France Business School

The French restaurant industry faces growing environmental challenges despite progressive regulations such as the Anti-Waste Law (AGEC) and the Grenelle II Act. This study explores how sustainability practices and regulatory frameworks influence business strategies in French restaurants. Using a multi-method approach, including a systematic literature review, policy analysis, and case studies of fine dining, chain, and independent restaurants, the study examines how Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM), and Circular Economy (CE) drive sustainability adoption. Findings reveal that large chains implement structured programs, while SMEs struggle due to financial and regulatory barriers. However, consumer demand and CSR-driven initiatives are key enablers of sustainability improvements. To build a more resilient and sustainable restaurant sector, the study advocates for targeted policy adjustments, SME-specific financial incentives, and industry-wide collaboration to accelerate sustainability adoption across the sector.

This paper explores the intersection of demarketing and degrowth, proposing a new framework that aligns demarketing practices with sufficiency principles. While traditional demarketing approaches often prioritize profit-driven, instrumental goals, they remain incompatible with the transformative objectives of degrowth, such as addressing systemic overconsumption and fostering equitable resource distribution. Through a critical review of the demarketing literature, we identify key gaps, including the neglect of environmental limits, equity, and consumer well-being. We argue that sufficiency—a principle emphasizing “enoughness” and ecological sustainability—provides a compelling lens for redefining demarketing. By integrating sufficiency into demarketing, we outline pathways to transition from growth-oriented practices to degrowth-consistent strategies, offering theoretical and practical insights into reshaping marketing. Our contribution lies in advancing a degrowth-consistent definition of demarketing that challenges conventional marketing paradigms, paving the way for systemic change in research and practice.

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the relationship between board co‐option and managerial obfuscation captured through linguistic complexity of 10‐K reports. Using 7912 US firm‐year observations from 2003 to 2018, we find that firms with a higher proportion of co‐opted directors obfuscate the readability of the 10‐K reports. The findings are robust across various variable definitions, sample specifications and remain significant after addressing endogeneity concerns through multiple approaches, including lead‐lag regression, entropy balancing, instrumental variable analysis, the system GMM, and difference‐in‐difference estimations. Further analysis reveals that our main finding is driven by firms with weak internal (i.e., those with high CEO power and low board meeting attendance) and external (i.e., those with low institutional ownership and less analyst following) monitoring. The paper provides useful policy insights and implications for investors, regulators, and policymakers.

International audience

Cet article cherche à savoir si la présence de femmes dans les conseils d’administration influence la probabilité qu’une entreprise fasse auditer ses rapports RSE (responsabilité sociale des entreprises). En mobilisant des données mondiales couvrant la période 2002-2019, nous obtenons des résultats robustes qui montrent que la présence de femmes au sein du conseil d’administration augmente la probabilité qu’une entreprise ait recours à des auditeurs externes pour vérifier ses rapports RSE. Les résultats révèlent également que les administratrices ne peuvent accroître la probabilité d’audit des rapports RSE qu’à partir d’une certaine masse critique. Par ailleurs, aussi bien les administratrices indépendantes que les administratrices exécutives influencent la probabilité que l’entreprise fasse auditer ses rapports RSE. Toutefois, le lien est plus prononcé dans le cas des secondes. Nous montrons également que la relation entre les effectifs féminins des conseils d’administration et la probabilité d’audit des rapports RSE n’est significative que pour les entreprises opérant dans des secteurs sensibles du point de vue environnemental. L’analyse transversale indique également que notre résultat principal ne vaut que pour les entreprises à faible gouvernance et à faible engagement RSE. Enfin, nous montrons que les administratrices influencent la probabilité que l’entreprise fasse auditer ses rapports RSE par l’intermédiaire des comités RSE. Nos résultats apportent un éclairage pertinent sur le lien entre gouvernance et audit RSE. Ils revêtent d’importantes implications pratiques pour les acteurs économiques à l’échelle mondiale.