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This work aims to analyze the factors that influence the performance and efficiency of Portuguese companies, namely the influence of social and environmental features.

To achieve our aim, we have used the Portuguese benchmark index, the Portuguese stock index – PSI, during the period from 2016 to 2020. To test the hypothesis panel data methodology was used, specifically, the GMM system originally proposed by Arellano and Bond (1991) and the Value-Based DEA developed by Gouveia et al. (2008).

The results of the GMM model show that social performance has a negative relationship with the company’s performance, from the perspective of different stakeholders, reinforcing that the cost-benefit trade-off of social spending is not yet understood as advantageous for the company’s performance. On the other hand, environmental performance, for external stakeholders, positively influences the company’s performance, perhaps due to pressure from society and the tradition of disclosing environmental matters. The value-based DEA results reinforce that from the perspective of the external stakeholder, non-efficient companies must increase their environmental performance to become efficient, highlighting the role of environmental performance in explaining efficiency. It is unanimous that social performance is still not seen as a lever of efficiency.

This is the first work to use a hybrid methodology to understand the performance determinants of a small banking-oriented country, emphasizing environmental and social aspects.

The interplay between individual and collective creativity and its translation into innovation is a critical yet complex challenge in the ever-evolving innovation landscape. This study delves into the intricate relationship between managerial ability, intellectual property rights (IPRs) and research and development (R&D) investments contextualized within the dynamics of leverage, firm life stages and tangibility for pharmaceutical firms in the Asia-Pacific region. By exploring how micro-level factors influence macro-level innovation processes, this study aims to contribute to the broader understanding of creativity and innovation, a theme at the heart of addressing contemporary global challenges.

Econometric methodologies were used to analyse a data set comprising 2,660 firm-year observations spanning the decade from 2011 to 2020.

A key finding was that companies with lower managerial prowess strategically leverage R&D intensity to signal their value to the market and accrue reputational currency. The research unearths a significant positive relationship between managerial ability, IPRs and R&D investment. In environments characterized by strong managerial acumen and robust IPR safeguards, firms exhibit a heightened propensity to allocate resources to R&D endeavours. This underscores the role of intellectual leadership and legal protections in shaping R&D strategies within the pharmaceutical domain. Incorporating firm life stages as a moderating factor reveals that firm maturity fundamentally influences the interplay between managerial ability, IPRs and R&D expenditure.

These findings’ implications resonate profoundly within policy-making circles and pharmaceutical firms’ day-to-day operational strategies, underscoring the pivotal role of intellectual capital and legal safeguards in shaping the future of innovation in the Asia-Pacific pharmaceutical sector.