Theory Driven Research on Corporate Sustainability in Family Firms and SMEs
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Management".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 1997
Special Issue Editor
Interests: sustainability in family firms; digital transformation in family firms; corporate governance of family firms; strategic behaviour of family firms; stakeholders of family firms
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Corporate sustainability in family firms and SMEs has garnered a major interest among family business scholars as well as sustainability researchers. As the most predominant organizational firms in the world, family firms have a huge impact on the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set out by the UN. At the same time, the entanglement of business and family, the idiosyncratic structures of family firms and the pursuit of value-oriented long-term goals set family businesses apart from other for-profit organizations. SMEs, which mostly consist of family firms, face additional challenges such as the liability of resource scarcity. Hence, prior studies on these organizational forms faced heterogenous and inconsistent results, especially in comparison to research on non-family firms.
The exponential rise of empirical research as well as literature reviews on the topic has led to a plethora of approaches, conceptualizations, and ad hoc theorizing. The goal of this Special Issue is to broaden and organize our knowledge of CS in FF by utilizing and incorporating the three most prevalent theories in the field: corporate governance, signaling theory, and stakeholder theory.
We invite all kinds of empirical research that builds on one or more of these (or closely related) theories. While conceptual and review papers are also acceptable, these need to clearly demonstrate their contribution toward theory building.
Examples of relevant questions for this Special Issue include but are not limited to the following:
- Are CS performance activities fundamental for creating value and profit or do already profitable family firms invest in CS activities and profit even more from these?
- How do managers’ personality traits affect CS performance in FF (in different countries)?
- What is the precise mechanism of family influence and its differentiation of executive and non-executive directors in firms?
- How do CS certifications affect firm’s performance?
- What role do more distant stakeholders, such as buyers and suppliers, play in regard to CS performance in FF?
- How and why FF adopt circular economy or other similar sustainability concepts that focus on environmental aspects.
- Do FF and NFF differ in regard to circular economy?
- How does culture impact CS in FF? For example, what are the differences and similarities between chaebols, guanxi and keiretsu in respect to CS?
Prof. Dr. Marcel Hülsbeck
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- corporate sustainability
- family firms
- corporate governance
- signaling theory
- stakeholder theory
- reputation legitimacy performance
