Family business in tourism: an international systematic review of literature with an emphasis on Latin America

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Adriana López-Chávez ◽  
César Maldonado-Alcudia ◽  
Ana María Larrañaga Núñez

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to analyze the current state of knowledge of family businesses in tourism through a systematic review of international academic literature with an emphasis on Latin America.Design/methodology/approachThe paper opted for a systematic review involving analyzing international academic documents, articles, dissertations and papers that presented both theoretical and empirical research results. The search was conducted from January to April 2019 on online databases and search engines.FindingsStudies are concentrated in strategic planning and competitiveness. Most of them are published since 2014 by Ibero-American countries. Some features are coincident among the varied geographical contexts, as the importance of generational succession planning; search for family welfare throughout the business; and the existence of own capacities and resources. Besides, the owner's objectives and gender involvement differ in the research results of developed countries and emerging economies; some implications for Latin America are analyzed.Originality/valueThe family business has international economic relevance, especially in tourism. Still, the studies in this field are few, even when tourism implies processes and interactions that can influence the development of the companies that integrate their industry. In this way, a compilation of the recent works is carried out, in order to identify how the complex family dynamics with tourism are integrated into the studies, main contributions to the field and knowledge gaps.

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 74-95
Author(s):  
Sharon Zhengyang Sun ◽  
Samuel MacIsaac ◽  
Buck C. Duclos ◽  
Meredith B. Lilly

Purpose The benefits of trade liberalization on upskilling and skill-based wage premiums for high-skilled workers have recently been questioned in policy circles, in part because of rising income inequality and populist movements in developed economies such as the USA. The purpose of this paper is to determine the effects of trade liberalization on the relative supply and demand for skills. Design/methodology/approach Through the systematic review of the literature on trade and skill acquisition, this paper isolates a total of 25 articles published over the past two decades. Findings Key findings demonstrate the importance of the relative development of the trading partner, with more developed countries experiencing higher upskilling, while less developed countries experience deskilling. Technology, geographic level of analysis, sector and gender were also found to be important influences on human capital acquisition associated with international trade. Originality/value Overall, the authors find support for the idea that trade with developing countries places pressure on low-skill jobs in developed countries but increases the demand for educated workers. The implications of shifts in skills for public policy-making and in terms of the skill premium on wages are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanaz Shafiee ◽  
Ali Rajabzadeh Ghatari ◽  
Alireza Hasanzadeh ◽  
Saeed Jahanyan

Purpose This study aims to present a systematic review of smart tourism articles using a meta-synthesis method. Effective systematic reviews are essential for assisting stakeholders in implementing smart destinations. A systematic comprehension of studies on smart tourism is needed regarding the various components of smart tourism destinations, the metrics to map these components and their expected results. This study creates a framework for understanding how smart tourism destinations are theorized and developed. Design/methodology/approach Based on the meta-synthesis approach, this study collects, analyzes and synthesizes relevant research in smart tourism published in online databases by following a predetermined review protocol. Findings This study contributes to the discourse on smart tourism destinations by increasing the knowledge on the subject of smart destinations in regard to different categories. The selected articles were analyzed according to the proposed research questions and classified into three main categories: components, measurement and outputs. This study presents a new archetype for developing smart destinations and addresses efforts to bridge the gap in this research field. Practical implications This paper is noteworthy for stakeholders because it provides a comprehensive vision into the components that influence the growth of smart destinations. The advantage of the proposed methodology is that it creates a framework for understanding how smart destinations are theorized. Furthermore, it is helpful to use qualitative methodologies that efficiently allow the analysis of related literature and that also offer conceptual insights. Originality/value The findings provide information that can be used to help shape a fully conceptualized understanding of the smart destinations concept and can also prove important in providing a guide for policymakers and stakeholders in the tourism industry who seek to intelligently develop tourism destinations.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Khalil ◽  
Rabih Nehme

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to shed light on factors leading to unethical acts committed by auditors from a cultural and gender perspectives. It investigates differences in junior auditors’ attitudes towards audit behavior when a performance evaluation (PE) is anticipated. The objective of this study is to aid academicians and audit executives in developing new models of PE and internship programs that should mitigate dysfunctional behavior. Design/methodology/approach A survey adapted from Big Four companies’ performance appraisal templates was administered to junior accountants who have completed their internship programs and their external audit course at accredited universities in Lebanon and the USA. Several statistical tests were conducted to analyze the relationship between the different variables. Findings This paper shows how PE affects junior auditors’ attitudes to dysfunctional audit behavior (DAB). From a cultural standpoint, American auditors express more negative views towards DAB than their Lebanese counterparts. This paper also demonstrates that female auditors are less inclined towards DAB than male auditors. Originality/value Previous studies on the topic have been mostly conducted in developed countries with a scarcity of studies examining multiple countries. This study focuses on two different cultural contexts, a developed country, the USA and an emerging country, poorly represented in the literature, Lebanon. This paper also observes variances between male and female auditors in DAB when expecting a PE. The originality of this paper stems from its concurrent examination of the impact of gender and culture on DAB by using a sample of less-experienced auditors at the end of their educational path.


