Proceedings of 21st International Business Research Conference
10 - 11 June, 2013, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada, ISBN: 978-1-922069-25-2
Religion & Family-Owned Businesses: The Case of the
English Speaking Caribbean
Lawrence A. Nicholson* and Dahlia Daley-Nation**
Interest in the issues affecting family business has heightened in
recent years. However, there is a dearth in the literature on the
influence of religion on this category of businesses. In an effort to
address this gap, this paper reports on a case study that examines
the influence of religion on family-owned businesses in three English
Speaking Caribbean countries; Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and
Tobago. The study draws on a sample of 192 family owned
businesses and focus group sessions. The study reveals that religion
influences critical decisions in family-owned businesses, including the
motivation for starting a family business. The study has implications
for both the academic and business communities.
JEL Codes: A13 and M13
Track: Management
Key Words: Family-owned business, Religion, Caribbean
1. Introduction
Family businesses have not benefited much from the historical debate and
burgeoning literature on religion and business. This unexplored component in the
family business literature is inconsistent with the importance of family business in the
global economy (Astrachan, Klein & Smyrnios, 2002; Goetzmann & Köll, 2003;
Morck & Nakamura, 2003; Gersick, Davis, Hampton and Lansberg 1997 and Ward,
2004) and the impact of religion on people's lives (Connelly, 1996). The economic
importance of family business has not escaped the Caribbean region (Nicholson,
2010, Williams and 2010) and religion is affects all areas of the of people‟s lives in
the Caribbean (Hylton, 2002):
Religion is very deep-rooted among the Caribbean people. It is manifested
in their talking, singing, eating, drinking and virtually every artistic, social
and political activity. The historical role played by religion in the struggles
of the people has been so influential that any socio-political analysis or any
contemporary political movement that fails to take this fact into account will
undoubtedly be committing a grave error. (p. i).
Combining the increased attention given to family-owned businesses in the
Caribbean, the importance of religion to the people of the region and the
continued effort to foster a closer and increased economic, political and
Funding for this research came from the Office of the Principal, The University of the West Indies,
Mona,
* Dr. Lawrence A. Nicholson; Mona School of Business & Management; The University of the West
Indies. Email: lawrence.nicholson@uwimona.edu.jm
** Dahlia Daley-Nation; Mona School of Business & Management; The University of the West Indies
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Proceedings of 21st International Business Research Conference
10 - 11 June, 2013, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada, ISBN: 978-1-922069-25-2
social integration among Caribbean countries, this paper seeks answers to the
following two research questions: (i) what is the influence of religion on family-owned
businesses in the English Speaking Caribbean? (ii) is there any difference in the
influence of religion across countries in the English Speaking Caribbean? We draw
on data from Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago in answering these
questions. The answer to these questions will help to inform decisions in the
formulation of policy framework for family-owned businesses in the individual
countries examined and across countries in the Caribbean region. The contribution
of the paper falls into two main areas: (i) establishing an understanding of ways in
which religion or religious beliefs might influence FOBs in the English Speaking
Caribbean and (ii) providing a platform for the investigation of religion and family
businesses in other jurisdictions; while adding to the growing body of research on the
interplay between religion and business.
Though there are varied definitions of what constit (Connelly utes a family business
(see Barnes & Hershon, 1976; Handler, 1989; Churchill & Hatten, 1993; Carsrud,
1994 and Chua, Chrisman and Sharma, 1999), this paper adopts the definition
posited by Chua et al (1999):
The family business is a business governed and/or managed with
the intention to shape and pursue the vision of the business held by
a dominant coalition controlled by members of the same family or a
small number of families in a manner that is potentially sustainable
across generations of the family or families (p. 25).
The rest of the paper gives an insight to the three countries on relevant areas,
followed by a review of literature, the research methods and analysis of data;
followed by the findings, discussion of findings and conclusions.
