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The transformational prospects of the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are doubtless. Nonetheless, finding the appropriate implementation mechanisms to accomplish these goals and their targets and deliver on the promise of Agenda 2030 is proving challenging. Using publicly available documentary evidence from Voluntary National Reviews and Sustainable Development Reports, we analysed the progress of environmental SDG implementation in BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) and MINT (Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, Turkey) countries. The findings reveal an overall implementation progress level of 64% and 62% in BRICS and MINT, respectively. Relatively, countries in BRICS outperformed their MINT counterparts in five of the six environmental SDGs analysed. Our assessment broadly notes a promising engagement with environmental SDGs in these blocs, albeit with limited progress, and the presence of impressionistic practices in reportage of successes compared with challenges. We highlight the critical environmental goals and areas for practical actions to accomplish Agenda 2030 moving forward. The study specifically draws the attention of policymakers to issues of climate action (SDG13) and affordable and clean energy (SDG7), where immediate actions are needed to ramp up environmental actions. Given the limited time left to accomplish Agenda 2030, the findings of this study provide timely insight into the environmental SDGs that are at risk of failure in these developing countries. The study significantly implicates developing countries' ability to achieve Agenda 2030 and provides practical and actionable policy measures that are urgently needed to address the situation.

The study examines the dynamic relationship among globalisation, income inequality and poverty in Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey (MINT countries) between 1980 and 2018.

A Bayesian vector autoregressive (BVAR) approach is used as a technique of estimation hanging on the fact that the method uses prior distribution for the estimated parameters.

The results show that globalisation is a strong predictor of itself in all the MINT countries only in the short run. In the long run, income inequality and poverty strongly influence globalisation, respectively, in Indonesia and Turkey, while globalisation still has more impact on itself in Nigeria. Income inequality has a strong endogenous impact on itself in Mexico and Indonesia over the time horizon, whereas globalisation and poverty are strong predictors of income inequality in the long run in Nigeria and Turkey, respectively. Also, poverty strongly influences itself in all the MINT countries in all the periods, meaning that poverty begets itself in all the MINT countries, except for Indonesia in the long run.

The study suggests that all the MINT countries should ensure political stability and a strong institutional framework to gain from the process of globalisation and to experience reductions in the levels of income inequality and poverty.

This study is distinct from other studies in the sense that an overall globalisation index (GBI) as used by Dreher et al. (2008) is used for the globalisation variable, and the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) is used to capture poverty in all the MINT countries. Also, the research paper uses a BVAR approach as against the classical VAR, and this helps in solving over-fitting problems.

This study examines the effect of globalization on female economic participation (FEP) in MINT (Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey) and BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries between 2004 and 2018.

Four measures of globalization are employed and sourced from KOF globalization index, 2018, while the female labour force participation rate is a proxy for FEP. The empirical evidence is based on the Pooled Mean Group (PMG) estimator.

The findings of the PMG estimator from the Panel ARDL method reveal that political and overall globalization in MINT and BRICS countries have a positive impact on FEP, whereas social globalization exerts a negative impact on FEP in the long-run. It is observed that economic globalization has no long-run effect on FEP. Contrarily, all the measures of globalization reflect no short-run effect on FEP. This supports the argument that globalization has no immediate effect on FEP. Thus, it is recommended that both MINT and BRICS countries should find a way of improving the process of globalization generally to empower women to be involved in economic activities.

This study complements the extant literature by focusing on how globalization dynamics influence FEP in the MINT and BRICS countries.

This study investigates possible shock transmission and volatility spillover effects among the exchange rate changes and international portfolio flows for United States vis-à-vis two fast-growing emerging country groups: the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and MINT (Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey).

Applying VAR-BEKK-GARCH model, the evidence indicates that exchange rate fluctuations have a negative impact on net equity flows in Brazil, Russia, India and Turkey; thus, supporting the view that exchange rate uncertainty is an important driver of equity home bias.

As for the comparison of the pre- and post-crisis period, the findings support the evidence that the post-crisis period witnessed a greater number of cases of significant shock and volatility spillovers among exchange rate uncertainty and portfolio flows.

Overall, the empirical results provide fresh insights and policy implications for domestic and international investors through investment activities, and for policymakers through maintaining economic and financial stability.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate how the 106 largest banks in the world use their corporate websites for corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication, identifying CSR communication patterns by continent.

An analysis of the location of CSR information on the banks’ corporate websites, a longitudinal analysis of the publication of CSR reports by the banks from 2000 to 2012, and a content analysis of the most current CSR reports in the recent period of study were undertaken.

Three-quarters of the banks communicate on CSR issues on their corporate website – either located in the section “About Us” or under a separate “CSR” heading which is directly accessible on the front homepage. Company reports published on the website are the most important vehicle for CSR communication. Their publication increased from six for the publication year 2000 to a peak of 63 reports for the year 2011. The reports’ titles are most commonly linked to the concepts of “responsibility” or “sustainability” and refer to ten main stakeholders and topics. In a comparison between continents there is a difference in the use of titles: European banks prefer the title “Sustainability Report”, while Asian and American banks in particular prefer the title “CSR Report”.

The paper focuses on corporate communications, and therefore does not address perspectives on CSR communication from other disciplines. Within CSR communication, sources of CSR-related information other than the corporate websites have not been considered.

This paper gives the first comprehensive picture of the trend in CSR communication on corporate websites in the global banking sector.

This paper examines the long-run and dynamic causal relationship among air pollution, health expenditure and economic growth in Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey (MINT countries).

The bounds test approach to cointegration and causality test was employed on data covering 1995–2018.

