This book introduces readers to the main types of corporate sustainability practices. The first section examines both the ratings provided by international agencies and the various ESG (Environmental, Social and Government) indexes existing at 2021. In turn, the second part empirically investigates the relationship between the level of corporate sustainability and corporate financial performance among the large companies listed on the Milan Exchange FTSE-MIB 40 index for 2015-2019. The book offers a comprehensive overview of current sustainability concepts and practices and illustrates how various companies are seeking to integrate them in their competitive strategy. Further, it fills a gap in the extant literature by analysing the origins, historical evolution and structure of the main rating agencies and ESG indexes. In addition, the empirical analysis of corporate sustainability's impact on companies' financial performance reveals the importance of collegial leadership - a commonly found feature of Italian family businesses that has not been considered in previous studies - as a moderating factor for reconciling sustainability initiatives and performance at family-run firms.

This timely book examines the effects of financial liberalization in the more advanced economies of Southeast Asia. The book also analyses the degree to which emerging and transitional economies in East and South Asia can benefit from this example. The weakness of the banking sector is examined in order to explain the reasons behind the currency crisis and to prescribe policies to avoid a similar episode in the future. Further, the book documents the individual steps taken to liberalize the economies over a period of about 20-30 years in each country. The analyses reveal that liberalization led to high growth in economies undertaking such reforms while unwillingness to take such reforms appear to have led to poor growth and hence low social development. This finding contradicts the common belief that liberalization led to the financial crisis and then to growth collapse. An efficient and liberalized financial sector is an essential precondition for promoting and accelerating economic growth and welfare. Arguments supporting this policy are based on the experience of Southeast Asian economies, particularly the pioneers such as Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand. This has led some less developed countries in East and South Asia to initiate the process of financial sector reforms and to realize the potential benefits of such reforms. The authors analyse the reform process and the lessons to be drawn from the experiences of these economies in their quest for sustained development in East and South Asia.