2. An insight - Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago
Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago combined, represent 10.02% of the
population of the Caribbean region and 68.3% of the Commonwealth Caribbean 1
(inclusive of Belize and Guyana on the mainland)2. These countries can also be
regarded as three of the leading economies in the Commonwealth Caribbean;
representing 71.2% total GDP of this block of countries. Business to business and
trade among these three countries form an important link within the broader goal
towards economic, social and political integration; which has proven to be elusive
over the years. Despite occasional issues involving citizens from one country
travelling and working in the other countries, there remains cordial relationship
among the three countries, including one country being major stake holders in
companies located in the other countries. In this regard, having a grasp of the
factors that affect businesses across the three countries should redound to fostering
a better understanding and relations among businesses.
Research on family businesses across the three countries is relatively new,
notwithstanding the increased interest in family business-related issues in recent
years. Religion has always played an important part of the dynamics within the three
countries. There exists a diverse distribution of religions across the three countries,
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Proceedings of 21st International Business Research Conference
10 - 11 June, 2013, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada, ISBN: 978-1-922069-25-2
with Christianity being the dominant, with a high 75% in Jamaica and a low 58% in
Trinidad and Tobago, the most religiously pluralistic of the three countries.
3. Review of Literature
Tawney (1926) and Weber (1905) posited that there is a relationship between
religion and economic activities. Weber claimed that Protestant Reformation, and
not Catholicism, was pivotal to the rise of capitalism, while Tawney (1926) addressed
the question of how religion affected social and economic practices.
Sherman (1997) and Ortiz (2009) joined the discussion by positioning the debate of
religion and business in developing or emerging economy, by providing evidence
showing the influence of religion on the economic activities in Guatemala and the
Latin American region. Ortiz (2009) added to the discussion, in highlighting the
impact that the distribution of religion has on economic growth in Argentina, Brazil,
Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico and Uruguay.
Religion is said to have the potential to enhance economics at several levels
(Iannaccone, 1998). Miller and Ewest (2010) argue that religious values have an
impact in the workplace, stating that the integration of work and faith can bring
potential business benefits such as increased diversity, positive impact on ethics
programs, employee engagement and recruitment and retention.
Religion as a necessary determinant of morality has also been part of the debate,
with large majorities throughout much of Africa, Asia and the Middle East are of the
view that faith in God is a necessary foundation for morality and values (The Pew
Global Attitudes Project (2007; p 37). Research also shows that a number of CEOs
in American companies sought business-related inspiration from their respective
religious books (Braham, 1999; Conlin, 1999). Miller (2007) posits that increased
diversity, positive impact on ethics programs, employee engagement and recruitment
and retention are some of the potential business benefits that can be derived from
the integration of work and faith. There is also the link between religious values such
as fairness, truthfulness and trusteeship and a broad conceptualisation of the
stakeholder view of companies (Webley, 1997). This might be an explanation for the
increased and public quest of business leaders to operate their businesses
according to religious principles and values (Ciulla, 2000; Nash, 1994; and Pava,
1999). Herman and Schaeffer (1997) have also stated that proponents of ethical
business behaviour have credited much of the tenets of ethical business models to
the values and principles of religious traditions. Fernando and Jackson (2006)
investigated the impact of religion on the business sector in Sri Lankan, revealing
that leaders attributed their „right‟ decision making patterns to their religion.
Noland (2005) analyses the effect of religious beliefs and economic growth and
found that religious affiliation has an impact on economic performance, though no
significant correlation with respect to a particular religion. This might be attributed to
what Brammer, Williams and Zinkin (2007) refer to as the „Golden rule‟, in capturing
four common tenets across religions:
(i)
„„Treat others as persons of rational dignity like yourself‟‟;
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Proceedings of 21st International Business Research Conference
10 - 11 June, 2013, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada, ISBN: 978-1-922069-25-2
(ii) „„Extend brotherly or sisterly love to others, as you want them to do to you‟‟;
(iii) „„Treat others according to moral insight, as you would have others treat
you‟‟
(iv) „„Do to others as God wants you to do to them‟‟ – linking it to Jesus‟
injunction to „„love one another as I have loved you‟‟3 (p. 231)
4. Research Method and Data Analysis
The research method employed a combination of data collection, through a common
questionnaire and focus groups sessions across three English Speaking Caribbean
countries. The questionnaire covered a wide range of family business related areas,
including religion and business, the focus of this paper. Table 1 gives the sample
distribution for both survey and focus groups. The questions were informed by a
combination of the literature on religion and business and the areas of need as
expressed by owners of family businesses.
