SUSTAINABILITY IN FAMILY BUSINESSES
No entrepreneur can avoid the topic of sustainability. The social pressure from the various stakeholder groups (customers, suppliers, investors, state, etc.) is growing rapidly. Scientific studies show that some of the family businesses in particular are playing a pioneering role in the area of sustainability. Specific values and virtues that are brought into the company by the owner family, as well as long-term orientation, employee and stakeholder loyalty, have a positive effect on sustainability commitment. This in turn strengthens entrepreneurial aspects such as innovative strength, competitive advantage and profit. On the other hand, commitment to sustainability increases non-financial aspects such as the reputation and image of the business family and their company. When deciding on sustainability initiatives, the owner family plays an essential role:
• Which factors influence the sustainability motivation and performance of family businesses?
• Which environmental sustainability strategies do family businesses prefer and are there differences between different geographical and cultural regions?
• Why and how does the business family influence sustainability (strategy in the company)?
• What factors influence family shareholders when making decisions about environmental protection? How do family shareholders weigh these influencing factors against each other?
Corporate Sustainability in Family Firms – Family and Firm Antecedents and the Role of Motivation
While previous studies have mainly dealt with the comparison of family businesses and non-family businesses, the research project goes one step further and considers family businesses as a heterogeneous group with different interests. The aim of the research project is to empirically answer previously unresolved questions regarding the influence of various corporate and family factors on the sustainability of family businesses in order to understand what motivates family entrepreneurs and why they are more or less committed to sustainability. Thanks to a large number of decision-makers in family businesses who took part in our survey, these factors can now be quantitatively examined and made transparent in order to achieve a better understanding of the sometimes conflicting mechanisms of action in family businesses for research and practice.
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Marcel Hülsbeck
Project team: Robin A. Ernst, Dr. Maike Gerken, Prof. Dr. Andreas Hack; Prof. Dr. Marcel Hülsbeck
MoSAIC – Modes of Environmental Sustainability Strategy Adaption and Implementation with a Country-specific Focus
In a mosaic, the ‘big picture’ is created through a number of smaller pieces with different patterns or colors, and in their entirety they form a recognizable pattern. Therefore, in order to develop an insightful model of environmental sustainability in family businesses we follow an approach we call MoSAIC: we aim to describe Modes of Environmental Sustainability Strategy Adaption and Implementation with a Country-specific focus. The MoSAIC builds upon the notion that environmental sustainability in family businesses is indeed a complex structure, comprised of many sub-aspects – hence, the MoSAIC. The MoSAIC includes three main areas of interest: 1) the family and the business, 2) the environmental sustainability strategy and 3) the country context.
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Marcel Hülsbeck
Project team: Sophie Lux, Dr. Maike Gerken, Prof. Dr. Marcel Hülsbeck
The Role of Family Values and external Triggers in the Development of Corporate Sustainability Strategies
The aim of this research project is to investigate why and how a sustainability strategy is created in Family Businesses. The study focuses on the interplay between the family and corporate spheres. The aim is to find out where the impulses come from to deal with the topic of sustainability and what role the individual actors play in this.
How does the business family shape the sustainability discussion and how does the top management team integrate it into the company strategy?
Previous studies have approached the topic with large-scale quantitative cross-sectional analyses. To date, the question of how and why has hardly been addressed. However, scientific results indicate that the attitudes and motivations of the business family can have a significant impact on the company’s sustainability strategy. In this qualitative research project, we support business families and family businesses in developing their sustainability strategy.
We are convinced that with this research project we will gain important in-depth knowledge that will make a valuable contribution both to family business research and to practice.
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Marcel Hülsbeck
Project team: Andrea Gerlitz, Dr. Maike Gerken, Prof. Dr. Marcel Hülsbeck
Ecological Sustainability in Family Businesses
The focus of the research project is the decision of family shareholders for the topic of environmental protection. The aim of the research project is to find out which factors influence family shareholders when they make decisions about environmental protection and how they weigh these influencing factors against each other when making their decisions.
The research project is based on a comprehensive analysis of the status quo. What insights does the existing literature offer on the influence of family businesses on the topic of environmental protection? Based on the knowledge gained and additional interview studies, factors are determined that influence family shareholders when making decisions about environmental protection. How family shareholders weigh these factors against each other and how this influences their final decision is the focus of the subsequent studies. We are convinced that with this research project we are making a valuable contribution both to family business research and to practice, and that we will gain important insights for further research projects.
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Marcel Hülsbeck
Project team: Solvej Lorenzen, Dr. Maike Gerken, Prof. Dr. Jörn Block, Prof. Dr. Marcel Hülsbeck
LITERATURE (SELECTION)
a) WIFU-Studie Nachhaltigkeit in Familienunternehmen
b) WIFU-Praxisleitfaden Die dynamische Entwicklung einer Nachhaltigkeitsstrategie in Familienunternehmen
c) Ernst, R. A., Gerken, M., Hack, A., & Hülsbeck, M. (2022). Family firms as agents of sustainable development: A normative perspective. Technological forecasting and social change, 174, 121135.
d) Ernst, R. A., Gerken, M., Hack, A., & Hülsbeck, M. (2022). SMES’ reluctance to embrace corporate sustainability: The effect of stakeholder pressure on self-determination and the role of social proximity. Journal of cleaner production, 335, 130273.
e) Vortrag “Nachhaltigkeit in Familienunternehmen”
