IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/buseth/v33y2024i4p668-684.html

Does second‐generation involvement promote family firm environmental investment? The China experience

Author

Listed:
  • Ying Fu
  • Lei Jiang
  • Qiushi Bo
  • Ning Kang

Abstract

Family firms not only play an important role in economic growth but should also be held partly responsible for environmental degradation. Employing normative stakeholder theory and analyzing unique Chinese survey data via stepwise regression models, our findings indicate that second‐generation successors did not significantly impact family firms' environmental investment. However, among second‐generation successors, we find that successors with international experience positively impacted environmental investment. The propensity score matching (PSM) and two‐stage least squares estimation (2SLS) approaches confirm our results. As an interdisciplinary study, our research is of great value to the environmental responsibility and family business literature.

Suggested Citation

  • Ying Fu & Lei Jiang & Qiushi Bo & Ning Kang, 2024. "Does second‐generation involvement promote family firm environmental investment? The China experience," Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(4), pages 668-684, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:buseth:v:33:y:2024:i:4:p:668-684
    DOI: 10.1111/beer.12632
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/beer.12632
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/beer.12632?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. Azadegan, Arash & Golara, Sina & Kach, Andrew & Mousavi, Nasim, 2018. "Corporate environmental investments: A cross-national study on managerial decision making," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 47-64.
    2. John Bingham & W. Gibb Dyer & Isaac Smith & Gregory Adams, 2011. "A Stakeholder Identity Orientation Approach to Corporate Social Performance in Family Firms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 99(4), pages 565-585, April.
    3. Robert J. R. Elliott & Kenichi Shimamoto, 2008. "Are ASEAN Countries Havens for Japanese Pollution‐Intensive Industry?," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(2), pages 236-254, February.
    4. Sheng Yao & Weiwei Zhang, 2020. "Is Private Entrepreneurs’ Religiosity Conducive to Environmental Investment? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-17, February.
    5. Jiang, Lei & Zhou, Haifeng & He, Shixiong, 2021. "Does energy efficiency increase at the expense of output performance: Evidence from manufacturing firms in Jiangsu province, China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 220(C).
    6. Sharma, Pramodita & Sharma, Sanjay, 2011. "Drivers of Proactive Environmental Strategy in Family Firms," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 21(2), pages 309-334, April.
    7. Julio Pindado & Chabela De La Torre, 2004. "Why is ownership endogenous?," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(14), pages 901-904.
    8. Kristel Buysse & Alain Verbeke, 2003. "Proactive environmental strategies: a stakeholder management perspective," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(5), pages 453-470, May.
    9. Banjo Roxas & Alan Coetzer, 2012. "Institutional Environment, Managerial Attitudes and Environmental Sustainability Orientation of Small Firms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 111(4), pages 461-476, December.
    10. Feng Wei & Binyan Ding & Yu Kong, 2017. "Female Directors and Corporate Social Responsibility: Evidence from the Environmental Investment of Chinese Listed Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-19, December.
    11. Breton-Miller, Isabelle Le & Miller, Danny, 2016. "Family firms and practices of sustainability: A contingency view," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 7(1), pages 26-33.
    12. Samara, Georges & Jamali, Dima & Sierra, Vicenta & Parada, Maria Jose, 2018. "Who are the best performers? The environmental social performance of family firms," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 9(1), pages 33-43.
    13. Mayer, Adam, 2017. "Political identity and paradox in oil and gas policy: A study of regulatory exaggeration in Colorado, US," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 452-459.
    14. 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.
    15. Li, Xin Chun & Chen, Ling & Chua, Jess H. & Kirkman, Bradley L. & Rynes-Weller, Sara & Gomez-Mejia, Luis, 2015. "Research on Chinese Family Businesses: Perspectives," Management and Organization Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 11(4), pages 579-597, December.
