IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/rvmgts/v18y2024i4d10.1007_s11846-023-00631-2.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Family ownership and control as drivers for environmental, social, and governance in family firms

Author

Listed:
  • Jiamu Sun

    (Beijing Jiatong University)

  • Massimiliano Matteo Pellegrini

    (Tor Vergata University)

  • Marina Dabić

    (University of Zagreb
    University of Dubrovnik
    University of Ljubljana)

  • Kai Wang

    (Capital University of Economics and Business)

  • Cizhi Wang

    (Capital University of Economics and Business)

Abstract

Sluggish market demand can deteriorate the financial situation of a company and affect a shareholder’s decision to adopt environmental, social, and governance criteria (ESG). According to the socioemotional wealth theory, family firms place significant emphasis on sustainable development and long-term orientation, but this emphasis can be either internally or externally driven according to the type of involvement chosen by the owning family. Therefore, this study uses listed family firms to explore the relationship between different types of family involvement (i.e., family ownership and control, the influence of market competition, and the institutionalisation level of the environment in which a firm decides to pursue ESG criteria). We performed a multivariate regression analysis on a sample of 1,151 Chinese companies to test these relationships and found that both family ownership and control are positively related to ESG scores. Market competition negatively moderates the influence of both family ownership and control on the adoption of ESG criteria. Moreover, the influence of family control is negatively moderated by the institutional environment. Thus, types of family involvement seem to be relevant for the firm’s engagement with ESG criteria.

