Family firms and ethics: towards a deeper understanding of the determinants of ethical decision-making and emerging future research pathways

The goal of this study is to reveal which contextual factors can shape ethical behaviour and decision-making in family firms (FFs), with the aim to uncover emerging themes that help set the stage for future work on FF ethics. To do so, we conducted an integrative literature review. By systematically...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Kastanakis, Minas N. (Author) ; Magrizos, Solon (Author) ; Kampouri, Katerina (Author) ; Calabrò, Andrea (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Published: 2025
In: Journal of business ethics
Year: 2025, Volume: 198, Issue: 4, Pages: 919-946
Further subjects:B Business Ethics
B Family structures
B Research Ethics
B Values
B Meta-Ethics
B Review
B Ethics
B Family Business
B Family firms
B Aufsatz in Zeitschrift
B Normative Ethics
B Socio-emotional wealth
B Religion and Ethics
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Summary:The goal of this study is to reveal which contextual factors can shape ethical behaviour and decision-making in family firms (FFs), with the aim to uncover emerging themes that help set the stage for future work on FF ethics. To do so, we conducted an integrative literature review. By systematically collecting, reviewing 90 studies and synthesizing their key findings with prior theoretical foundations in the FF field, we demonstrate how personal and family values, preservation of socioemotional wealth, generation succession and structural factors (e.g. FF size, FF life cycle) can affect ethical decision-making in FFs. We also provide propositions and research pathways to orient future studies.
ISSN:1573-0697
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of business ethics
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1007/s10551-025-05945-7