IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jbuset/v167y2020i2d10.1007_s10551-019-04152-5.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Corporate Social Performance of Family Firms: A Place-Based Perspective in the Context of Layoffs

Author

Listed:
  • Kihun Kim

    (Miami University)

  • Zulfiquer Ali Haider

    (University of Manitoba
    North South University)

  • Zhenyu Wu

    (University of Manitoba)

  • Junsheng Dou

    (Zhejiang University)

Abstract

This paper investigates the layoff behavior, a typical people dimension of corporate social performance (CSP), of family firms from a place-based perspective. We theorize that a place-based culture within family firms ensures that all organizational members share a deep sense of connection with the place of operations which makes them inherently care about their impact on society. Using data on layoffs of 2000 largest US firms between 1994 and 2007, we find that family firms do indeed exhibit a lower tendency to lay off employees in comparison to non-family firms; this relationship is particularly strong in ‘places’ with low population where the negative social externalities related to layoffs tend to be higher. Further post hoc analyses indicate that family firms have a strong place-based culture which can provide resource-based competitive advantages.

Suggested Citation

  • Kihun Kim & Zulfiquer Ali Haider & Zhenyu Wu & Junsheng Dou, 2020. "Corporate Social Performance of Family Firms: A Place-Based Perspective in the Context of Layoffs," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 167(2), pages 235-252, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:167:y:2020:i:2:d:10.1007_s10551-019-04152-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-019-04152-5
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10551-019-04152-5
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10551-019-04152-5?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Aldrich, Howard E. & Cliff, Jennifer E., 2003. "The pervasive effects of family on entrepreneurship: toward a family embeddedness perspective," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 18(5), pages 573-596, September.
    2. Henrik Cronqvist & Fredrik Heyman & Mattias Nilsson & Helena Svaleryd & Jonas Vlachos, 2009. "Do Entrenched Managers Pay Their Workers More?," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 64(1), pages 309-339, February.
    3. Robert D. Nixon & Michael A. Hitt & Ho‐Uk Lee & Eui Jeong, 2004. "Market reactions to announcements of corporate downsizing actions and implementation strategies," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(11), pages 1121-1129, November.
    4. Barclay, Michael J. & Holderness, Clifford G., 1989. "Private benefits from control of public corporations," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(2), pages 371-395, December.
    5. Eleni Stavrou & George Kassinis & Alexis Filotheou, 2007. "Downsizing and Stakeholder Orientation Among the Fortune 500: Does Family Ownership Matter?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 72(2), pages 149-162, May.
    6. Joana Margarida Sequeira Neto & Etienne Mullet, 2018. "Perceived Acceptability of Organizational Layoffs and Job Alliances During a Recession: A Mapping of Portuguese People’s Views," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 152(4), pages 1149-1157, November.
    7. Abraham Carmeli & Zachary Sheaffer, 2009. "How Leadership Characteristics Affect Organizational Decline and Downsizing," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 86(3), pages 363-378, May.
    8. Xingqiang Du, 2015. "Is Corporate Philanthropy Used as Environmental Misconduct Dressing? Evidence from Chinese Family-Owned Firms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 129(2), pages 341-361, June.
    9. Astrachan, Joseph H., 2003. "Commentary on the special issue: the emergence of a field," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 18(5), pages 567-572, September.
    10. Anderson, Ronald C. & Duru, Augustine & Reeb, David M., 2009. "Founders, heirs, and corporate opacity in the United States," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(2), pages 205-222, May.
    11. Joern H. Block & Marcus Wagner, 2014. "The Effect of Family Ownership on Different Dimensions of Corporate Social Responsibility: Evidence from Large US Firms," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(7), pages 475-492, November.
    12. Mark Harcourt & Maureen Hannay & Helen Lam, 2013. "Distributive Justice, Employment-at-Will and Just-Cause Dismissal," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 115(2), pages 311-325, June.
