Corporations, Economic Transformation and Sustainable Development in the Post-COVID-19 Era

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last decade, sustainability has emerged as a key theme for research across many disciplines, including business management and governance. Scholars have utilized various theoretical frameworks, methodologies, models, and data sets to examine and demonstrate the impact of sustainability on corporations, institutions, and governments. With the rise in the use of artificial intelligence (AI), moreover, the challenges brought about by the new geopolitical setting (such as expansion in state conservatism, the increase in natural disasters due to the rise in temperatures beyond the limits outlined at the Conference of Parties (COP) summits, acceleration of the role played by large social media platforms, and the continuous shift in the focus and strategies of corporations) have rendered sustainability even more important, particularly in the post-COVID-19 era. Thus, in this Special Issue, we welcome novel research papers that can contribute to knowledge in the sustainability field, preferably exploring recent developments in the area with a special focus on corporate reporting, performance measurement and outcomes, and governance subject areas. Topics to consider for this Special Issue are listed below:

- Sustainability Reporting and Disclosure (adoption of ESG in firms and institutions; integrated reporting and value creation; auditing of sustainability information).
- Carbon Reporting and Environmental Cost (measurement of carbon emissions; evaluation of environmental liabilities and externalities).
- Performance Measurement (sustainability and balanced scorecards).
- Sustainability and Green Business (use of green bonds, climate finance, ESG funds in corporations and impact on financial performance; measurement of sustainable investments versus traditional assets; investment behavior in sustainable instruments).
- Climate Risk (impact of change in climate on risks, pricing and capital allocation; testing for climate-related risks in financial institutions; influence on regulations and policy makers).
- Corporate Performance and Capital Structure (sustainability performance and cost of capital; firm strategies and sustainable practices; merger, acquisitions and divestment decisions based on ESG considerations).
- Role of Boards and Accountability (board diversity and sustainability performance; mechanisms of corporate governance with ESG integration; director remuneration and sustainability).
- Corporate Stakeholder Engagement (shareholder versus stakeholder interests; role of NGOs, activism and institutional investors in delivering ESG goals; trust and transparency in governance reporting adoption at the national or international level; institutional and policy pressures influencing behavioral corporate sustainability).
- Other related themes with a focus on ESG in corporations.

Prof. Dr. Abdelhafid Benamraoui
Guest Editor

Dr. Premkanth Puwanenthiren
Co-Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. World is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• corporations
• economic transformation
• ESG
• governance
• performance
• sustainability