This new issue of Business and Society Review brings together a diverse
selection of academic contributions that address current challenges in business
and society. Through rigorous methodologies and interdisciplinary perspectives,
the articles explore topics ranging from sustainability and organizational structure
to financial innovation and social care policies.
Within the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) developed
by the United Nations, the article by Professors Cuesta, Delgado, and
Aguilera from the University of Granada offers an interdisciplinary approach to
identifying sustainable practices within the European business environment.
Based on an updated review of the literature, the authors aim to improve
business competitiveness and sustainability by integrating innovation, business
strategies, and internationalization into the analysis. The combination of theory
and practice supports the propositions presented, which are mainly illustrated
through examples from large European companies. The authors emphasize the
importance of adopting responsible governance in a proactive manner.
In the article by Pérez Calle, García Casarejos, and García Bernal,
decentralization is considered a key factor in enhancing business
competitiveness. The study, focused on Spanish firms, reveals a very low
average level of decentralization. However, larger companies, with international
presence and higher levels of human capital (measured by employee education),
tend to adopt more decentralized organizational structures. The research is
based on a sample of firms operating in Spain, which the authors note is not
meant to be representative of the entire Spanish business fabric, but rather
aligned with the chosen methodology. It focuses specifically on medium and
large industrial firms, reflecting key features of the Spanish economy, such as
the weight of the service sector, the prevalence of microenterprises, and the
role of family businesses. Among the variables with the strongest influence on
decentralization, employee training levels and the mediating effect of firm size
and multinational status are particularly relevant. Decentralization combines
hierarchy with flexibility and is especially limited when it comes to strategic and
tactical decisions, more so than in operational ones.
In recent years, the financial performance of companies worldwide has
undergone a significant transformation. This can be partially explained by the
role and impact of emerging financial technology (fintech) firms on corporate
financing. In this context, the article by Digar, Pal, Naskar, and Basumatary from
Vidyasagar University (Midnapore) analyzes the effect of fintech models on the
global economy, highlighting the importance of digital payment systems as a
transformative factor. The research methodology includes financial ratios from
the DuPont model and regression analysis. The study identifies the determinants
and challenges related to the financial contribution of fintech firms in major
destination countries. It focuses on the roles played by Alibaba and Paytm, which
the authors present as being at the frontier of the fintech revolution in China and
India. India, in particular, has become one of the world’s most dynamic fintech markets. The empirical analysis is based on data from the two companies over
ten consecutive years, from 2011–2012 to 2021–2022.
The article by Díaz Díaz, García Ramos, and López Gutiérrez explores the
impact of dependency and elderly care on economic growth and employment.
This well-developed and insightful analysis combines demographic and
economic approaches to explain such effects. While the focus is on the
autonomous region of Cantabria, the results are compared with those obtained in
similar studies in the Basque Country and Navarra. Data were collected through
a survey sent to all care centers for the elderly and dependents in Cantabria,
although only 40% of the centers responded. This limitation does not invalidate
the findings, as they are consistent with results from other regions. Nevertheless,
the authors recommend that future research address this issue to improve
sample representativeness. Since the economic analysis relies on Leontief’s
input-output tables and uses standardized indicators to assess public spending
and returns in the form of VAT, taxes, etc., the partial non-response has a limited
impact on the conclusions. The main takeaway from the study is that social
spending on dependency and elderly care should not be viewed merely as an
expense but as an investment, as nearly half of the outlay is recovered through
public revenue, while also generating employment and contributing significantly
to social cohesion.