IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/buseth/v30y2021i2p202-215.html

Culture, convention, and continuity: Islam and family firm ethical behavior

Author

Listed:
  • Dalal Alrubaishi
  • Maura McAdam
  • Richard Harrison

Abstract

Although some scholarly attention has been devoted to the role of religion in entrepreneurship, there is a scarcity of research that focuses on the influence of Islam in the family business domain in general and the impact of Islamic concepts on the ethical behavior of Muslim family firms in particular. In addressing this, we reveal how the founder's ethical behavior which is informed by the Islamic concepts tawakkul, taqwa, honesty, and dignity is imprinted as values onto next‐generation leaders through mentoring, role modeling, and job shadowing, and thus embedded at the family firm level. We conceptualize these insights through the development of a formal framework for the analysis of the imprinting of Islamic influences on family firm ethical behavior. In addressing the roots of ethical behavior, we make contributions to the family business, Islamic entrepreneurship, and imprinting literatures. In practical terms, we highlight the importance of informal practices in endorsing the ethical behavior of the next‐generation family members.

Suggested Citation

  • Dalal Alrubaishi & Maura McAdam & Richard Harrison, 2021. "Culture, convention, and continuity: Islam and family firm ethical behavior," Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(2), pages 202-215, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:buseth:v:30:y:2021:i:2:p:202-215
    DOI: 10.1111/beer.12328
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/beer.12328
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/beer.12328?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Miles K. Davis, 2013. "Entrepreneurship: an Islamic perspective," International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 20(1), pages 63-69.
    2. Ghulam Murtaza & Muhammad Abbas & Usman Raja & Olivier Roques & Afsheen Khalid & Rizwan Mushtaq, 2016. "Impact of Islamic Work Ethics on Organizational Citizenship Behaviors and Knowledge-Sharing Behaviors," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 133(2), pages 325-333, January.
    3. Jess H. Chua & James J. Chrisman & Lloyd P. Steier & Sabine B. Rau, 2012. "Sources of Heterogeneity in Family Firms: An Introduction," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 36(6), pages 1103-1113, November.
    4. Mark Blodgett & Colette Dumas & Alberto Zanzi, 2011. "Emerging Trends in Global Ethics: A Comparative Study of U.S. and International Family Business Values," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 99(1), pages 29-38, February.
    5. Abbas Ali & Abdulrahman Al-Aali & Abdullah Al-Owaihan, 2013. "Islamic Perspectives on Profit Maximization," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 117(3), pages 467-475, October.
    6. Nathan L. Hammond & Allison W. Pearson & Daniel T. Holt, 2016. "The Quagmire of Legacy in Family Firms: Definition and Implications of Family and Family Firm Legacy Orientations," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 40(6), pages 1209-1231, November.
    7. Schein, Edgar H., 1983. "The role of the founder in the creation of organizational culture," Working papers 1407-83., Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Sloan School of Management.
    8. Gartner, William B. & Birley, Sue, 2002. "Introduction to the special issue on qualitative methods in entrepreneurship research," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 17(5), pages 387-395, September.
    9. Katherine Gundolf & Matthias Filser, 2013. "Management Research and Religion: A Citation Analysis," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 112(1), pages 177-185, January.
    10. Gallo, Miguel A. & Cappuyns, Kristin, 1998. "Ethics of personal behaviour in family business," IESE Research Papers D/372, IESE Business School.
    11. Mustafa Kavas & Paula Jarzabkowski & Amit Nigam, 2020. "Islamic Family Business: The Constitutive Role of Religion in Business," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 163(4), pages 689-700, May.
    12. Francesco Barbera & Henry X. Shi & Ankit Agarwal & Mark Edwards, 2020. "The Family That Prays Together Stays Together: Toward a Process Model of Religious Value Transmission in Family Firms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 163(4), pages 661-673, May.
    13. Bayu Possumah & Abdul Ismail & Shahida Shahimi, 2013. "Bringing Work Back in Islamic Ethics," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 112(2), pages 257-270, January.
    14. Ramzi Fathallah & Yusuf Sidani & Sandra Khalil, 2020. "How Religion Shapes Family Business Ethical Behaviors: An Institutional Logics Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 163(4), pages 647-659, May.
    15. Isabelle Le Breton–Miller & Danny Miller & Lloyd P. Steier, 2004. "Toward an Integrative Model of Effective FOB Succession," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 28(4), pages 305-328, July.