    13. C. Vallester & A. Lindgreen & F. Maon, 2012. "Strategically leveraging corporate social responsibility to the benefit of company and society : a corporate branding perspective," Post-Print hal-00800282, HAL.
    14. Peggy M. Lee, 1997. "A comparative analysis of layoff announcements and stock price reactions in the United States and Japan," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(11), pages 879-894, December.
    15. Zahra, Shaker A., 2003. "International expansion of U.S. manufacturing family businesses: the effect of ownership and involvement," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 18(4), pages 495-512, July.
    16. Andrea Bassanini & Thomas Breda & Eve Caroli & Antoine Rebérioux, 2013. "Working in Family Firms: Paid Less but More Secure? Evidence from French Matched Employer-Employee Data," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 66(2), pages 433-466, April.
    17. G.T. Lumpkin & Keith H. Brigham & Todd W. Moss, 2010. "Long-term orientation: Implications for the entrepreneurial orientation and performance of family businesses," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(3-4), pages 241-264, May.
    18. Bentham, Jeremy, 1781. "An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation," History of Economic Thought Books, McMaster University Archive for the History of Economic Thought, number bentham1781.
    19. Rafael La Porta & Florencio Lopez‐De‐Silanes & Andrei Shleifer, 1999. "Corporate Ownership Around the World," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 54(2), pages 471-517, April.
    20. Morck, Randall & Shleifer, Andrei & Vishny, Robert W., 1988. "Management ownership and market valuation : An empirical analysis," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 20(1-2), pages 293-315, January.
    21. Cristina Cruz & Martin Larraza–Kintana & Lucía Garcés–Galdeano & Pascual Berrone, 2014. "Are Family Firms Really More Socially Responsible?," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 38(6), pages 1295-1316, November.
    22. Morck, Randall & Shleifer, Andrei & Vishny, Robert W., 1988. "Management ownership and market valuation," Scholarly Articles 29407535, Harvard University Department of Economics.
    23. Tuure Väyrynen & Sari Laari-Salmela, 2018. "Men, Mammals, or Machines? Dehumanization Embedded in Organizational Practices," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 147(1), pages 95-113, January.
    24. Bird, Miriam & Wennberg, Karl, 2014. "Regional influences on the prevalence of family versus non-family start-ups," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 29(3), pages 421-436.
    25. Barclay, Michael J. & Holderness, Clifford G. & Pontiff, Jeffrey, 1993. "Private benefits from block ownership and discounts on closed-end funds," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 263-291, June.
    26. W. Gibb Dyer Jr., 2003. "The Family: The Missing Variable in Organizational Research," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 27(4), pages 401-416, October.
    27. Basco, Rodrigo, 2015. "Family business and regional development—A theoretical model of regional familiness," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 6(4), pages 259-271.
    28. Andrea Calabrò & Alessandro Minichilli & Mario Daniele Amore & Marina Brogi, 2018. "The courage to choose! Primogeniture and leadership succession in family firms," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(7), pages 2014-2035, July.
    29. Ronald C. Anderson & David M. Reeb, 2003. "Founding-Family Ownership and Firm Performance: Evidence from the S&P 500," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 58(3), pages 1301-1327, June.
    30. E. Geoffrey Love & Nitin Nohria, 2005. "Reducing slack: the performance consequences of downsizing by large industrial firms, 1977–93," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(12), pages 1087-1108, December.
    31. Hallock, Kevin F, 1998. "Layoffs, Top Executive Pay, and Firm Performance," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 88(4), pages 711-723, September.
    32. El Ghoul, Sadok & Guedhami, Omrane & Wang, He & Kwok, Chuck C.Y., 2016. "Family control and corporate social responsibility," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 131-146.
    33. Julie Dekker & Tim Hasso, 2016. "Environmental Performance Focus in Private Family Firms: The Role of Social Embeddedness," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 136(2), pages 293-309, June.
    34. Peters, Ryan H. & Taylor, Lucian A., 2017. "Intangible capital and the investment-q relation," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 123(2), pages 251-272.
