IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/upf/upfgen/1870.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Organizational identity and performance: An inquiry into nonconforming company names

Author

Listed:

Abstract

Choosing the right company name is challenging and may have major consequences for firm prospects. Drawing on the strategic conformity literature, we investigate the implications of "nonconforming" company names, i.e. foreign sounding and family-unrelated, for family firms' performance. Consistent with the idea that such names endow the business with greater visibility and recognition, we find that nonconforming names are positively associated with financial performance. This association is stronger when the firm operates in an industry with a low share of nonconforming peers and a high share of eponymous peers, in a crowded product class, and is smaller than industry peers. Collectively, our analysis provides new evidence on the strategic implications of company names.

Suggested Citation

  • Mario Daniele Amore & Mircea Epure & Orsola Garofalo, 2023. "Organizational identity and performance: An inquiry into nonconforming company names," Economics Working Papers 1870, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
    • Handle: RePEc:upf:upfgen:1870
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://econ-papers.upf.edu/papers/1870.pdf
    File Function: Whole Paper
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Diego Zunino & Fernando F. Suarez & Stine Grodal, 2019. "Familiarity, Creativity, and the Adoption of Category Labels in Technology Industries," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(1), pages 169-190, February.
    2. David L. Deephouse & Peter Jaskiewicz, 2013. "Do Family Firms Have Better Reputations Than Non-Family Firms? An Integration of Socioemotional Wealth and Social Identity Theories," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(3), pages 337-360, May.
    3. Peter Rosa, 1999. "The prevalence of multiple owners and directors in the SME sector: implications for our understanding of start-up and growth," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(1), pages 21-37, January.
    4. Anderson, Ronald C. & Duru, Augustine & Reeb, David M., 2009. "Founders, heirs, and corporate opacity in the United States," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(2), pages 205-222, May.
    5. Edward B. Smith & Heewon Chae, 2016. "“We do what we must, and call it by the best names”: Can deliberate names offset the consequences of organizational atypicality?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(6), pages 1021-1033, June.
    6. Zellweger, Thomas M. & Eddleston, Kimberly A. & Kellermanns, Franz W., 2010. "Exploring the concept of familiness: Introducing family firm identity," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 1(1), pages 54-63, March.
    7. Michael Spence, 2002. "Signaling in Retrospect and the Informational Structure of Markets," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(3), pages 434-459, June.
    8. Roland G. Fryer & Steven D. Levitt, 2004. "The Causes and Consequences of Distinctively Black Names," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 119(3), pages 767-805.
    9. Michael J. Cooper & Orlin Dimitrov & P. Raghavendra Rau, 2001. "A Rose.com by Any Other Name," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 56(6), pages 2371-2388, December.
    10. Mario Daniele Amore & Orsola Garofalo & Alessandro Minichilli, 2014. "Gender Interactions Within the Family Firm," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 60(5), pages 1083-1097, May.
    11. Miller, Danny & Le Breton-Miller, Isabelle & Amore, Mario Daniele & Minichilli, Alessandro & Corbetta, Guido, 2017. "Institutional logics, family firm governance and performance," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 32(6), pages 674-693.
    12. Massimo Baù & Francesco Chirico & Daniel Pittino & Mikaela Backman & Johan Klaesson, 2019. "Roots to Grow: Family Firms and Local Embeddedness in Rural and Urban Contexts," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 43(2), pages 360-385, March.
    13. Leuz, Christian & Nanda, Dhananjay & Wysocki, Peter D., 2003. "Earnings management and investor protection: an international comparison," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(3), pages 505-527, September.
    14. Patricio Duran & Nadine Kammerlander & Marc van Essen & Thomas Zellweger, 2016. "Doing More with Less : Innovation Input and Output in Family Firms," Post-Print hal-02312103, HAL.
    15. Alok Kumar & Alexandra Niessen-Ruenzi & Oliver G. Spalt, 2015. "What's in a Name? Mutual Fund Flows When Managers Have Foreign-Sounding Names," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 28(8), pages 2281-2321.
    16. Rafael La Porta & Florencio Lopez‐De‐Silanes & Andrei Shleifer, 1999. "Corporate Ownership Around the World," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 54(2), pages 471-517, April.
