Little is known about the impact of family ownership and management on corporate social performance. Some scholars have suggested that family firms are not likely to act in a socially responsible manner, while others have indicated that socially responsible behavior on the part of the family firm protects the family's assets. This preliminary study compares the degree to which family and nonfamily firms are socially responsible using data from 1991 to 2000 from the S&P 500. Two hundred sixty-one firms (202 nonfamily and 59 family) appeared in the S&P 500 for the 10-year period. Findings show that family firms are more socially responsible than nonfamily firms along several dimensions. This is likely due to family concern about image and reputation and a desire to protect family assets.

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This article explores how the family Influences an entrepreneur's career. There are various points In time where family and entrepreneurial dynamics intersect. These Include: (1) early experiences In the entrepreneur's family of origin; (2) family Involvement and support of early start-up activities; (3) employment of family members In the new venture; and (4) involvement of family members In ownership and management succession. The article explores each of these four areas and suggests research questions that need to be explored to develop a better understanding of the relationship between entrepreneurs and their families.

Few studies in the mainstream management literature have included the family as a variable. The focus of this article is to describe (1) why there is a dearth of research using family as a variable; (2) how failing to use the family as a variable in organizational research can lead to incomplete or misleading findings; (3) the issues and concerns related to using the family as a variable in organizational research; and (4) options in research design for using the family as a variable. Given that the vast majority of organizations can be classified as "family firms," including the family as a variable in research designs will provide researchers with theories that are more robust and that can be generalized to a larger population of organizations.

The culture of the family firm plays an important role in determining the success of the business beyond the first generation.