    35. Larry H. P. Lang & Mara Faccio & Leslie Young, 2001. "Dividends and Expropriation," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(1), pages 54-78, March.
    36. Nekhili, Mehdi & Nagati, Haithem & Chtioui, Tawhid & Rebolledo, Claudia, 2017. "Corporate social responsibility disclosure and market value: Family versus nonfamily firms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 41-52.
    37. Franz W. Kellermanns & Kimberly A. Eddleston & Thomas M. Zellweger, 2012. "Article Commentary: Extending the Socioemotional Wealth Perspective: A Look at the Dark Side," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 36(6), pages 1175-1182, November.
    38. Josip Kotlar & Alfredo De Massis & Hanqing Fang & Federico Frattini, 2014. "Strategic reference points in family firms," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 43(3), pages 597-619, October.
    39. repec:hal:journl:hal-02311990 is not listed on IDEAS
    40. repec:dau:papers:123456789/7244 is not listed on IDEAS
    41. Ronald C. Anderson & David M. Reeb & Wanli Zhao, 2012. "Family‐Controlled Firms and Informed Trading: Evidence from Short Sales," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 67(1), pages 351-386, February.
    42. Rogoff, Edward G. & Heck, Ramona Kay Zachary, 2003. "Evolving research in entrepreneurship and family business: recognizing family as the oxygen that feeds the fire of entrepreneurship," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 18(5), pages 559-566, September.
    43. Andrea Bassanini & Thomas Breda & Eve Caroli & Antoine Rebérioux, 2013. "Working in Family Firms: Paid Less but More Secure? Evidence from French Matched Employer-Employee Data," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 66(2), pages 433-466, April.
    44. Ronald C. Anderson & David M. Reeb, 2003. "Founding‐Family Ownership and Firm Performance: Evidence from the S&P 500," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 58(3), pages 1301-1328, June.
    45. Ofek, Eli, 1993. "Capital structure and firm response to poor performance: An empirical analysis," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 3-30, August.
    46. W. Gibb Dyer Jr. & David A. Whetten, 2006. "Family Firms and Social Responsibility: Preliminary Evidence from the S&P 500," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 30(6), pages 785-802, November.
    47. Réal Labelle & Taïeb Hafsi & Claude Francoeur & Walid Ben Amar, 2018. "Family Firms’ Corporate Social Performance: A Calculated Quest for Socioemotional Wealth," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 148(3), pages 511-525, March.
    48. C. Lakshman & Aarti Ramaswami & Ruth Alas & Jean Kabongo & J. Rajendran Pandian, 2014. "Ethics Trumps Culture? A Cross-National Study of Business Leader Responsibility for Downsizing and CSR Perceptions," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 125(1), pages 101-119, November.
    49. Daniel Arce & Sherry Li, 2011. "Profits, Layoffs, and Priorities," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 101(1), pages 49-60, June.
    50. Stough, Roger & Welter, Friederike & Block, Joern & Wennberg, Karl & Basco, Rodrigo, 2015. "Family business and regional science: “Bridging the gap”," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 6(4), pages 208-218.
    51. Merriam Haffar & Cory Searcy, 2017. "Classification of Trade-offs Encountered in the Practice of Corporate Sustainability," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 140(3), pages 495-522, February.
    52. Clint Chadwick & Larry W. Hunter & Stephen L. Walston, 2004. "Effects of downsizing practices on the performance of hospitals," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(5), pages 405-427, May.
    53. Chrisman, James J. & Chua, Jess H. & Steier, Lloyd P., 2003. "An introduction to theories of family business," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 18(4), pages 441-448, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Stefano Amato & Rodrigo Basco & Nicola Lattanzi, 2022. "Contextualizing employment outcomes in family business research: current findings and future research avenues," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 72(2), pages 531-604, June.
    2. Christoph Stock & Laura Pütz & Sabrina Schell & Arndt Werner, 2024. "Corporate Social Responsibility in Family Firms: Status and Future Directions of a Research Field," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 190(1), pages 199-259, February.
