Consciously contributing: Community engagement, philanthropy and family business

Abstract

Corporate citizenship is an area of the current study that considers, amongst other things, how the values of a business translate into socially responsible behaviour. Conversely, corporate citizenship can also consider the values individuals bring into the business and the impact these values may have on business behaviour. This chapter focuses on family business, taking the perspective that where the values of one family are concentrated in the leadership of a business, those values will tend to exert more influence on business behaviour, for good or ill. Family businesses vary widely in size, in sector of operation and indeed in the values they hold but family businesses are also astonishingly numerous and of considerable economic importance. Whilst there is an ongoing definitional debate, a consensus has been reached within the literature that somewhere between 65% and 80% of businesses are owned, managed, or led by family. Family businesses form the economic bedrock of economies and communities worldwide and their impact on corporate citizenship is therefore substantial. In considering how a research agenda for this area might be developed, this chapter seeks to advance thinking and to provoke both debate and ongoing research.