Since the adoption of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) endorsed by United Nations in 2015, which envision an ambitious representation of what the world could look like in the upcoming years, companies have been employing different approaches to identify and report on their contributions to the SDGs, albeit facing various difficulties due to the goals’ novelty, legislative deficiencies, and the complexity of connections between SDGs and business performance. In this context, the relationship between sustainability practices and firms’ financial performance has attracted much attention among researchers. Consequently, this research is focusing on determining to what extent the financial indicators disclosed in the annual reports are impacting the quality of non-financial reporting based on SDGs in the case of chemical companies operating in Central and Eastern European countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia), within the time frame of 2015–2019. To reach our objective, a score-based content analysis was applied to assess the measure of SDGs achievement, and subsequently, the SDG score was used in multiple linear regression models with several financial data-based independent variables. The main findings highlight the companies’ contribution to the SDGs, particularly to those addressing the environment and decent work conditions for employees, and suggest that the research and development costs and other intangibles represent the most influential variable in explaining the variation in the firms’ SDG score. Academics, businesses and legislative bodies may find these results valuable in their corresponding activities: theoretical, pragmatic or statutory.

Research Question: What determinants drive the entrepreneurial intentions of students enrolled in accounting master programs: entrepreneurial competencies, family and friends support or entrepreneurial education? Motivation: The current research purpose is to explore to what extent the entrepreneurship is a feasible alternative career for students enrolled in accounting master programs and the role of academic education in entrepreneurship in selecting the entrepreneurial career. Generally, entrepreneurs are associated with providers of novel products and/or services, but we consider the entrepreneurial career in accounting services as feasible as any other career. Idea: The student’s interest in entrepreneurial activities remains greatly influenced by the entrepreneurial universities policies, making the role of universities crucial. Based on the affirmation that current students will be tomorrow’s successful entrepreneurs (Pribeanu and Milutin, 2014), it is essential to increase the impact of entrepreneurial education on the student’s life. It is not easy for universities, knowing the changes and challenges that they have to face nowadays (Schulte, 2014), but it is their responsibility and they do have the responsibility to make the change possible. Data: The data of this paper is collected based on a survey on the student’s perception on entrepreneurship and analyses the competences and abilities they gain as result of their bachelor studies and how these perceived competencies and abilities are currently helping or will help them to choose an entrepreneurial career. Tools: The study is based on a questionnaire distributed to master students enrolled in accounting master programs organized by The Bucharest University of Economic Studies. The research methodology consists of a descriptive analysis and regression analysis. Additionally, the structure of questionnaire allows us to use the Carlsson et al.’s (2012) framework for investigating the entrepreneurship, which is based on two perspectives, namely explorative and exploitative. Findings: The findings allow to state that students are taking into consideration the entrepreneurship career and their decision is positively influenced by family and friends setting and education. The test of the models resulted in adjusted R-squares higher than 0.90 indicating robust support for the regression models. Contribution: Our empirical study investigates three determinants of entrepreneurial skills and, as result of this research, universities, government officials and others interested in stimulating entrepreneurial motivation should consider how their actions affect potential entrepreneurs’ enthusiasm. Furthermore, this academic paper enhances the Romanian academic literature in the field of entrepreneurship.

Research Question: Which chemical companies from CEE countries are pioneers in both disclosing SDGs achievements and progressing in fulfilling self-imposed targets? Motivation: Revealing SDGs is unfruitful if it is not supported by relevant indicators to highlight progress against targets (EY, 2017; Schramade, 2017). The strategic importance of the chemical industry, one of the most diversified from all industries, creates sound circumstances for this sector to make known all efforts and contributions towards sustainability engagements (Aga, 2012; Zimara & Eidam, 2015). Idea: Beside financial reporting, currently businesses are encouraged to publish non-financial information to express their awareness about nature and human capital. The chemical industry should consider the SDGs a catalyst for significant business opportunities and a contributor for a better life, across sector and through cooperation with other sectors. Data: In this paper we used a set of panel data extracted from non-financial reports and websites of the 10 largest companies in the chemical industry operating in countries from Central-Eastern Europe: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. Our analysis covers the period 2015-2019 and addresses the disclosure and progress on reporting SGDs. Tools: To assess the degree of disclosure regarding SDGs and the advancement alongside companies’ efforts to comply with UN goals, we carried out a textual and content analysis, then we developed a score, with qualitative and quantitative features, to deliberate the disclosure of SDGs information incorporated in reports. Findings: Our discoveries indicate that 63% of the analysed reports did not clearly mention the SDGs that were targeted by companies’ investments. This result noticeably points out that SDGs reporting is presented relatively dissimilar, with reference to structure and extent, among the analysed companies, even though they are part of the same industry. Contribution: We consider this paper may be valuable to scholars in their journey considering, assessing and developing original approaches in regard to researches about non-financial reporting, in general, and SDGs, in particular, nevertheless, to businesses to advance in their accomplishments and reporting on the topic of SDGs.

Research Question: How do researchers address the definition, measurement, recognition and potential of intangible assets to generate future economic benefits when a formal structure for reporting them is highly controversial? Motivation: The inexistence of inclusive reporting mechanism to capture the value of intangible assets rise many debates for both researchers and users of accounting financial reports (Jeny and Moldovan, 2016). Although the role of intangible resources is increasing in the modern economy (OECD, 2011), traditional reporting is unable to provide a comprehensive representation of this class of assets (Lev, 2000; Stolowy and Jeny-Cazavan, 2001) and many intangible assets are still not recognised or may even not referred at all in the financial statements (Barth et. al., 2000). Idea: The paper investigates the status-quo of intangibles in research papers and identifies blank spots and ways to improve the information on intangible assets and how IASB revised IAS 38 Intangibles to catch-up the business' challenges in regard with them. Data: The sample of current work comprises research papers about intangibles published during 2000-2019 in cutting-edge accounting and business journals. Tools: The content analysis of published papers was applied to discover categories of intangibles analysed, applied polices for measurement, debates on recognition and disclosure and potential of new intangibles to be reported. Findings: Conclusion of paper confirms that researches on intangibles have not arrived at a universally accepted framework for definition, measurement, recognition criteria, disclosure, but, in the same time, they emphasis the contribution of these resources to broaden competitiveness, performance, earnings. Contribution: This literature review covers all categories of intangiblesrecognized and not-recognized from accounting

The epitome of sustainable development resides in the process of transformation through which resource exploitation, investment direction, technological development orientation, and institutional changes are in harmony and lead to the enhancement of the potential to meet present and future human needs and aspirations, based on the motto “Leaving no one behind” (UN, 2015). This is materialised into the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, “Transforming Our World”, defined by 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with 169 related targets. The objective of the present research consists in addressing the need to determine to what extent a sample of companies listed on Bucharest Stock Exchange (BSE) in the Premium Tier, and operating in different industry sectors, disclose information related to SDGs in their annual reporting. This investigation covers the period 2017 – 2019. The longitudinal analysis points out the progress in implementing the SGSs throughout the three years, whereas the cross – industry analysis underlines the similarities and differences in disclosing generated by the industry sectors. It is envisaged that the findings of this study are to increase awareness and stimulate debate among businesses, government and regulatory agencies, civil society members, and other stakeholders on aspects referring to sustainable development and the SDGs.