Table 1: Questionnaires & Focus Group Distribution
Country
Valid
Focus Group
Questionnaires
Participants
Jamaica
93/100
12
Trinidad & Tobago
79/100
8
Barbados
44/60
7
Random samples, covering industries and sizes, were drawn from both major and
minor towns in all three countries. For Jamaica, samples were drawn from an
established sample frame of FOBs, while, in the absence of an established sample
frame of FOBs, data was collected by a resident with knowledge of the distribution of
FOBs in the Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago. A focus group-type technique was
employed in each of the three countries to capture the nuances not captured by the
questionnaires.
The analysis of data from the questionnaires employed a combination of descriptive
statistics, cross-tabulations and Chi-Square tests. Items measured on a 5-point
Likert scale were grouped in three categories: “agree” (combining the strongly agree
and agree), “neutral” and “disagree” (combining strongly disagree and disagree).
Using the constant comparative method of data analysis, the Nvivo software was
used to analyse data from the focus groups.
5. Main Findings
Both the quantitative and qualitative analyses revealed some measure of influence of
religion on family-owned businesses across the three countries. More religious
plurality exists across FOBs in Trinidad and Tobago when compared to Barbados
and Jamaica. Christianity is the dominant religion among FOBs in the three
countries covered (see Table 2). Religion has a greater overall influence on FOBs
businesses in Trinidad & Tobago (56.5%) and Jamaica (48.3%) compared to
Barbados (29%) (see Table 3).
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Proceedings of 21st International Business Research Conference
10 - 11 June, 2013, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada, ISBN: 978-1-922069-25-2
There is a measure of ambiguity with respect to the separation of religion and
business. In Jamaica, 48.9% agree that their religious beliefs should be separated
from the business, with 39.1% disagreeing. Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago
show 32.6% and 37.5% agreeing and 48.8% and 34.7% disagreeing, respectively.
This ambivalence is also reflected in the results that 29%, 41.9%, 37.8% of FOBs in
Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, respectively, agreeing that a
successful business is guided by a set of religious beliefs.
Table 2: Distribution of Religions among FOBs
Jamaica Barbados Trinidad & Tobago
Christianity
39.58
18.75
Islam
0.52
0
Hinduism
2.08
1.04
Judaism
1.04
0.52
Other or None
3.13
0.52
Total % of N
46.35
20.83
N = 192 (respondents across 3 countries)
27.6
1.56
3.65
0
0
32.81
Total
85.9
2.1
6.8
1.6
3.6
100
Table 3: Effect of Religion on Business
Country
Views on Religion and Doing Business
No effect
Minor effect
Major effect
Jamaica
43.1
8.6
48.3
Barbados
46.4
25.0
28.6
Trinidad and Tobago
17.4
26.1
56.5
N = 192 (respondents across the 3 countries)
Majority agree that businesses guided by a set of religious beliefs have a higher set
of ethics (Jamaica = 47.1%, Barbados = 51.2% and Trinidad & Tobago = 56.3%) and
that being honest with employees and customers are more important than making a
profit (Jamaica = 69.9%, Barbados = 67.4% and Trinidad & Tobago = 62.0%). A
summary of the responses across the three countries is given in the Appendix.
Table 4: Output from Chi Square Tests
Variables
Pearson
Chi-Square
Your religious beliefs should be separated from the
9.053
business
Successful business is guided by a set of religious
10.136
beliefs
Business guided by set of religious beliefs have a
4.520
higher set of ethics
Abiding by a set of religious beliefs is more
7.041
important than making a profit
Making a profit is the most important component in
13.571
running a business
Being honest with employees and customers are
2.040
more important than making a profit
p-value
0.060**
0.038*
0.340
0.134
0.009*
0.728
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Proceedings of 21st International Business Research Conference
10 - 11 June, 2013, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada, ISBN: 978-1-922069-25-2
The mission statement should reflect the value
system of the owners religious beliefs
There is a greater chance of success if employees
embrace the religious beliefs that guide the
business
In general, religion influences business practices
4.030
0.402
1.459
0.834
0.361
0.986
The Chi Square test was used to compare the influence of religion on family-owned
businesses across the three countries. The results show significance (at the 5%
level) in only two areas: (i) successful businesses are guided by a set of religious
beliefs [
(2, N = 208) = 10.136, p =0.038] and (ii) making a profit is the most
important component in running a business [ (2, N = 206) = 13.571, p=0.009] (see
Table 4)
A triangulation of the data from the questionnaires and the focus groups shows a
consistent theme: successful businesses are guided by a set of religious beliefs.