2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 1169-1184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amaya Erro-Garcés ◽  
Irene Aranaz-Núñez

PurposeThis research aims to conduct, to the best of our knowledge, the first systematic review of the implementation of Industry 4.0 in BRICS. This review facilitates the identification of main factors that affect the readiness to adopt Industry 4.0 in BRICS and the role of different agents, such as multinationals, the public sector or educative institutions.Design/methodology/approachKey publications published from 2010 to 2019 have been analysed. A total of 61 papers have been selected from the systematic review.FindingsThree factors of convergence of BRICS to developed economies in terms of Industry 4.0 are identified: (1) the public initiatives that can also result in the attraction of talent from developed countries to BRICS; (2) the role of multinationals and (3) the implication of educational institutions.Research limitations/implicationsThis review has some limitations. First, some grey literature, such as reports from non-governmental organisations and front-line practitioners' reflections, were not included. Second, only research studies in English were reviewedPractical implicationsThe heterogeneity of BRICS amongst themselves affects the implementation of Industry 4.0 policies. Therefore, public policies should differ among countries to achieve the different readiness of companies within each country. Industry 4.0 cannot be understood as a manufacturing strategy against delocalisation, as emerging countries, such as BRICS, are also aware of the potential of automation.Originality/valueBased on a systematic review, this article shows that the strategy created by Germany to increase industrial productivity has been also introduced in BRICS countries as a critical factor to improve their competitiveness.


2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 255-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Concepción López-Fernández ◽  
Ana María Serrano-Bedia ◽  
Manuel Palma-Ruiz

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore to what extent different obstacles (financial, knowledge, market, and perception) affect the propensity of Mexican family firms to engage in innovation activity. Second, it examines whether the perception of these obstacles differs between two subgroups of family firms, considering levels of ownership and family management control. Design/methodology/approach Information was gathered through a CIS methodology-based questionnaire applied to 161 CEOs of Mexican family firms. Binomial logistic regressions were performed identifying obstacles that were truly relevant for the family firm subgroups in the sample. Findings For subgroup 1, knowledge and market factors were significant and negatively related to the propensity to engage in innovation activities; for subgroup 2, only market factors were relevant. The results also show how the tenure of the CEO, the number of generations involved, and the family involvement in management and non-management positions affect the results obtained. Practical implications Implications for family business scholars embrace the assessment criteria of different family business definitions. While the implications for managers and policy makers include the recognition of the factors that affect innovation in Mexican family firms in order to design and implement adequate strategies to overcome them. Originality/value This study addresses some of the raised demands in the literature. First, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first attempt to explore the factors hampering innovation in family firms in Latin America. Second, this study was undertaken in response to the call for exploring variations in innovation behavior across different family business types in regards to ownership and family management control. Moreover, this study responds to the call to analyze financial and non-financial factors separately and to expand the geographical areas, sectors, and sizes of family firms, more specifically in Latin America.


2009 ◽  
Vol 17 (02) ◽  
pp. 127-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
SALMA FATTOUM ◽  
ALAIN FAYOLLE

The family character gathers firms whose weight in the economic activity of countries is considerable for developed countries as well as for the others. However, this type of firm is exposed to not only the threats that challenge all types of firms but they must also face dangers related to their family nature. Several American and European studies were interested in the succession issues associated with family businesses. However, this topic received very little theoretical and empirical investigation in developing countries. In Tunisia, the push in favor of private firms was given in the 60s. Nearly 50 years later, those entrepreneurs who had received state aid to start their businesses are about to retire. How is this dealt with? How is succession "guaranteed"? Hard as it may be to speculate on the outcome of this succession, can we at least describe its phases first and then consider the factors that could have an impact on it? These central questions to Tunisia's economy have yet to be answered academically. Our aim, in this paper, is to improve our understanding of the nature of the relation between the founder and his successor during the process of succession in the Tunisian family business while proposing reflections to be carried out to make a success of this generational change. Our paper is organized as follows. The first part will be an analysis of the literature on family firms and the succession process. In the second part, we will introduce the methodological aspects of our study, which was conducted on six Tunisian family firms at different stages of the succession process. In the third part, we will present and discuss the results.


2012 ◽  
Vol 19 (7) ◽  
pp. 844-854 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Cristiano ◽  
JI Rojas ◽  
M Romano ◽  
N Frider ◽  
G Machnicki ◽  
...  

