Family firms' risk perception: empirical evidence on the internationalization process

2008 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 457-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrique Claver ◽  
Laura Rienda ◽  
Diego Quer
Author(s):  
Gabrielle Ribeiro Rodrigues da Silva ◽  
Adriana Roseli Wunsch Takahashi

Purpose: The objective is to understand how the manager's behavior and action in relation to risk influence and shape the internationalization processes.Methodology/Approach: A meta-synthesis study of qualitative case studies was carried out jointly involving the manager's influence and the action in relation to risk.Originality/Value: The literature recognizes that the different relationships established with risk can cause managers to overestimate or underestimate situations. However, there is little empirical evidence of how the manager's behavior in these situations changes his strategic choices and background, and a study emphasizing the individual level is significant.Findings: It can be said that the manager and his background influence the involvement and organizational development throughout the internationalization process. It is still possible to highlight that there is a predecessor to risk action, which is the perception of risks. In addition, it appears that the cognitive characteristics of these managers must also be considered when analyzing their perception of risks.Theoretical/Methodological contributions: As a contribution to the research, it is suggested that the manager's action in relation to risk is complemented by his/her perception of risk. It is believed that with this perspective of risk perception, research in the area can expand the theoretical scope of explanation, where this perception presents itself as a predecessor and a frame for future decisions and actions.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duarte Pimentel

This study compares the perceptions of employer branding and psychological contract levels of employees of family and non-family firms. Specifically, to better understand the dynamics of family businesses, we assess the extent to which employer branding perceptions have an impact on the employees' psychological contract levels. The empirical evidence is provided by a sample of 165 Portuguese employees (76 from family businesses and 89 from non-family businesses), working in small and medium-sized privately-owned companies. The results confirmed the research hypotheses, suggesting that employees of family companies have higher perceptions of employer branding and psychological contract levels than those of employees of non-family companies, also revealing that employer branding has a positive impact on the psychological contract levels of family firm’s employees.


Author(s):  
Mário Franco ◽  
Patricia Piceti

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the family dynamics factors and gender roles influencing the functioning of copreneurial business practices, to propose a conceptual framework based on these factors/roles. Design/methodology/approach For this purpose, a qualitative approach was adopted, through the analysis of seven businesses created by copreneurial couples in an emerging economy – Brazil. Data were obtained from an open interview with each member of the selected couples who are in charge of firm management. Findings The empirical evidence obtained shows that the most important factors for successful copreneurial family businesses are professionalization, dividing the couple’s tasks and business management. Trust, communication, flexibility and common goals are other essential relational-based factors for the good functioning of this type of family business and stability in the personal relationship. Practical implications It is clear that professionalization and the separation of positions and functions are fundamental for a balance between business management and the couple’s marital life. When couples are in harmony and considering factors such as trust, communication and flexibility (relational-based factors), the firm’s life-cycle and business success become real and more effective. Originality/value From the family dynamics factors and gender roles, this study focused on one of the most important and integrated family firm relationships, copreneurial couples. As there is little research on the heterogeneity of family firms runs specifically by copreneurial couples, this study is particularly important and innovative in the context of a developing economy, such as Brazil. Based on empirical evidence, this study was proposed an integrative and holistic framework that shows the functioning of copreneurial businesses practices.


2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 173-182
Author(s):  
Christiane Bughin ◽  
Olivier Colot ◽  
Karin Comblé

A large conceptual economic literature presents assumptions that family owned and controlled firms perform better than others, essentially on the basis of agency theory, ownership structure, cultural specificities and particular management practices. Large empirical evidence has been supplied by various studies, even if there are still contradictory debates. This paper uses the paired samples methodology to compare operational, economic and financial profitabilities of Belgian family firms. Evidence is given that they perform better, and this significantly for economic profitability. Discussion is engaged about the contribution of family values and practices to their results.


1995 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin -Tan Liu ◽  
Chee -Ruey Hsieh

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Lehrer ◽  
Sokol Celo

Purpose This paper aims to provide a novel way of thinking about firm internationalization. We offer a stylized view of family firms as internationalizers who choose to engage in “boundary-spanning” across global product markets while engaging in “boundary-buffering” to insulate themselves from global financial markets. Design/methodology/approach The case of Germany, with its large stock of internationalized family firms, shows how boundary-buffering vis-à-vis global capital markets can be compatible with successful and sustained internationalization and boundary-spanning in global product markets. Statistics are supplied. Findings To compensate for the lack of resources stemming from their abstinence from global financial markets, German family firms draw on country-specific conditions favorable to the proliferation of large internationalized family firms. Insights from the German case serve to derive propositions. Originality/value The developed concept of an internationalization pathway for family firms contrasts with the much more established concept of an internationalization process for family firms. The contrast between a “pathway” and a “process” amounts to the distinction between ends and means: the internationalization pathway (as defined here) has largely to do with strategic choice, whereas the internationalization process (as defined in the literature) focuses more on barriers to internationalization and means for overcoming them.


2009 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 327-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Sacristán Navarro ◽  
Silvia Gómez Ansón

AbstractThis paper provides empirical evidence of family firm corporate governance structures, by examining a set of corporate governance characteristics of 132 non-financial Spanish listed firms. Results show that family firm boards present differential characteristics and that different patterns of family ownership configurations do not affect family firm corporate governance structures. We find that Spanish family firm boards are smaller than those in non-family firms. Family firm directors own a larger fraction of firm shares and have longer Chairman tenure than non-family firms, and family firms use fewer voluntary board committees – such as nomination and remuneration committees and executive committees. Besides, family firm boards and committees are biased towards insiders. Whether these differential characteristics affect other minority non-family shareholders negatively remains an open question.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana M. Moreno Menéndez ◽  
Marco Castiglioni ◽  
María del Mar Cobeña Ruiz-Lopez

This paper proposes that family firms do not necessarily internationalize less than non-family businesses, but rather, they do it more slowly. Lower speed of internationalization process of family business (measured by the speed of the export development process) is a consequence of the role of the socio-emotional wealth (SEW) in these firms. SEW operates through three different mechanisms: (1) long-term orientation, (2) risk avoidance, and (3) lack of resources to be independent. The empirical research, based on a panel of more than a thousand Spanish manufacturing firms along nine years (2006-2014), supports the hypothesis proposed, independently of firm’s previous size, age, and export commitment level.


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