Social responsibility of family businesses : the case of Polish large Entities

Family firms are the dominant form of business in the economies of the world. Depending on the definition adopted, their participation in the market is estimated at 15-70% of all businesses in the U.S. and the EU with a share of GDP ranging from 12 to 49%. In Poland, the family business has become an interesting research topic, especially after over 25 years of existence in the economy.The prevailing assumption is that a family business, due to a presumed long term relationship, embedded community orientation and shared vision, would be naturally ethical and socially responsible. This kind of business may have unique perspectives of socially responsible behavior due to the family involvement and ties to the community and their commitment to uphold the business. This study aims to explore the consequences of corporate social responsibility (CSR) for family firms operating on a big scale. Using a national survey on 1452 companies, the researcher profiled family business operators’ (n = 203). The data of 49 was analyzed in order to determine whether their CSR orientation contributed to family business performance. Although the study was exploratory, it addressed CSR in a context new to the literature as it focused on Polish large family firms. The results provide a substantial insight and understanding of CSR and its importance to family business performance. The findings may prove beneficial to community and economic development of specialists, business consultants, and family business operators.