exist a significant positive relationship between a company’s ESG score and their market value, and accordingly a significant negative relationship between a company’s ESG risk and their market value. Through a quantitative approach, cross-sectional data have been collected and incorporated in a multiple regression model with several variables. Our results suggest that no significant relationship (positive or negative) exists between ESG and market value. We therefore reject the null hypotheses and consequently the explanatory power of the above-mentioned theories as well. It is concluded that the Scandinavian market probably consists of both rational and ethical investors, neutralizing the effect a company’s ESG value has on its market value. The results further indicate that companies within the Scandinavian industrial sector might be able to incorporate ESG to improve their corporate behavior, with no negative market value effects.