    16. Ann Terlaak & Seonghoon Kim & Taewoo Roh, 2018. "Not Good, Not Bad: The Effect of Family Control on Environmental Performance Disclosure by Business Group Firms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 153(4), pages 977-996, December.
    17. Xinfeng Jiang & Ahsan Akbar, 2018. "Does Increased Representation of Female Executives Improve Corporate Environmental Investment? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-19, December.
    18. Ilinitch, Anne Y. & Soderstrom, Naomi S. & E. Thomas, Tom, 1998. "Measuring corporate environmental performance," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 17(4-5), pages 383-408.
    19. Jeffrey S. Harrison & Douglas A. Bosse & Robert A. Phillips, 2010. "Managing for stakeholders, stakeholder utility functions, and competitive advantage," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(1), pages 58-74, January.
    20. Olivier Meier & Guillaume Schier, 2021. "CSR and Family CEO: The Moderating Role of CEO’s Age," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 174(3), pages 595-612, December.
    21. Xiangyu Teng & Liang Chun Lu & Yung-ho Chiu, 2018. "Considering Emission Treatment for Energy-Efficiency Improvement and Air Pollution Reduction in China’s Industrial Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-18, November.
    22. Vanessa M. Strike & Pascual Berrone & Stephen G. Sapp & Lorenzo Congiu, 2015. "A Socioemotional Wealth Approach to CEO Career Horizons in Family Firms," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(4), pages 555-583, June.
    23. Wim Voordeckers & Anita Van gils & Jeroen Van den heuvel, 2007. "Board Composition in Small and Medium‐Sized Family Firms," Journal of Small Business Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(1), pages 137-156, January.
    24. Andrew King & Michael Lenox, 2002. "Exploring the Locus of Profitable Pollution Reduction," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 48(2), pages 289-299, February.
    25. Neubaum, Donald O. & Dibrell, Clay & Craig, Justin B., 2012. "Balancing natural environmental concerns of internal and external stakeholders in family and non-family businesses," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 3(1), pages 28-37.
    26. Yuan Ma & Jingzhi Men & Wei Cui, 2020. "Does Environmental Education Matter? Evidence from Provincial Higher Education Institutions in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-13, August.
    27. Daomi Lin & Jiangyong Lu & Xiaohui Liu & Xiru Zhang, 2016. "International knowledge brokerage and returnees’ entrepreneurial decisions," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 47(3), pages 295-318, April.
    28. Iana Paliova & Robert McNown & Grant Nülle, 2019. "Multiple Dimensions of Human Development Index and Public Social Spending for Sustainable Development," IMF Working Papers 2019/204, International Monetary Fund.
    29. Lévesque, Moren & Subramanian, Annapoornima M., 2022. "Family firm succession through the lens of technology intelligence," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 13(2).
    30. Coad, Alex & Segarra, Agustí & Teruel, Mercedes, 2013. "Like milk or wine: Does firm performance improve with age?," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 173-189.
    31. Junqian Xu & Yong Liu & Liling Yang, 2018. "A Comparative Study of the Role of China and India in Sustainable Textile Competition in the U.S. Market under Green Trade Barriers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-21, April.
    32. Thomas M. Zellweger & Franz W. Kellermanns & James J. Chrisman & Jess H. Chua, 2012. "Family Control and Family Firm Valuation by Family CEOs: The Importance of Intentions for Transgenerational Control," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 23(3), pages 851-868, June.
    33. Yingjie Hao & Congcong Fan & Yunguang Long & Jieyi Pan, 2019. "The role of returnee executives in improving green innovation performance of Chinese manufacturing enterprises: Implications for sustainable development strategy," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(5), pages 804-818, July.
    34. Jing Zhao & Michael Carney & Shubo Zhang & Limin Zhu, 2020. "How does an intra-family succession effect strategic change and performance in China’s family firms?," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 37(2), pages 363-389, June.
    35. Khaled Elsayed, 2006. "Reexamining the Expected Effect of Available Resources and Firm Size on Firm Environmental Orientation: An Empirical Study of UK Firms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 65(3), pages 297-308, May.
