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Article
Sustainability Practices of Family Firms: The Interplay between Family Ownership and Long-Term Orientation
Journal of Sustainable Tourism
  • Esra Memili
  • Chevy-Hanqing Fang, Missouri University of Science and Technology
  • Burcu Koc
  • Ozlem Yildirim-Oktem
  • Sevil Sonmez
Abstract

Sustainability practices are critical for family firms, as they relate directly to the continuity of the business and relationships with important stakeholders, such as members of the local community. Nevertheless, not all family firms wish to adopt sustainability practices. To examine this, we draw upon the socioemotional wealth perspective in order to develop a theoretical model of the direct negative effects of family ownership on the adoption of sustainability practices. We also suggest moderating effects of long-term orientation (LTO) on this link. Our model is tested on a sample of 195 family firms in the tourism and hospitality sector. The results support our hypothesis that family ownership negatively influences the adoption of sustainability practices. Additionally, LTO moderates the relationship between family ownership and the adoption of sustainability practices, such that family owners with a high LTO are more likely to adopt this particular practice compared to those with a low LTO.

Department(s)
Business and Information Technology
Keywords and Phrases
  • Adaptive management,
  • Ecotourism,
  • Family structure,
  • Firm ownership,
  • Hospitality industry,
  • Industrial practice,
  • Family firms,
  • Hospitality,
  • Long-term orientation,
  • Sustainability practices,
  • Tourism
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2018 Taylor & Francis, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
1-1-2018
Publication Date
01 Jan 2018
Disciplines
Citation Information
Esra Memili, Chevy-Hanqing Fang, Burcu Koc, Ozlem Yildirim-Oktem, et al.. "Sustainability Practices of Family Firms: The Interplay between Family Ownership and Long-Term Orientation" Journal of Sustainable Tourism Vol. 26 Iss. 1 (2018) p. 9 - 28 ISSN: 0966-9582; 1747-7646
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/hanqing-fang/2/