However, religion does not and should not influence “the main goal of the business” making a profit. Further, business must not abandoned “family and religion” in the
pursuit of profit. The focus groups captured a wide range of views on the extent of
the influence that religion has on the family business, as expressed in the following
sample of quotes4 (clarification of what is meant is in italics and inserted in
parenthesis).
“All truly outstanding businesses have „religion‟ in them.”
“I believe that religion informs the values, and values is what helps the
business to move on with a cause even when in the current circumstances it
doesn‟t seem like you are able to make it through, or make a profit”
“We‟ve (the family business) never brought in a culture of religion in the work
place. I don‟t know if that is positive or negative, but you ask the question
who you are and your value system is also part of your belief system, you
can‟t separate one from the other and so who you are and wherever you go
that is your spiritual creed.”
“Well, yes because the way I understand religion is that religion speaks about
two things right and wrong and what is right is right and what is wrong is
wrong and that is what I live with, it doesn‟t matter your religion, all religion
teaches the same thing.”
“We‟re (dominant family in the business) Islamic so we go to mosque on
Friday, and whoever is not Muslim we respect their religion as well. We would
say there is a system but not everybody might follow so it depends on the
individual and who will follow.”
“I believe in the Koran and I believe in the sayings of the prophet Muhammad,
and one of the things it says is “settle the wage of the labourer before the
sweat dries” and in the history of our company no employee has ever been
paid late because I was not there, if I‟m not there the cheque will be signed
before I leave because I believe in what the prophet says to make sure you
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Proceedings of 21st International Business Research Conference
10 - 11 June, 2013, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada, ISBN: 978-1-922069-25-2
pay your employees on time so if you ask about religion (that is how religion
affects the family business).”
Honesty is an important influencing variable in the success of family businesses, but
not necessarily a function of one‟s religion or religious beliefs. However, there is a
difference in attitude towards employment between Christian-based and Muslimbased family businesses. Muslims are willing to employ persons from other
religions, Christians indicated otherwise. There was also the revelation that religion
is one motivation to start a family business. One of the ways to maintain religious
"purity" is to start a family business and employ both family and members of the
same "faith" in the business. Doing this will minimise the need to compromise
religious beliefs such as working on Sabbath, missing Friday prayers, or selling
products that are in conflict with their particular religion.
6. Discussions and Conclusions
The main findings show some consistency with the view that religious values
influence the activities of businesses (Miller and Ewest, 2010). However, the finding
that honesty in business is not necessarily a function of religion or a set of religious
beliefs seems inconsistent with the level of influence of religion on FOBs across the
three countries and also seems to challenge the widely held view that business
ethics are a function of religious beliefs (see Calkins, 2000; Fernando and Jackson,
2006; Herman and Schaeffer, 1997 and Webley, 1997). While there is little evidence
from the data to support the view that ethical behaviour in FOBS in the three
countries is influenced by religion (Longnecker et al., 2004 and Fernando and
Jackson, 2006), the findings do not necessarily negate the influence of religion in the
overall honest behaviour in the FOBs. The findings seem more to suggest that
religion is not a necessary and sufficient prerequisite for honesty in family-owned
businesses across the three countries; notwithstanding the views expressed by
Hylton (2002) that religion is deep-rooted among Caribbean people.
The
consistency of views across the religions in the region is however in concert with
"The Golden Rule" (see Brammer, Williams and Zinkin (2007).