Suggested Citation

  • Jiamu Sun & Massimiliano Matteo Pellegrini & Marina Dabić & Kai Wang & Cizhi Wang, 2024. "Family ownership and control as drivers for environmental, social, and governance in family firms," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 18(4), pages 1015-1046, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:rvmgts:v:18:y:2024:i:4:d:10.1007_s11846-023-00631-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s11846-023-00631-2
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11846-023-00631-2
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11846-023-00631-2?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. Bernhard Fabian Bichler & Andreas Kallmuenzer & Mike Peters & Tanja Petry & Thomas Clauss, 2022. "Regional entrepreneurial ecosystems: how family firm embeddedness triggers ecosystem development," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 15-44, January.
    2. Fabrizio Rossi & Maretno Agus Harjoto, 2020. "Corporate non-financial disclosure, firm value, risk, and agency costs: evidence from Italian listed companies," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 14(5), pages 1149-1181, October.
    3. Ki‐Hoon Lee & Beom Cheol Cin & Eui Young Lee, 2016. "Environmental Responsibility and Firm Performance: The Application of an Environmental, Social and Governance Model," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(1), pages 40-53, January.
    4. Gunnar Friede, 2019. "Why don't we see more action? A metasynthesis of the investor impediments to integrate environmental, social, and governance factors," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(6), pages 1260-1282, September.
    5. Lukas Benz & Stefan Paulus & Julia Scherer & Janik Syryca & Stefan Trück, 2021. "Investors' carbon risk exposure and their potential for shareholder engagement," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(1), pages 282-301, January.
    6. 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.
    7. Eduardo Ortas & Isabel Gallego‐Álvarez & Igor Álvarez, 2019. "National institutions, stakeholder engagement, and firms' environmental, social, and governance performance," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(3), pages 598-611, May.
    8. Luluk Widyawati, 2020. "A systematic literature review of socially responsible investment and environmental social governance metrics," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 619-637, February.
    9. Lin, Chen & Ma, Yue & Malatesta, Paul & Xuan, Yuhai, 2011. "Ownership structure and the cost of corporate borrowing," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(1), pages 1-23, April.
    10. Eichholtz, Piet & Holtermans, Rogier & Kok, Nils & Yönder, Erkan, 2019. "Environmental performance and the cost of debt: Evidence from commercial mortgages and REIT bonds," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 19-32.
    11. Kraus, Sascha & Rehman, Shafique Ur & García, F. Javier Sendra, 2020. "Corporate social responsibility and environmental performance: The mediating role of environmental strategy and green innovation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    12. Shaker Zahra, 2012. "Organizational learning and entrepreneurship in family firms: exploring the moderating effect of ownership and cohesion," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 38(1), pages 51-65, January.
    13. Othar Kordsachia, 2021. "A risk management perspective on CSR and the marginal cost of debt: empirical evidence from Europe," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 15(6), pages 1611-1643, August.
    14. Giovanna Campopiano & Emanuela Rondi, 2019. "Hierarchical Dyadic Congruence in Family Firms: The Interplay of Supervisor and Supervisee Socioemotional Wealth Importance and Familial Status," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 43(2), pages 322-329, March.
    15. Jan Diebecker & Friedrich Sommer, 2017. "The impact of corporate sustainability performance on information asymmetry: the role of institutional differences," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 11(2), pages 471-517, March.
    16. Dan Daugaard, 2020. "Emerging new themes in environmental, social and governance investing: a systematic literature review," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 60(2), pages 1501-1530, June.
    17. Othar Kordsachia & Maximilian Focke & Patrick Velte, 2022. "Do sustainable institutional investors contribute to firms’ environmental performance? Empirical evidence from Europe," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 16(5), pages 1409-1436, July.
    18. Valentina Lazzarotti & Rafaela Gjergji & Federico Visconti, 2020. "Socio-emotional wealth and innovativeness in Italian family firms: what happens when the leader is a latest-generation member?," International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 40(1), pages 54-82.
    19. Concepción Garcés-Ayerbe & Pilar Rivera-Torres & Josefina L. Murillo-Luna & Cristina Suárez-Gálvez, 2022. "Does it pay more to be green in family firms than in non-family firms?," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 16(5), pages 1365-1386, July.
    20. Manuel Ammann & David Oesch & Markus M. Schmid, 2013. "Product Market Competition, Corporate Governance, and Firm Value: Evidence from the EU Area," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 19(3), pages 452-469, June.
    21. Lucia Naldi & Carmelo Cennamo & Guido Corbetta & Luis Gomez–Mejia, 2013. "Preserving Socioemotional Wealth in Family Firms: Asset or Liability? The Moderating Role of Business Context," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 37(6), pages 1341-1360, November.
    22. Kraus, Sascha & Mensching, Helge & Calabrò, Andrea & Cheng, Cheng-Feng & Filser, Matthias, 2016. "Family firm internationalization: A configurational approach," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(11), pages 5473-5478.
    23. Gillan, Stuart L. & Koch, Andrew & Starks, Laura T., 2021. "Firms and social responsibility: A review of ESG and CSR research in corporate finance," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    24. Dafna Kariv & Teresa V. Menzies & Gabrielle A. Brenner & Louis Jacques Filion, 2009. "Transnational networking and business performance: Ethnic entrepreneurs in Canada," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(3), pages 239-264, May.
    25. repec:bla:jfinan:v:58:y:2003:i:3:p:1301-1327 is not listed on IDEAS
    26. Rovelli, Paola & Ferasso, Marcos & De Massis, Alfredo & Kraus, Sascha, 2022. "Thirty years of research in family business journals: Status quo and future directions," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 13(3).
    27. Isabel‐María García‐Sánchez & Julia Martín‐Moreno & Sana Akbar Khan & Nazim Hussain, 2021. "Socio‐emotional wealth and corporate responses to environmental hostility: Are family firms more stakeholder oriented?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 1003-1018, February.
    28. 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.
    29. Cornelius Hafner, 2021. "Diversification in family firms: a systematic review of product and international diversification strategies," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 529-572, April.
    30. Marina Dabic & Ana Colovic & Olivier Lamotte & Mollie Painter-Morland & Silvana Brozovic, 2016. "Industry-specific CSR: analysis of 20 years of research," Post-Print hal-02907079, HAL.
    31. Mike W. Peng & Wei Sun & Cristina Vlas & Alessandro Minichilli & Guido Corbetta, 2018. "An Institution-Based View of Large Family Firms: A Recap and Overview," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 42(2), pages 187-205, March.
    32. N. Eccles & S. Viviers, 2011. "The Origins and Meanings of Names Describing Investment Practices that Integrate a Consideration of ESG Issues in the Academic Literature," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 104(3), pages 389-402, December.
    33. 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.
    34. Tiberius, Victor & Stiller, Laura & Dabić, Marina, 2021. "Sustainability beyond economic prosperity: Social microfoundations of dynamic capabilities in family businesses," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    35. James J. Chrisman & Jess H. Chua & Allison W. Pearson & Tim Barnett, 2012. "Family Involvement, Family Influence, and Family–Centered Non–Economic Goals in Small Firms," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 36(2), pages 267-293, March.
    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. Shanshan Liu & Muhammad Zulfiqar & Aftab Ahmed & Muhammad Zia Aslam, 2025. "Unlocking the influence of unique family firm types on eco-friendly governance and green technology innovation: moderating role of ISO certificates," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-15, December.

