Driving corporate social responsibility, organizational learning and financial performance on sustainable corporate performance in family enterprises

Abstract

Purpose: This research aims to investigate the relationships between organizational learning (OL), corporate social responsibility (CSR), corporate financial performance (CFP) and sustainable corporate performance (SCP) within the context of food-manufacturing family enterprises in Vietnam. Specifically, the study strengthens the combination of these three factors that collectively contribute to enhancing SCP. Furthermore, the research explores the role of service quality (SQ) and green brand innovativeness (GBI) as strategic levers for achieving a competitive edge in SCP within family enterprises. Design/methodology/approach: This study was used the quantitative method to evaluate the influence of CSR, OL, CFP, SQ and GBI on the SCP of family enterprises. The study sample comprised 456 responses from top and middle management of organizations and used the smart partial least squares SEM (version 3.3.2) to analyze the data in the year 2024. Findings: The study provides significant positive relationships between OL, CSR and CFP in contributing to enhancing SCP within family enterprises. Results suggest that firms with strong OL, CSR and CFP collectively could improve SCP. Furthermore, SQ and GBI emerged as integral factors in differentiating family enterprises in terms of SCP. While SQ plays a significant role in building customer loyalty and trust, GBI is crucial for positioning family enterprises as a sustainable one in the market. Thus, this study contributes to the existing academic knowledge by providing insights into how family enterprises can effectively balance economic, social and environmental objectives for long-term sustainability. Originality/value: While previous studies have explored these factors independently, this study offers a novel perspective by examining their performances correlatively. The outcomes of this study provide valuable guidance for family enterprises’ managers, CEOs and business leaders to make strategic sustainability plans and create competitive edge when it comes to SCP.