The study shows evidence of a long-run relationship among the variables in MINT countries and the causality test confirms the existence of a bidirectional causal nexus between health expenditure and economic growth in the four countries. It also confirms that there is a bidirectional causal relationship between carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission and economic growth, except in Nigeria where a unidirectional causal relationship was found running from CO₂ emissions to economic growth. In addition, a bidirectional causal relationship was found between air pollution and health expenditure in Turkey, while no causal relationship was found among these variables in Nigeria.

This study is limited by available data and it only focuses on four emerging economies. To address this, future studies can expand this scope to more emerging economies with severe air pollution and also extend the scope when more recent data becomes available.

This study suggests that pollution standards in MINT countries should be monitored and enforced with transparency so as to mitigate its health implications and ensure the sustainability of economic growth.

The study confirms the importance of keeping air pollution as low as possible because of its negative effect on health and economic output.

The study accounts for the complexity of each MINT country instead of providing a general discussion on the relationship between air pollution, health expenditure and economic growth in MINT countries.

Attention has often been directed to the fact that much unwrapped bread becomes dangerously dirty by the time it is consumed, and there is now a considerable body of opinion in favour of making the wrapping compulsory. The hygienic advantages of this are unquestionable; for although a loaf may be of a high standard of purity on leaving the factory, there are ways by which much contamination may occur subsequently. There are dangers, beyond the control of Sanitary Authorities, arising from contamination by dirty hands, clothing, baskets and carts; the dust from streets, doorsteps and window sills; and from the organisms of disease harboured by apparently healthy “carriers” of infection; and very often pieces of crust are given to little children to bite upon, in order to aid the development of their teeth and gums.—Dr. G. H. Dart (the Medical Officer of Health for Hackney) has recently emphasised the fact that there is much typhoid and paratyphoid fever, and other disturbances of health, which occur without any source of infection being traced; and he maintains that it is a reasonable assumption that some of this infection results from our failure to adopt measures for safeguarding the cleanliness of bread. From a small investigation upon five loaves, it was found recently that four of them yielded bacteriological results that testified to gross contamination—a number of streptocococci, staphylococci and coliform organisms having been found upon each of the four loaves. It will not be disputed that the value of the precautions adopted, even in the most hygienic bakeries, may be greatly discounted by the failure to protect the bread from contamination in its subsequent passage to the consumer; and it seems—to say the least of it—inconsistent, to provide against the contamination of meat (as by the 1924 Meat Regulations)—an article of food which is cooked before consumption—and to ignore the contamination of bread which is eaten as delivered to the purchaser. That bread can be wrapped without loss of flavour and at little cost has been demonstrated in America and by some bakers in England. In a useful paper by C. H. F. Fuller, B.Sc, A.I.C., Research Laboratories, Messrs. J. Lyons & Co., Ltd., which appeared in the last issue of the Journal of the Royal Sanitary Institute, attention is drawn to the fact that it is possible, by the employment of a waxed paper wrapping, largely to eliminate moisture loss from the loaf, and thus to secure a loaf which remains longer in a palatable condition, owing to delay in the onset of staling; but before wrapping, the loaf must be cooled until the centre attains a temperature not far beyond that of the outside air, in order to avoid the occurrence of “sweating,” i.e., deposition of moisture on the crust and inside of the wrapper. He also refutes the contention that the wrapping of bread necessarily leads to the absorption of foreign flavours from the wax or paper; for trouble from these causes is avoidable if suitable measures are adopted. Indeed, the whole subject of bread wrapping has been submitted to a close examination by a number of investigators; and in general there is agreement among them that no deleterious effect upon the quality of the bread results, and that the public would benefit from the resulting improvement in cleanliness, freshness and palatability. The hygienic considerations in reference to bread apply also to all exposed food which is not washed, peeled, cooked or treated in same way which removes dirt or renders it safe for consumption. The obvious remedy for the dangers involved by our neglect is to press for legal powers to enforce the necessary precautions and to educate public opinion upon the need for these.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic review of the substantial and growing body of emerging market (EM) research. Through assessing the literature an organizing framework is formed to support a nuanced basis for future research and management decisions in EMs.

Following guidelines of seminal authors, the authors conduct a systematic review involving both leading field-specific and top-tier international business journals.

The empirical context of the literature is outlined showing dominance of studies involving China and India. Seminal contributions are identified based on cross-references in the EM field and citations in international business literature in general. The definitional elements of the most dominant definitions are compiled into an organizing framework.

Researchers need to acknowledge the distinct contextual setting of specific regions and countries labeled as EMs. This entails considerations into the capacity of current frameworks to lend insights not just on EM contexts but the particular EM context in focus.

The findings suggest a more nuanced approach to managing activities in EM contexts. The proposed framework encloses the EM category on its distinct dimensions. Each provides a unique basis for managerial decision-making on specified EM activities.

This paper provides the first systematic review of the ever-growing body of EM research literature to map and assess the existing intellectual territory. Through this, the authors contribute to the development of the existing body of knowledge and form a solid basis for future research.

This paper aims to analyse the impact of dynamic capability (DC) of emerging market multinationals (EMNEs) on their firm technological performance by teasing out the concepts of agility and knowledge management (KM) through DC.

Evidence from this study is contextualised on EMNEs that operate in the UK, Germany and France. This study examines the investment in intangible assets which EMNEs use to develop their DC over the period 2005-2016 and how this leads to increased firm technological performance.

Results show that higher investments in DC allow EMNEs to be more agile and gain competencies through KM and thereby sustain competitiveness in the three leading European countries. This research also identifies which EMNE groupings show greater technological performance and how such EMNE groupings are able to translate dynamic capabilities into greater technological performance compared to others over time. In summary, the role of DC during of the global financial crisis was also examined, where they are required to be more agile.

This paper sheds light on a novel way and motivation of successful EMNEs in using developed host countries as a location for generating DC through agility and KM.