Linking CEO Celebrity to the Ethical Behavior of Family Firms in a Digital Age: Evidence from China

Tachia Chin (), Sanjay Kumar Singh (), Liang Wu () and Grigorios Lamprinakos ()
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Tachia Chin: Zhejiang University of Technology
Sanjay Kumar Singh: University of Dundee School of Business
Liang Wu: Zhejiang University of Technology
Grigorios Lamprinakos: University of Birmingham

Journal of Business Ethics, 2025, vol. 198, issue 4, No 5, 787-811

Abstract: Abstract Given the widespread use of social media, growing interest has been paid to the nexus of corporate ethics and the celebrity status of chief executive officers (CEOs). This is of even more paramount importance in family-owned firms that are very sensitive to public image and its ethical relevance. However, no empirical evidence has been found. In response, the purpose of this paper is to examine the mechanisms through which family business ethics and CEO celebrity are associated, as well as the moderating influence of a leader's personal traits on these relationships. According to secondary data from listed Chinese family firms, from 2013 to 2020, the celebrity status of CEOs was strongly connected with the ethical behavior of organizations; however, this link was mitigated by the heterogeneity of CEOs. The firm's ethical behavior and the CEO's celebrity are positively correlated when the CEO is a family member; when the CEO is not a family member, the correlation is inversely U-shaped. Furthermore, the age, dualities (including the chairman role), and tenure of CEOs had a major impact on the mechanisms of CEO fame and family business ethics. The theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed in detail.

Keywords: Celebrity CEO; Firm ethical behavior; Family firm; Socioemotional wealth (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s10551-025-05940-y

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