    17. Patricio Duran & Nadine Kammerlander & Marc van Essen & Thomas Zellweger, 2016. "Doing More with Less : Innovation Input and Output in Family Firms," Post-Print hal-02276703, HAL.
    18. Morten Bennedsen & Kasper Meisner Nielsen & Francisco Perez-Gonzalez & Daniel Wolfenzon, 2007. "Inside the Family Firm: The Role of Families in Succession Decisions and Performance," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 122(2), pages 647-691.
    19. Danny Miller & Isabelle Le Breton‐Miller & Richard H. Lester, 2010. "Family ownership and acquisition behavior in publicly‐traded companies," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(2), pages 201-223, February.
    20. Miller, Danny & Amore, Mario Daniele & Le Breton-Miller, Isabelle & Minichilli, Alessandro & Quarato, Fabio, 2018. "Strategic distinctiveness in family firms: Firm institutional heterogeneity and configurational multidimensionality," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 9(1), pages 16-26.
    21. Cucculelli, Marco & Micucci, Giacinto, 2008. "Family succession and firm performance: Evidence from Italian family firms," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 14(1), pages 17-31, February.
    22. Amore, Mario Daniele & Epure, Mircea, 2021. "Riding out of a financial crisis: The joint effect of trust and corporate ownership," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(1), pages 92-109.
    23. Fahlenbrach, Rüdiger, 2009. "Founder-CEOs, Investment Decisions, and Stock Market Performance," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 44(2), pages 439-466, April.
    24. Ryan C. McDevitt, 2014. ""A" Business by Any Other Name: Firm Name Choice as a Signal of Firm Quality," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 122(4), pages 909-944.
    25. Anderson, Ronald C. & Duru, Augustine & Reeb, David M., 2012. "Investment policy in family controlled firms," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(6), pages 1744-1758.
    26. Diego Zunino & Fernando Suárez & Stine Grodal, 2019. "Familiarity, Creativity, and the Adoption of Category Labels in Technology Industries [Familiarité, créativité et adoption des étiquettes de catégorie dans les industries de technologie]," Post-Print halshs-02292507, HAL.
    27. Marianne Bertrand & Antoinette Schoar, 2006. "The Role of Family in Family Firms," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 20(2), pages 73-96, Spring.
    28. Sherry, John F, Jr & Camargo, Eduardo G, 1987. ""May Your Life Be Marvelous:" English Language Labelling and the Semiotics of Japanese Promotion," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 14(2), pages 174-188, September.
    29. Thomas M. Zellweger & Robert S. Nason & Mattias Nordqvist & Candida G. Brush, 2013. "Why Do Family Firms Strive for Nonfinancial Goals? An Organizational Identity Perspective," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 37(2), pages 229-248, March.
    30. Ghosh, Aloke(Al) & Tang, Charles Y., 2015. "Assessing financial reporting quality of family firms: The auditors׳ perspective," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(1), pages 95-116.
    31. Akyildirim, Erdinc & Corbet, Shaen & Sensoy, Ahmet & Yarovaya, Larisa, 2020. "The impact of blockchain related name changes on corporate performance," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    32. Javier Gimeno & Carolyn Y. Woo, 1996. "Hypercompetition in a Multimarket Environment: The Role of Strategic Similarity and Multimarket Contact in Competitive De-Escalation," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 7(3), pages 322-341, June.
    33. Green, T. Clifton & Jame, Russell, 2013. "Company name fluency, investor recognition, and firm value," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 109(3), pages 813-834.
    34. Miller, Danny & Le Breton-Miller, Isabelle & Lester, Richard H. & Cannella Jr., Albert A., 2007. "Are family firms really superior performers?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 13(5), pages 829-858, December.
    35. Sharon Belenzon & Aaron K. Chatterji & Brendan Daley, 2017. "Eponymous Entrepreneurs," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 107(6), pages 1638-1655, June.
    36. Danny Miller & Isabelle Le Breton-Miller & Alessandro Minichilli & Guido Corbetta & Daniel Pittino, 2014. "When do Non-Family CEOs Outperform in Family Firms? Agency and Behavioural Agency Perspectives," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(4), pages 547-572, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sondos G. Abdelgawad & Shaker A. Zahra, 2020. "Family Firms’ Religious Identity and Strategic Renewal," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 163(4), pages 775-787, May.
    2. Valentina Peruzzi, 2017. "Does family ownership structure affect investment-cash flow sensitivity? Evidence from Italian SMEs," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(43), pages 4378-4393, September.