    36. Mariotti, Sergio & Marzano, Riccardo & Piscitello, Lucia, 2021. "The role of family firms’ generational heterogeneity in the entry mode choice in foreign markets," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 800-812.
    37. Junsheng Dou & Emma Su & Song Wang, 2019. "When Does Family Ownership Promote Proactive Environmental Strategy? The Role of the Firm’s Long-Term Orientation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 158(1), pages 81-95, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. 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.
    2. Ramona Waldau, 2025. "A systematic literature review on determinants and outcomes of ESG performance in family firms," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 75(4), pages 3357-3415, December.
    3. Luis R. Gómez-Mejía & Fernando Muñoz-Bullón & Ignacio Requejo & Maria J. Sanchez-Bueno, 2025. "Ethical Correlates of Family Control: Socioemotional Wealth, Environmental Performance, and Financial Returns," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 198(4), pages 893-917, May.
    4. Beatriz Forés & José María Fernández-Yáñez & Alba Puig-Denia & Montserrat Boronat-Navarro, 2022. "Unveiling the Direct Effects of Family Firm Heterogeneity on Environmental Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-20, August.
    5. Ivan Miroshnychenko & Danny Miller & Alfredo Massis & Isabelle Breton-Miller, 2025. "Are family firms green?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 64(2), pages 279-306, February.
    6. Limin Geng & Xueyuan Lu & Can Zhang, 2023. "The Theoretical Lineage and Evolutionary Logic of Research on the Environmental Behavior of Family Firms: A Literature Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(6), pages 1-23, March.
    7. Jörn H. Block & Pramodita Sharma & Lena Benz, 2024. "Stakeholder Pressures and Decarbonization Strategies in Mittelstand Firms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 193(3), pages 511-533, September.
    8. Xie, Peijun & Wang, Jian & Tang, Shiyi & Shahzadi, Irum & Bilan, Yuriy, 2025. "How does intergenerational transmission affect green innovation? Evidence from Chinese family businesses," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 158-169.
    9. 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.
    10. Cristina Lopez-Cozar-Navarro & Tiziana Priede-Bergamini & Sonia Benito-Hernandez, 2023. "How Family Character Affect the Financing of Environmental Protection Strategies and Energy-Saving Measures," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 25(63), pages 503-503, April.
    11. 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).
    12. Kowalik, Elena, 2023. "Ethical Problems in Family Firms," Junior Management Science (JUMS), Junior Management Science e. V., vol. 8(2), pages 431-452.
    13. Li, Xinlan & Li, Changhong & Guo, Xiaoli, 2023. "Environmental practices, family control, and corporate performance: Evidence from Chinese family firms," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    14. Sang‐Joon Kim & Jongwan Bae & SoHyeon Kang, 2024. "The cross‐cutting pursuit of family values: When and how do family firms engage in corporate environmental responsibility," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(4), pages 2749-2769, July.
    15. 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.
    16. Mojca Duh & Andreja Primec, 2024. "Investigating the Effectiveness of Endogenous and Exogenous Drivers of the Sustainability (Re)Orientation of Family SMEs in Slovenia: Qualitative Content Analysis Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-27, August.
    17. Pascual Berrone & Luis R. Gomez-Mejia & Kai Xu, 2023. "The Role of Family Ownership in Norm-Conforming Environmental Initiatives: Lessons from China," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 47(5), pages 1915-1941, September.
    18. 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.
    19. Alvaro Rojas & Daniel Lorenzo, 2021. "Environmental and Social Goals in Spanish SMEs: The Moderating Effect of Family Influence," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-17, February.
    20. Ada Domańska & Ewa Więcek-Janka & Robert Zajkowski, 2022. "Implementing Sustainable Development Concept: A Typology of Family Firms in Poland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-21, April.

    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:33:y:2024:i:4:p:668-684. 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.