The incidence and prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) varies geographically as shown through extensive epidemiological studies performed mainly in developed countries. Nonetheless, scant data is available in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The objective of this review is to assess epidemiological data of MS in LAC. We conducted a systematic review of published articles and gray literature from January 1995 to May 2011. Twenty-two studies met the inclusion criteria after full-text review. Incidence data were found in only three studies and ranged from 0.3 to 1.9 annual cases per 100,000 person-years. Prevalence was reported in 10 studies and ranged from 0.83 to 21.5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The most prevalent subtype of MS was the relapsing–remitting form (48% to 91% of the series). No data about mortality were found. This study showed low frequency for MS in LAC compared with North American and European countries. The role of environmental and genetic factors should be well studied, providing new insights about its etiology.


2019 ◽  
Vol 119 (4) ◽  
pp. 792-820 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricio Esteban Ramírez-Correa ◽  
Elizabeth E. Grandón ◽  
Jorge Arenas-Gaitán

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine differences in customers’ personal disposition to online shopping. Design/methodology/approach The research model was proposed based on two types of purchases (hedonic vs utilitarian) and on personal traits of individuals against technology throughout the Technology Readiness Index (TRI) 2.0. Generation and gender were considered to evaluate their impact on the type of purchases. Consumers’ data were collected in Chile through 788 face-to-face surveys. The partial least squares approach was used to test the research model. Findings The findings show that optimism and discomfort influence online shopping. Moreover, generation and gender moderate the relationship between the dimensions of the TRI and online purchases. Originality/value The contributions of this study are threefold. The analysis of personal traits and the type of purchases contribute to the existing literature on consumer behavior and e-commerce, and provide some insights for marketers to identify segmentation strategies by analyzing the gender and generation of individuals. Second, this study contributes to examining the stability and invariances of the TRI 2.0 instrument, which has not been fully revised in less developed countries. Third, this study adds to the existing body of research that argues that demographic variables are not sufficient to understand technology adoption by individuals by including psychological variables.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ine Umans ◽  
Nadine Lybaert ◽  
Tensie Steijvers ◽  
Wim Voordeckers

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate several antecedents of succession planning in family firms: founder status, the family chief executive officer (CEO)’s inability to let go and the family CEO’s gender. Design/methodology/approach This study conducts moderated mediation analysis on a sample of 259 family firms. Findings The results show that family firms led by founders show lower succession planning levels than family firms led by descendant family CEOs. This effect is mediated by the family CEO’s inability to let go. Furthermore, the influence of the emotion of being unable to let go on succession planning is dependent on the family CEO’s gender. This influence is smaller when the family CEO is female than when the family CEO is male. Originality/value The study introduces the family CEO’s inability to let go as a mediator in the founder-succession planning relationship. The results add empirical evidence to the debate about gender influences in family firms. By showing that emotions have a different outcome concerning succession planning depending on the family CEO’s gender, this study enriches gender research. The study also contributes to the family business field by introducing relational theory as a valuable theoretical framework to include gender in succession research.


Author(s):  
Mohsen Ali Murshid ◽  
Zurina Mohaidin

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine reported literature on the influence of medical representatives (MRs) and other promotional tools on drug prescribing behaviour, and to assess whether this effect is different in developed and developing countries. Design/methodology/approach A survey of the literature was conducted across online databases from 2000 to 2016. Eligible studies addressed MRs and other promotion tools used to influence drug prescribing in developed and developing countries. Findings A total of 40 reviewed studies met the inclusion requirements. In total, 22 of the studies were conducted in developed countries and 18 in developing countries. Out of ten studies that examined the influence of MRs on drug prescribing in developed countries, eight found a positive influence, one found only moderate and one finds no influence. Analogous results were found in developing countries. Six out of ten studies on the influence of MRs conducted in developing countries found a positive effect, three found only moderate effects, while one finds no influence. The influence of promotion tools on prescribing varied in developed countries, five found positive influence, four reported a small effect and one found negative influence. In developing countries, the size of effect also varied, five studies found positive influence of promotion tools on drug prescribing behaviour, five found a negligible or small effect, and one found no association. However, marked differences were observed between two sectors. In the developed countries, MRs are valued as a source of information and can have an effect on prescribing, while it is unreliable in developing countries. Sample drugs are more generally seen as an important promotional tool for prescribing in developed countries than developing countries. Research limitations/implications The results derived from this review are based on studies with varying methodological consistency. The review provides the crucial information that will be valuable to researchers working on comparative analysis of marketing efforts in developing and developed countries. Originality/value This paper is one of the few systematic reviews on the influence of MRs and other promotional tools on prescribing. It compares the influence of MRs and promotional efforts in both developed and developing countries.


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