Determinants of Sustainability Performance of Manufacturing Companies Using Two-stage Data Envelopment Analysis

Determinants of Sustainability Performance of Manufacturing Companies Using Two-stage Data Envelopment Analysis | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Determinants of Sustainability Performance of Manufacturing Companies Using Two-stage Data Envelopment Analysis Kristina Sutiene, Clara B. Vaz, Raminta Vaitiekuniene This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4725911/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 28 Apr, 2025 Read the published version in Environmental and Ecological Statistics → Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The investigation of business performance through the lens of sustainability has become an increasingly attractive topic among scholars. This study contributes to the field by proposing a two-stage methodology. First, to assess companies' efficiency in terms of sustainability, the scores of the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) pillars are combined into the single weighted sustainability performance indicator using the 'Benefit of Doubt' (BoD) model, which is maximized for each company by comparing it against the best performers in terms of ESG scores based on Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Then, in the second stage, the significant determinants are identified after the efficiency estimates are regressed on the company performance indicators using Tobit panel regression. To demonstrate this approach, we selected 559 companies from the manufacturing sector, as this industry continues to face challenges in reducing environmental impact, improving resource efficiency, and fostering social responsibility. The main findings include the examination of top performers and underperforming companies in terms of sustainability, alongside key financial indicators identified in the study. Sustainability ESG Manufacturing companies Two-stage DEA Tobit regression Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 28 Apr, 2025 Read the published version in Environmental and Ecological Statistics → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 19 Feb, 2025 Reviews received at journal 18 Feb, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Jan, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 08 Aug, 2024 Reviews received at journal 03 Aug, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 26 Jul, 2024 Reviewers invited by journal 24 Jul, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 23 Jul, 2024 Submission checks completed at journal 12 Jul, 2024 First submitted to journal 11 Jul, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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