In contrast to our expectations, only two areas were shown to be significant across
countries. Anecdotal evidence and the work of Hylton (2002) on the importance of
religion in the lives of Caribbean people, pointed to more areas being significant
across the three countries. Notwithstanding these findings, we believe that the
combination of the data from the questionnaire and the focus group helped to
answer the research questions: (i) what is the influence of religion on family-owned
businesses in the English Speaking Caribbean? (ii) is there any difference in the
influence of religion across countries in the English Speaking Caribbean? That is, the
data shows that though there is some form of influence of religion on FOBs in the
three countries, there is no significant difference in the influence of religion on FOBs
across countries.
Extrapolation beyond the three countries might be hindered by the limitations of the
study. These include the inadvertent use of one item to measure two constructs
(religion and FOBs), the difficulty in assessing the overall accuracy of people‟s
responses to religious questions (Iannaccone, 1998) and the non-proportional
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Proceedings of 21st International Business Research Conference
10 - 11 June, 2013, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada, ISBN: 978-1-922069-25-2
sampling of religions to reflect the true distribution of religions across the English
Speaking Caribbean. Further, though the three countries covered represent about
70% of the independent English Speaking Caribbean and though there were
common themes across the three countries, other parts of the Caribbean might have
nuances not captured. Notwithstanding the limitations, the findings provide a
worthwhile platform in gaining useful insight on the influence of religion on family
businesses in the English Speaking Caribbean.
The study has established a platform for investigation of the overall economic and
social impact of religion on FOBs in the boarder Caribbean and in other countries.
The study is also the first empirically-based study on FOBs across the English
Speaking Caribbean. The study therefore adds to the body of research on religion
and business and should form an important input to policy formulation for FOBs in
the English Speaking Caribbean. Finally, the study has established a platform for
future work on religion-related issues and their impact on family businesses in the
Caribbean and other emerging economies.
End Notes
1. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/datablog/2010/feb/01/united-nationspopulation-world-data
2. The English Speaking Caribbean is the term used in this paper to refer to the
independent Anglophone Caribbean countries, formerly referred to as the
British West Indies. This sub-region includes the following 12 nations: Antigua
and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana,
Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and
Trinidad & Tobago
3. John 14:34
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APPENDIX
Religion and Business across 3 Countries*
Country
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Your religious beliefs should be separated from the business
Jamaica
39.1
12.0
48.9
Barbados
Trinidad and
Tobago
48.8
18.6
32.6
34.7
27.8
37.5
Successful business are guided by a set of religious beliefs
Jamaica
49.5
21.5
29.0
Barbados
Trinidad and
Tobago
30.2
27.9
41.9
27.8
34.7
37.8
Business that are guided by a set of religious beliefs have a higher set of ethics
Jamaica
31.2
21.5
47.2
Barbados
Trinidad and
Tobago
23.3
25.6
51.2
16.9
26.8
56.3
Abiding by a set of religious beliefs is more important than making a profit
Jamaica
45.2
31.2
23.7
Barbados
Trinidad and
Tobago
30.2
46.5
23.2
27.5
46.4
26.1
Making a profit is the most important component in running a business
Jamaica
9.7
11.8
78.5
Barbados
Trinidad and
Tobago
11.6
37.2
51.2
14.3
20.0
65.7
Being honest with employees and customers is more important than making a profit
Jamaica
10.8
19.4
69.9
Barbados
Trinidad and
Tobago
7.0
25.6
67.4
12.7
25.4
62.0
The mission statement should reflect the value system of the owners religious beliefs
Jamaica
42.2
25.6
32.2
Barbados
Trinidad and
Tobago
39.5
30.2
30.2
39.1
39.1
21.7
There is a greater chance of success, if employees embrace the religious beliefs that guide the business
Jamaica
34.4
28.0
37.6
Barbados
Trinidad and
Tobago
37.2
32.6
30.2
38.2
32.4
29.4
In general, religion influences business practices
Jamaica
33.7
28.3
38.0
Barbados
Trinidad and
Tobago
30.2
30.2
39.5
32.9
31.4
35.7
The percentage may not always sum to 100% due to rounding error
11