    3. William Nikolakis & Doina Olaru & Andreas Kallmuenzer, 2022. "What motivates environmental and social sustainability in family firms? A cross‐cultural survey," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(5), pages 2351-2364, July.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rehman, Atiqa & Gonenc, Halit & Hermes, Niels, 2023. "Corporate social performance of family firms and shareholder protection: An international analysis," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 14(2).
    2. James J. Cordeiro & Giorgia Profumo & Ilaria Tutore, 2021. "Family ownership and stockholder reactions to environmental performance disclosure: A test of secondary agency relationships," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(4), pages 2091-2107, May.
    3. Marcin Borsuk & Nicolas Eugster & Paul-Olivier Klein & Oskar Kowalewski, 2023. "Family Ownership and Carbon Emissions," Working Papers 2023-ACF-01, IESEG School of Management.
    4. Melanie Richards, 2023. "When do Non-financial Goals Benefit Stakeholders? Theorizing on Care and Power in Family Firms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 184(2), pages 333-351, May.
    5. Ghosh, Aloke(Al) & Tang, Charles Y., 2015. "Assessing financial reporting quality of family firms: The auditors׳ perspective," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(1), pages 95-116.
    6. Kyuho Jin & Joowon Lee & Sung Min Hong, 2021. "The Dark Side of Managing for the Long Run: Examining When Family Firms Create Value," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-20, March.
    7. Taylan Mavruk & Conny Overland & Stefan Sjögren, 2020. "Keeping it real or keeping it simple? Ownership concentration measures compared," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 26(4), pages 958-1005, September.
    8. Abeysekera, Amal P. & Fernando, Chitru S., 2020. "Corporate social responsibility versus corporate shareholder responsibility: A family firm perspective," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    9. Christopher Hansen & Joern Block & Matthias Neuenkirch, 2020. "Family Firm Performance Over The Business Cycle: A Meta‐Analysis," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(3), pages 476-511, July.
    10. Villalonga, Belen & Amit, Raphael, 2006. "How do family ownership, control and management affect firm value?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(2), pages 385-417, May.
    11. François Belot & Timothée Waxin, 2017. "Labor Conflicts in French Workplaces: Does (the Type of) Family Control Matter?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 146(3), pages 591-617, December.
    12. San Martin-Reyna, J.M. & Duran-Encalada, Jorge A., 2012. "The relationship among family business, corporate governance and firm performance: Evidence from the Mexican stock exchange," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 3(2), pages 106-117.
    13. Astrachan, Joseph H., 2010. "Strategy in family business: Toward a multidimensional research agenda," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 1(1), pages 6-14, March.
    14. Dawson, Alexandra, 2011. "Private equity investment decisions in family firms: The role of human resources and agency costs," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 26(2), pages 189-199, March.
    15. Purkayastha, Saptarshi & Veliyath, Rajaram & George, Rejie, 2022. "Type I and type II agency conflicts in family firms: An empirical investigation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 285-299.
    16. Breuer, Wolfgang & Knetsch, Andreas, 2022. "Informal authority and economic outcomes of family firms: An issue of national power distance," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    17. Min Maung & Danny Miller & Zhenyang Tang & Xiaowei Xu, 2020. "Value-Enhancing Social Responsibility: Market Reaction to Donations by Family vs. Non-family Firms with Religious CEOs," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 163(4), pages 745-758, May.
    18. Pindado, Julio & Requejo, Ignacio & de la Torre, Chabela, 2014. "Family control, expropriation, and investor protection: A panel data analysis of Western European corporations," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 58-74.
    19. Alexandra Dawson & Imants Paeglis & Nilanjan Basu, 2018. "Founder as Steward or Agent? A Study of Founder Ownership and Firm Value," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 42(6), pages 886-910, November.
    20. Purkayastha, Saptarshi & Veliyath, Rajaram & George, Rejie, 2019. "The roles of family ownership and family management in the governance of agency conflicts," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 50-64.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:167:y:2020:i:2:d:10.1007_s10551-019-04152-5. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.