The aim of this work is to investigate, taking a historical approach, reaction of family business to environmental disasters exploring accountability documents of an alternative (legal) type. To this end, the authors apply the theoretical lens proposed by the Effectuation Theory.
The methodology of content analysis, applying a thematic approach, is used to analyze two colony contracts of a family business, in a period when the phylloxera plague was present (1942 and 1953). They triangulated data using interviews with the family heirs and other historical documents/publications.
They find that the business reaction to the philloxera pandemic can be interpreted in light of the Effectuation Theory. Indeed, principles of the latter can be found in the disaster response in the given case, with the exception of the influence of effectors on the environment. Furthermore, due to their legal matrix, the colony contracts do not give information about the impacts of the family business reaction.
The contribution of this paper is twofold: on the one hand, it explores the actions taken by family business to respond to and limit the damage suffered following natural disasters, as the latter aspect has been less debated in the literature; on the other hand, it also contributes to filling a literature gap regarding the need highlighted by historical research to investigate alternative sources of environmental accountability.
