Intergenerational succession and corporate philanthropy: a stakeholder perspective
基于中国A股上市家族企业数据，研究发现代际传承中的家族企业比未传承企业更倾向于增加慈善捐赠，这一效应在污染行业更强，在宗族文化浓厚地区及传承完成后则减弱。
Purpose Based on stakeholder theory, this study aims to examine the impact of family firm succession on corporate philanthropy while considering the potential role of the clan cultural context, industry context, and the stage of succession. Design/methodology/approach Data were based on a sample of 7,502 firm-year observations from listed family firms in China’s A-share markets between 2007 and 2018. Several Tobit models are used for analysing the data. Difference-in-difference regression method and propensity score matching method are used for robustness tests. Findings Family firms undergoing succession tend to spend more on corporate philanthropy compared to non-succession counterparts. This effect is more pronounced among polluting industry firms and weaker in regions with strong clan cultures and after the process of succession is complete. Originality/value This study sheds new light on the relationship between inter-generational succession and corporate philanthropy. By considering the moderating effect of the clan cultural context, industry context, and the stage of succession, this study further advances the understanding of the role of corporate philanthropy in managing family firm succession.