    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. Ginesti, Gianluca & Ossorio, Mario & Dawson, Alexandra, 2023. "Family businesses and debt maturity structure: Focusing on family involvement in governance to explain heterogeneity," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 14(2).
    2. Gallucci, Carmen & Santulli, Rosalia & Lagasio, Valentina, 2022. "The conceptualization of environmental, social and governance risks in portfolio studies A systematic literature review," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    3. Lozano-Reina, Gabriel & Sánchez-Marín, Gregorio & Baixauli-Soler, J. Samuel, 2022. "Say-on-Pay voting dispersion in listed family and non-family firms: A panel data analysis," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 13(1).
    4. Shanshan Liu & Muhammad Zulfiqar & Aftab Ahmed & Muhammad Zia Aslam, 2025. "Unlocking the influence of unique family firm types on eco-friendly governance and green technology innovation: moderating role of ISO certificates," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-15, December.
    5. Mariusz Kostrzewski & Magdalena Marczewska & Lorna Uden, 2023. "The Internet of Vehicles and Sustainability—Reflections on Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-20, April.
    6. Waldkirch, Matthias, 2020. "Non-family CEOs in family firms: Spotting gaps and challenging assumptions for a future research agenda," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 11(1).
    7. Martínez-Alonso, Rubén & Martínez-Romero, María J. & Rojo-Ramírez, Alfonso A., 2024. "Unveiling new opportunities: A mixed gamble approach to external search breadth within family firms," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    8. Heino, Noora & Alimov, Naufal & Tuominen, Pasi, 2024. "Family firm employment behavior during a financial crisis: Does generational stage matter?," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 15(3).
    9. Pruthiranjan Dwibedi & Debasis Pahi & Antarjyami Sahu, 2024. "Mapping the landscape of environmental, social and governance research: A bibliometric analysis," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(5), pages 3745-3767, September.
    10. Peter Jaskiewicz & Joern H. Block & James G. Combs & Danny Miller, 2017. "The Effects of Founder and Family Ownership on Hired CEOs’ Incentives and Firm Performance," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 41(1), pages 73-103, January.
    11. Satish Kumar & Dipasha Sharma & Sandeep Rao & Weng Marc Lim & Sachin Kumar Mangla, 2025. "Past, present, and future of sustainable finance: insights from big data analytics through machine learning of scholarly research," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 345(2), pages 1061-1104, February.
    12. 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.
    13. Sami Basly & Paul-Laurent Saunier, 2020. "Familiness, socio-emotional goals and the internationalization of French family SMEs," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 18(3), pages 270-311, September.
    14. Ding, Wenzhi & Levine, Ross & Lin, Chen & Xie, Wensi, 2021. "Corporate immunity to the COVID-19 pandemic," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 141(2), pages 802-830.
    15. Karaevli, Ayse & Yurtoglu, B. Burcin, 2021. "Family ownership, market development, and internationalization of Turkish business groups (1925-2017)," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 56(6).
    16. Markin, Erik T. & Skorodziyevskiy, Vitaliy & Zhu, Lina & Chrisman, James J. & Fang, Hanqing “Chevy”, 2022. "Lone-founder firms in China: Replicating Miller et al. (2007) in a different context," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 13(4).
    17. Haider, Zulfiquer & Wang, Yefeng & Wang, Yuan, 2024. "Family firm, financial constraint, and environmental preparedness: An international study," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    18. Hafner, Cornelius & Pidun, Ulrich, 2022. "Getting family firm diversification right: A configurational perspective on product and international diversification strategies," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 13(1).
    19. Ju-Fang Yen & Chih-Yung Lin & Yan-Shing Chen & Ying-Chen Huang, 2015. "Founding Family Firms and Bank Loan Contracts," Journal of Financial Services Research, Springer;Western Finance Association, vol. 48(1), pages 53-82, August.
    20. Wu, Sihong & Chirico, Francesco & Fan, Di & Ding, Jiayan & Su, Yiyi, 2024. "Foreign market exit in family firms: Do historical military and cultural frictions matter?," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 59(1).

    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:spr:rvmgts:v:18:y:2024:i:4:d:10.1007_s11846-023-00631-2. 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.