    3. Christopher Hansen & Joern Block & Matthias Neuenkirch, 2020. "Family Firm Performance Over The Business Cycle: A Meta‐Analysis," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(3), pages 476-511, July.
    4. Fuxiu Jiang & Xiaojia Zheng & Wei Tang, 2018. "Non-family chair and corporate performance," Frontiers of Business Research in China, Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 1-30, December.
    5. Mario Daniele Amore & Morten Bennedsen & Isabelle Le Breton‐Miller & Danny Miller, 2021. "Back to the future: The effect of returning family successions on firm performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(8), pages 1432-1458, August.
    6. Breuer, Wolfgang & Knetsch, Andreas, 2022. "Informal authority and economic outcomes of family firms: An issue of national power distance," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    7. Pindado, Julio & Requejo, Ignacio & de la Torre, Chabela, 2014. "Family control, expropriation, and investor protection: A panel data analysis of Western European corporations," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 58-74.
    8. Minghui Yang & Yan Wang & Lu Bai & Petra Maresova, 2023. "Corporate social responsibility, family involvement, and stock price crash risk," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(3), pages 1204-1225, May.
    9. Jin-hui Luo & Xue Li & Linda C. Wang & Yue Liu, 2021. "Owner type, pyramidal structure and R&D Investment in China’s family firms," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 38(3), pages 1085-1111, September.
    10. Yeh, Yin-Hua & Liao, Chen-Chieh, 2021. "Are non-family successors all the same? Inside-promoted vs. outside-sourced," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    11. Miller, Danny & Amore, Mario Daniele & Le Breton-Miller, Isabelle & Minichilli, Alessandro & Quarato, Fabio, 2018. "Strategic distinctiveness in family firms: Firm institutional heterogeneity and configurational multidimensionality," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 9(1), pages 16-26.
    12. Patricio Duran & Nadine Kammerlander & Marc van Essen & Thomas Zellweger, 2016. "Doing More with Less : Innovation Input and Output in Family Firms," Post-Print hal-02276703, HAL.
    13. François Belot & Timothée Waxin, 2017. "Labor Conflicts in French Workplaces: Does (the Type of) Family Control Matter?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 146(3), pages 591-617, December.
    14. Schenkenhofer, Julian, 2020. "Hidden champions: A review of the literature & future research avenues," UO Working Papers 06-20, University of Augsburg, Chair of Management and Organization.
    15. Bennedsen, Morten & Mehrotra, Vikas & Shim, Jungwook & Wiwattanakantang, Yupana, 2021. "Dynastic control without ownership: Evidence from post-war Japan," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(2), pages 831-843.
    16. Ivan Miroshnychenko & Giorgio Vocalelli & Alfredo Massis & Stefano Grassi & Francesco Ravazzolo, 2024. "The COVID-19 pandemic and family business performance," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 62(1), pages 213-241, January.
    17. Barros, Ismael & Hernangómez, Juan & Martin-Cruz, Natalia, 2016. "A theoretical model of strategic management of family firms. A dynamic capabilities approach," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 7(3), pages 149-159.
    18. Debellis, Francesco & De Massis, Alfredo & Messeni Petruzzelli, Antonio & Frattini, Federico & Del Giudice, Manlio, 2021. "Strategic agility and international joint ventures: The willingness-ability paradox of family firms," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(1).
    19. Chemmanur, Thomas J. & Hu, Gang & Wu, Chaopeng & Wu, Shinong & Yan, Zehao, 2021. "Transforming the management and governance of private family firms: The role of venture capital," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    20. González, Maximiliano & Guzmán, Alexander & Pombo, Carlos & Trujillo, María-Andrea, 2012. "Family firms and financial performance: The cost of growing," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 626-649.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Organizational identity; company names; family firms; performance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G30 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - General
    • M10 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - General
    • M14 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Corporate Culture; Diversity; Social Responsibility

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:upf:upfgen:1870. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: the person in charge (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.econ.upf.edu/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.