    16. Samara, Georges & Arenas, Daniel, 2017. "Practicing fairness in the family business workplace," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 60(5), pages 647-655.
    17. Friederike Welter, 2011. "Contextualizing Entrepreneurship—Conceptual Challenges and Ways Forward," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 35(1), pages 165-184, January.
    18. Mojca Duh & Jernej Belak & Borut Milfelner, 2010. "Core Values, Culture and Ethical Climate as Constitutional Elements of Ethical Behaviour: Exploring Differences Between Family and Non-Family Enterprises," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 97(3), pages 473-489, December.
    19. Pedro Vazquez, 2018. "Family Business Ethics: At the Crossroads of Business Ethics and Family Business," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 150(3), pages 691-709, July.
    20. Naughton, Michael J. & Cornwall, Jeffrey R., 2006. "The Virtue of Courage in Entrepreneurship: Engaging the Catholic Social Tradition and the Life-Cycle of the Business," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 16(1), pages 69-93, January.
    21. Jaskiewicz, Peter & Combs, James G. & Rau, Sabine B., 2015. "Entrepreneurial legacy: Toward a theory of how some family firms nurture transgenerational entrepreneurship," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 29-49.
    22. P. A. Geroski & José Mata & Pedro Portugal, 2010. "Founding conditions and the survival of new firms," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(5), pages 510-529, May.
    23. Joseph H. Astrachan & Claudia Binz Astrachan & Giovanna Campopiano & Massimo Baù, 2020. "Values, Spirituality and Religion: Family Business and the Roots of Sustainable Ethical Behavior," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 163(4), pages 637-645, May.
    24. Abeng, Tanri, 1997. "Business Ethics in Islamic Context: Perspectives of a Muslim Business Leader," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 7(3), pages 47-54, July.
    25. Reginald Litz & Nick Turner, 2013. "Sins of the Father’s Firm: Exploring Responses to Inherited Ethical Dilemmas in Family Business," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 113(2), pages 297-315, March.
    26. Long, Rebecca G. & Mathews, K. Michael, 2011. "Ethics in the Family Firm: Cohesion through Reciprocity and Exchange," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 21(2), pages 287-308, April.
    27. Fahri Karakas & Emine Sarigollu & Mustafa Kavas, 2015. "Discourses of Collective Spirituality and Turkish Islamic Ethics: An Inquiry into Transcendence, Connectedness, and Virtuousness in Anatolian Tigers," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 129(4), pages 811-822, July.
    28. Steven Feldman, 2007. "Moral Memory: Why and How Moral Companies Manage Tradition," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 72(4), pages 395-409, June.
    29. Mathias, Blake D. & Williams, David W. & Smith, Adam R., 2015. "Entrepreneurial inception: The role of imprinting in entrepreneurial action," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 11-28.
    30. Hayfaa Tlaiss, 2015. "How Islamic Business Ethics Impact Women Entrepreneurs: Insights from Four Arab Middle Eastern Countries," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 129(4), pages 859-877, July.
    31. Rasem N. Kayed & M. Kabir Hassan, 2010. "Islamic Entrepreneurship: A Case Study Of Saudi Arabia," Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship (JDE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 15(04), pages 379-413.
    32. William S. Schulze & Michael H. Lubatkin & Richard N. Dino & Ann K. Buchholtz, 2001. "Agency Relationships in Family Firms: Theory and Evidence," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 12(2), pages 99-116, April.
    33. Laura J. Stanley, 2010. "Emotions and Family Business Creation: An Extension and Implications," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 34(6), pages 1085-1092, November.
    34. Ghulam Murtaza & Olivier Roques & Muhammad Abbas & Usman Raja & Afsheen Khalid & Rizwan Mushtaq, 2016. "Impact of Islamic Work Ethics on Organizational Citizenship Behaviors and Knowledge-Sharing Behaviors," Post-Print hal-01795053, HAL.
    35. Matthew Sinnicks, 2018. "Leadership After Virtue: MacIntyre’s Critique of Management Reconsidered," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 147(4), pages 735-746, February.
    36. Manuel Vallejo, 2008. "Is the Culture of Family Firms Really Different? A Value-based Model for Its Survival through Generations," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 81(2), pages 261-279, August.
    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. Sanjay Chaudhary & Amandeep Dhir & Duc Khuong Nguyen & Enrico Battisti & Puneet Kaur, 2025. "Exploring Family Values, Religion, and Ethical Behavior in Family Businesses: A Multi-Stage Qualitative Investigation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 198(4), pages 865-891, May.
    2. Mehdi Khodakarami & Zabihollah Rezaee & Reza Hesarzadeh, 2021. "Islamic Religious Atmosphere and Audit Pricing: Evidence from Iran," Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(4), pages 716-737, October.

