Corporate Social Responsibility in Family Businesses: A Sustainability-Focused Bibliometric Approach

Objective Sustainability has gained significant attention across various domains in recent decades, including the media, institutions, and national and international policymaking organizations. Concurrently, corporate social responsibility (CSR) literature has experienced rapid expansion, particularly about family businesses—entities distinguished by unique characteristics that differentiate them from other private organizations. This growth has created diverse and compelling research avenues at the intersection of sustainability and CSR. This study employs a bibliometric analysis to examine previous research on CSR in family businesses and its integration with sustainability, aiming to consolidate fragmented studies across industries while addressing gaps in the implementation of dispersed CSR practices among family enterprises. Methods The research adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative techniques through Bibliometric analysis, utilizing the ADO-TCM framework (Antecedents, Decisions, Outcomes – Theory, Context, Methods). For the scientometric analysis, we extracted data from Scopus (1990–2023), the most comprehensive and reliable database for scientometric research. From an initial pool of 592 identified articles, 120 were selected for preliminary analysis using VOSviewer software. Following Aiden et al.’s (2017) model, we implemented a four-stage screening process: (a) identification and extraction of relevant articles, (b) title and abstract screening, (c) full-text review of introductions and results, and (d) final evaluation based on research objectives, yielding 36 core articles. Results Results indicate a substantial growth in CSR research focusing on family businesses since 2010. While early studies originated primarily in Western Europe and North America, the current research epicenter has shifted toward Asia, particularly to emerging and advanced economies like China. Quantitative methods dominate the field (accounting for 78% of studies), with regression analysis being particularly prevalent. Conclusion Our researcher-developed model, based on the secondary screening of the 36 articles, reveals that antecedents primarily concern CSR, sustainable development, SDGs, ethics, and socio-economic-cultural factors. Strategic decisions predominantly involve long-term corporate strategies and board-level decisions focusing on earnings management, ownership structure, environmental disclosure, downsizing, workforce reduction, gender diversity, and investment. These interventions aim to enhance sustainability disclosure transparency, promote responsible approaches, and align investments with sustainability, which represents a key recent trend. The study highlights significant contributions from family businesses across Asian (e.g., China, South Korea, Russia, Turkey), European (e.g., Lithuania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Poland), and American (particularly the United States) contexts. The research integrates multiple theoretical perspectives, including Socioemotional Wealth Theory, Stakeholder Theory, Institutional Theory, Resource-Based View, Neo-Institutional Theory, Stewardship Theory, Agency Theory, Goal Systems Theory, Theory of Planned Behavior, and Signaling Theory.