Corporate Social Responsibility and Family Business: Different Perspectives to Explore an Under Investigated Topic

Family firms play a crucial role in the world economy, and especially in Asia and continental Europe they are the most widespread form of incorporation. Italy in particular is a very interesting field of investigation, due to the high concentration of family firms in the country. Although corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been studied for many decades and arguments from different theoretical perspectives have been relied on to understand the phenomenon and corporate behavior, only a few studies, at our best knowledge, address the issue of corporate social responsibility in family business. This doctoral thesis aims at addressing the rising call for further and detailed research on the topic. The first chapter examines the way in which large Italian companies communicate their social responsible initiatives and principles. Through a content analysis all the reported information is coded and classified in order to allow a structured and formal study, supported by a statistical test performed in order to detect significant differences between family and non-family firms. The second chapter focuses on SMEs and aims at extending the understanding of their socially responsible behavior, through a qualitative methodology. The study consists of four case studies in order to have a comprehensive picture of their approach to CSR, as regards the diffusion of CSR at various organizational levels, the identification of the motivations that the family adduces when accomplishing CSR initiatives, and the presence of the family as one of the main elements necessary for the continuity of these practices. Finally, the third chapter is based on data collected through a survey. The methodology adopted entails the regression analysis that allows to examine the impact of the family involvement in the business on the perception that CSR is a relevant practice for the business.