Environmental Sustainability of Family Firms: A Meta-Analysis of Handprint and Footprint

Our meta-analysis investigates the environmental sustainability performance of family firms (FFs) distinguishing between environmental hand- and footprint and accounting for FF heterogeneity. Based on a sample of 87 primary studies comprising 118,538 firms, we find no significant difference between...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Entrepreneurship theory and practice 2024-09, Vol.48 (5), p.1266-1284
Main Authors: Lorenzen, Solvej, Gerken, Maike, Steinmetz, Holger, Block, Joern, Hülsbeck, Marcel, Lux, Friederike Sophie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Companies
environmental footprint
environmental handprint
Environmental protection
environmental sustainability
family firm heterogeneity
family firms
Family owned businesses
Meta-analysis
Parent participation
Sustainability
Sustainability management
Sustainability reporting
Sustainable development
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Summary:Our meta-analysis investigates the environmental sustainability performance of family firms (FFs) distinguishing between environmental hand- and footprint and accounting for FF heterogeneity. Based on a sample of 87 primary studies comprising 118,538 firms, we find no significant difference between FFs and non-FFs regarding their overall environmental sustainability performance. Yet, distinguishing between environmental hand- and footprint, we show that FFs have a lower footprint than non-FFs but do not differ regarding their handprint. Firm size, being a public firm, and type of family involvement moderate the effects of FF status on environmental sustainability performance. Our research note extends prior meta-analytical evidence and contributes to a more fine-grained and nuanced understanding of the environmental sustainability performance of FFs. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.
ISSN:1042-2587
1540-6520
1540-6520
DOI:10.1177/10422587231221799