    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. Minas N. Kastanakis & Solon Magrizos & Katerina Kampouri & Andrea Calabrò, 2025. "Family Firms and Ethics: Towards a Deeper Understanding of the Determinants of Ethical Decision-Making and Emerging Future Research Pathways," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 198(4), pages 919-946, May.
    2. Sanjay Chaudhary & Amandeep Dhir & Duc Khuong Nguyen & Enrico Battisti & Puneet Kaur, 2025. "Exploring Family Values, Religion, and Ethical Behavior in Family Businesses: A Multi-Stage Qualitative Investigation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 198(4), pages 865-891, May.
    3. Kowalik, Elena, 2023. "Ethical Problems in Family Firms," Junior Management Science (JUMS), Junior Management Science e. V., vol. 8(2), pages 431-452.
    4. Elias Hadjielias & Alfredo Massis & Michael Christofi & Danae Manika & Stephen Brammer, 2025. "Ethical Issues in Family Business: Toward a Deeper Understanding and a New Research Agenda," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 198(4), pages 715-731, May.
    5. Marcos Ferasso & Tatiana Beliaeva & Sascha Kraus & Paul Jones & Tobias Gössling, 2025. "Family Business Ethics: A Literature Review and Research Agenda," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 202(1), pages 141-159, November.
    6. Friederike Sophie Reck & Denise Fischer & Malte Brettel, 2022. "Ethical Decision-Making in Family Firms: The Role of Employee Identification," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 180(2), pages 651-673, October.
    7. Alessandro Cirillo & Maria Angela Manzi & Jonathan Bauweraerts & Salvatore Sciascia, 2025. "Tax Avoidance in Family Business: The Ethical Perspective of CEO Transgenerational Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 198(4), pages 841-864, May.
    8. Burton, Nicholas & Vu, Mai Chi & Cruz, Allan Discua, 2022. "Our social legacy will go on: Understanding outcomes of family SME succession through engaged Buddhism," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 105-118.
    9. Pedro Vazquez, 2018. "Family Business Ethics: At the Crossroads of Business Ethics and Family Business," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 150(3), pages 691-709, July.
    10. Johannes Thaller & Birgit Feldbauer-Durstmüller & Helmut Pernsteiner & Tanja Wolf, 2025. "Unlocking the secrets of family firms: exploring dialogue capacity through a secularization perspective in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 19(6), pages 1889-1926, June.
    11. Hayfaa A. Tlaiss & Maura McAdam, 2021. "Unexpected Lives: The Intersection of Islam and Arab Women’s Entrepreneurship," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 171(2), pages 253-272, June.
    12. Ritch L. Sorenson & Jackie M. Milbrandt, 2023. "Family Social Capital in Family Business: A Faith-Based Values Theory," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 184(3), pages 701-724, May.
    13. 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.
    14. Nonyelum Lina Eze & Mattias Nordqvist & Georges Samara & Maria José Parada, 2021. "Different Strokes for Different Folks: The Roles of Religion and Tradition for Transgenerational Entrepreneurship in Family Businesses," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 45(4), pages 792-837, July.
    15. Jessenia Davila & Luis Gomez-Mejia & Geoff Martin, 2024. "Family Firms and Employee Pension Underfunding: Good Corporate Citizens or Unethical Opportunists?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 192(2), pages 323-339, June.
    16. Bąkiewicz Anna & Kasuma Jati & Hermawan Asep, 2022. "Family Business and Religion – Research Agenda," Journal of Intercultural Management, Sciendo, vol. 14(2), pages 4-40, December.
    17. T. M. Brunner-Kirchmair & M. R. W. Hiebl & J. Thaller & T. Wolf & B. Feldbauer-Durstmüller & H. Pernsteiner & M. Dick & S. Mayr & E. Wagner, 2025. "Religion logic and family firms’ ethical behavior towards employees," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 19(6), pages 1819-1857, June.
    18. Joseph H. Astrachan & Claudia Binz Astrachan & Giovanna Campopiano & Massimo Baù, 2020. "Values, Spirituality and Religion: Family Business and the Roots of Sustainable Ethical Behavior," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 163(4), pages 637-645, May.
    19. Danny Miller & Isabelle Le Breton-Miller, 2025. "The Best of Firms, the Worst of Firms: Ethical Bifurcation in Family Businesses During Crises," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 198(4), pages 733-748, May.
    20. Amitabh Anand & Attila Wieszt & Éva Vajda, 2025. "Decoding the dark sides of family business: a synthesis, and future research agenda," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 19(11), pages 3563-3606, November.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:wly:buseth:v:30:y:2021:i:2:p:202-215. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/26946424 .

    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.