Amore, Mario DanieleEpure, MirceaGarofalo, Orsola2024-02-232024-02-232023Amore MD, Epure M, Garofalo O. Organizational identity and performance: an inquiry into nonconforming company names. Long Range Plann. 2024;57(1):102396. DOI: 10.1016/j.lrp.2023.1023960024-6301http://hdl.handle.net/10230/59233Choosing 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.application/pdfeng© 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).info:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttp://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2023.102396Organizational identityCompany namesFamily firmsPerformanceinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess