Are family firms good neighbours? A spatial analysis of Italian technology-intensive firms

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Amato ◽  
Valentina Pieroni ◽  
Nicola Lattanzi ◽  
Giampaolo Vitali
Keyword(s):  
Family Firms ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Spatial Proximity ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Family Status ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Productivity Spillovers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Family Enterprises

PurposeA burgeoning body of evidence points out the importance of spatial proximity in influencing firm efficiency besides internal characteristics. Nevertheless, the family status of the firm has been traditionally overlooked in that debate. Therefore, this study aims to investigate productivity spillovers stemming from the geographical closeness to innovators and family firms.Design/methodology/approachUsing secondary data on Italian technology-intensive manufacturing firms, the paper exploits spatial econometric models to estimate productivity spillovers across firms.FindingsAs regards the presence of spatial dependence, this study reveals that a firm's level of efficiency and productivity is influenced by that of nearby firms. Specifically, three main results emerge. First, spatial proximity to innovators is beneficial for the productivity of neighbouring firms. Second, closeness to family firms is a source of negative externalities for spatially proximate firms. However, and this is the third result, the adverse effect vanishes when the nearby family firms are also innovators.Research limitations/implicationsAs the study relies on cross-sectional data, future research should explore productivity spillovers in a longitudinal setting. Additionally, the channels through which productivity spillovers occur should be measured.Practical implicationsThe study highlights the importance of co-location for public policy initiatives to strengthen the competitiveness of firms and, indirectly, that of localities and regions. Moreover, the findings show the crucial role of innovation in mitigating the productivity gap between family and non-family firms.Social implicationsNotwithstanding the advent of the digital era, spatial proximity and localized social relationships are still a relevant factor affecting firms' performance.Originality/valueBy exploring the role of family firms in influencing the advantages of geographical proximity, this study contributes to the growing efforts to explore family enterprises across spatial settings.

Cognitive and affective predictors of occupational stress and job performance: the role of perceived organizational support and work engagement

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Junça Silva ◽  
Cannanda Lopes
Keyword(s):  
Job Performance ◽  
Occupational Stress ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Organizational Support ◽  
Perceived Organizational Support ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThis study aimed to (1) analyze whether the perceived organizational support (POS) was a significant predictor of performance and stress and (2) explore the mediating role of engagement in these relations.Design/methodology/approachTo test the hypotheses, the authors collected data with 200 working adults in a mandatory quarantine due to COVID-19 pandemic crisis.FindingsThe results showed that the POS contributed to increase engagement, and consequently, job performance. These relations also proved to be significant for stress, because when the POS increased, the work engagement also increased, and as a result decreased occupational stress.Research limitations/implicationsThis study relied on a cross-sectional design. Therefore, future research should consider a daily design to replicate this study and analyze daily fluctuations. Overall, the authors can conclude that work engagement is an affective process through which POS decreases stress and increases performance.Originality/valueThis study tests the mediating effect of work engagement on the link between POS, stress and performance, and its theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Orientation, attitude, and competency as predictors of manager’s role of CSR-implementing companies in Malaysia

2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 415-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maimunah Ismail ◽  
Muhammad Ibnu Kassim ◽  
Mohd Rozi Mohd Amit ◽  
Roziah Mohd Rasdi
Keyword(s):  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Corporate Image ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Personal Qualities ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose – This exploratory study aims to investigate how the role of the CSR manager is influenced by his orientation to corporate social responsibility (CSR) responsibilities, his attitude and competency. Design/methodology/approach – The study involved 112 managers of CSR-implementing companies in the Klang Valley, a highly industrialized region in Malaysia. They were chosen based on a systematic random sampling technique. Findings – The study found that the level of role, orientation and competency of CSR managers was high, whereas that for attitude was moderate. Further, regression analysis results showed that the managers’ orientation to economic and ethical responsibilities as well as competency significantly influenced their role in CSR with an explanatory power of 20.1 per cent. Research limitations/implications – The study was cross-sectional in nature. Nevertheless, it involved a sample of company managers from a selected location in the country. The predictor variables were limited to orientation to economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic responsibilities; attitude; and competency. Practical implications – The study highlights the importance of personal qualities of the manager and also the manager’s role in promoting community development CSR. These findings should be capitalized on by managers and other practitioners in CSR. Originality/value – The study findings contribute to research on CSR that is viewed from the perspective of corporate image being projected by the role of CSR managers, as influenced by their CSR orientation, attitude and competency. Recommendations for CSR and human resource development practice and future research on the predictors of the role of CSR managers are proposed.

Creative climate and organisational resilience: the mediating role of innovation

2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 564-587 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Mafabi ◽  
John C. Munene ◽  
Augustine Ahiauzu
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Creative Climate ◽  
Cross Sectional Design

Purpose – This study aims to investigate the mediation role of innovation between creative climate and organisational resilience. Design/methodology/approach – The study used a cross-sectional design to collect data about the study variables from parastatal managers using self-administered questionnaires. Hierarchical regression and Medigraph were used to test hypotheses. Findings – Creative climate has a significant association with innovation and organisational resilience. Innovation partially mediates the effect of creative climate on organisational resilience. Research limitations/implications – The sample size was small involving only parastatals. The results may be different in an expanded public sector. The study was cross-sectional that is limited in examining long-term effects of creative climate and innovation on organisational resilience. Therefore, a longitudinal study design is proposed for future research. Practical implications – Managers in parastatals need to provide a conducive creative climate that promotes innovations for organisational resilience. Originality/value – The study provides empirical evidence on the mediation role of innovation in the relationship between creative climate and organisational resilience in a public sector. The evidence shows the contribution of innovation in striving for organisational resilience based on the creative climate.

Workplace conflict and willingness to cooperate

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 172-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oluremi Bolanle Ayoko
Keyword(s):  
Conflict Management ◽  
Management Training ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Workplace Conflict ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Undergraduates ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Willingness To Cooperate

Purpose This paper aims to clarify the relationship between conflict, apologies, forgiveness and willingness to cooperate after a conflict event. Design/methodology/approach The paper used scenarios and quantitative measures to examine the connection between conflict, perceived apology sincerity, forgiveness and willingness to cooperate in 358 business undergraduates. Findings Data revealed that relationship conflict was significantly but negatively associated with forgiveness and willingness to cooperate. Additionally, attitudes toward forgiveness were directly and positively related not only to forgiveness but also to willingness to cooperate. Finally, forgiveness mediated the link between both perceived apology sincerity attitudes to forgiveness and willingness to cooperate. Research limitations/implications Data were cross-sectional and may be subject to bias. Longitudinal studies are needed to further tease out the connection between the variables in the current study. Similarly, future research should explore the role of climate and individuals’ disposition and readiness to apologize, forgive and their willingness to cooperate at work. Practical implications The paper includes practical implications for managers interested in eliciting cooperation after a workplace conflict. Specifically, apology and forgiveness should be included in managers’ conflict management training programs. Social implications Our findings indicated that apology and forgiveness are social skills that are important for conflict management and cooperation after a workplace conflict. Originality/value Beyond reconciliation, the current study provides new insights into the important role of actual forgiveness in whether employees are willing to cooperate after conflict at work. Practical assistance is offered to managers who are interested in fostering cooperation and increased performance after conflict episodes.

Slack in family firms: evidence from Italy (2006-2010)

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giacomo Laffranchini ◽  
Mike Braun
Keyword(s):  
Family Firms ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Curvilinear Relationship ◽  
Board Independence ◽  
Reverse Causality ◽  
Publicly Traded ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Family Enterprises ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between available slack and firm performance in Italian family-controlled public firms (FCPFs) from 2006 to 2010. In addition the authors analyze the moderating effects of specific board structure variables on the relationship between slack resources and firms’ performance. Design/methodology/approach – A pooled cross-section of family and non-family publicly traded firms was drawn from COMPUSTAT global and matched with corporate governance and family firm variables hand-collected from companies’ standard profiles from Italy's primary stock exchange, Borsa Italiana. The hypotheses were tested using the feasible generalized least square method in order to analyze the data from 583 firms-observations, controlling for self-selection bias and reverse causality. Findings – The study shows that FCPFs with available slack experience less than proportionate increases in performance, suggesting a concave curvilinear slack-performance relationship. However, the slack-performance relationship is contingent on board independence and board size: greater board independence and larger boards in FCPFs relate to higher performance when the firm lacks or has too much slack available. The findings suggest that a balanced approach of oversight and stewardship helps families to make better resources allocation, to the benefit of outside shareholders as well. Research limitations/implications – The slack measure was restricted to available slack. Future studies can expand this research inquiry with other forms of slack, including potential and recoverable slack. The sample included only publicly traded family and non-family firms, thereby limiting the generalizability of the findings to other types of family enterprises. Lastly, the results only attend to the slack-performance relationship by controlling whether the firm's performance is below or above the industry average. Practical implications – Policy makers and non-family stakeholders may rely on the findings better understand the factors that can alter the family's propensity for risks and its related strategic decisions in the Italian context. Procedures to fully monitor family management's decision making or, at the other extreme, to give the family free reign are likely to disadvantage families, their business, and their outside stakeholders. Originality/value – The study reconciles the debate on the role of slack on firms’ performance by proposing a curvilinear relationship. The study is one of only a handful of research inquiries centrally addressing the role of slack in family-owned businesses, and the only analysis focussed on Italian FCPFs.

scholarly journals Formal compensation practices in family SMEs

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anneleen Michiels
Keyword(s):  
Family Business ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Family Businesses ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Communication Device ◽  
Family Smes ◽  
Business Practitioners

Purpose By investigating the use of formal compensation practices in family small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the purpose of this paper is to provide important new insights in these issues for academics, as well as family business practitioners, prospective applicants and financiers of family businesses. Moreover, this study includes a contingency that allows to explore heterogeneity across family businesses in their use of formal compensation practices: the CEO type. Design/methodology/approach A survey of 124 small- and medium-sized Belgian family businesses to explore the use of formal compensation practices is analyzed by the author. Findings The results support the hypothesis that family firms with a family CEO adopt significantly less formal compensation practices than their counterparts that are led by a non-family CEO. Research limitations/implications Generalizing the findings of this study must be taken with care, as the findings are based on a cross-sectional sample of family SMEs in one country, Belgium. Future research can build on these findings with studies on larger samples in other countries. Practical implications This study may be interesting for family business practitioners and consultants, as it provides insight in the actual use of formal compensation practices that are recommended as a best practice in numerous practitioner handbooks. Also, the results of this study might be important for prospective applicants and financiers, since the compensation system is an important communication device to signal legitimacy to external stakeholders. Originality/value Compensation issues are among the main challenges SMEs, especially family firms, face. Despite the clear importance of this matter, academic interest has been rather limited. This paper therefore displays sound descriptive survey results and empirically investigates the determinants of the use of formal compensation practices in Belgian family SMEs by distinguishing between different types of family businesses.

Exploring drivers of innovation in hospitality family firms

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 1978-1995 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Kallmuenzer
Keyword(s):  
Text Analysis ◽  
Family Dynamics ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Regional Politics ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Complex Products ◽  
Key Drivers ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore which actors in the hospitality industry drive innovation in hospitality family firms and particularly aims at understanding how these drivers contribute to create and sustain competitive advantage. The peculiar role of family dynamics in these efforts is considered. Design/methodology/approach Narrative interviews in 22 hospitality family firms in Western Austria were conducted. Data were analyzed using the qualitative text analysis software GABEK©. Findings Results show that the entrepreneurial family and employees are key drivers for innovation as actors internal to the firm, but also the guests and regional competitors as external drivers provide comprehensive innovation input. These innovation efforts are perceived to stimulate growth and business development. Research limitations/implications Future research might want to test and further concretize the propositions from this study in quantitative surveys. Additionally, the entrepreneurial family formed the central focus of this study; thus it would be interesting to investigate the other actors identified as key drivers of innovation in hospitality family firms. Practical implications Recommendations to entrepreneurs and regional politics are to capitalize on the identified actors as important drivers of innovation. Originality/value Research widely agrees that in hospitality collaboration, innovation is necessary, for many actors jointly offer complex products and services to tourists. However, it remains unclear which actors are mainly driving innovation in hospitality and how they do this, particularly when considering that the majority of firms in this industry are family firms and therefore family dynamics need to be considered for analysis.

Knowledge-centered culture and knowledge sharing: the moderator role of trust propensity

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 538-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Ferreira Peralta ◽  
Maria Francisca Saldanha
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Individual Characteristic ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Propensity To Trust ◽  
Recruitment And Selection ◽  
Trust Propensity ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – This research aims to evaluate if knowledge-centered culture (KCC) fosters knowledge sharing equally across employees with different levels of trust propensity, an enduring individual characteristic. Design/methodology/approach – A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted with 128 US-based employees. Findings – The authors found that KCC only promoted knowledge sharing in individuals with high levels of trust propensity. For individuals with low levels of trust propensity, KCC had no effect on knowledge sharing. Research limitations/implications – The authors focused exclusively on trust propensity as a moderator. Future research could analyze the role of other enduring individual differences in the relationship between KCC and knowledge sharing. Practical implications – A KCC may be inefficient in promoting knowledge sharing in employees with low propensity to trust. Recruitment and selection of individuals with a high propensity to trust is a possible solution to enhance the association between KCC and knowledge sharing in organizations. Originality/value – By identifying an enduring individual characteristic that shapes the relationship between KCC and knowledge sharing, the authors move toward the development of a contingent view of KCC and show that KCC fosters knowledge sharing differently across employees.

Internationalization and family firm performance

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Bart J. Debicki ◽  
Chao Miao ◽  
Shanshan Qian
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Family Firm ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Positive Effect

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effect of internationalization on performance in family firms, as well as the potential impact of moderators on this relationship. Design/methodology/approach This paper is a meta-analysis of the impact of internationalization on performance in family firms, as well as the role of several moderators shaping this relationship, based on 29 studies. Findings The findings indicate a significant positive effect of internationalization on family firm performance. This relationship was stronger in family firms with lower family ownership. Several methodological moderators were significant, such as the means of measuring performance and internationalization. The results also point to several cultural moderators, such as individualism, masculinity, low uncertainty avoidance and short-term orientation, which positively influence the main effect. Originality/value The authors provide discussions of the results, their practical and theoretical implications, as well as avenues for future research.

Categorization flexibility and unconventional choices: is life an adventure?

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (8) ◽  
pp. 1963-1986
Author(s):  
Tilottama G. Chowdhury ◽  
Feisal Murshed
Keyword(s):  
Interactive Effect ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Cognitive Capacity ◽  
Purchase Behavior ◽  
Consumer Decision Making ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cross Domain ◽  
Multiple Domains

Purpose This paper proposes that categorization flexibility, operationalized as the cognitive capacity that cross-categorizes products in multiple situational categories across multiple domains, might favorably influence a consumer’s evaluation of unconventional options. Design/methodology/approach Experimental research design is used to test the theory. An exploratory study first establishes the effect of categorization flexibility in a non-food domain. Study 1 documents the moderating role of decision domain, showing that the effect works only under low- (vs high-) consequence domain. Studies 2A and 2B further refine the notion by showing that individuals can be primed in a relatively higher categorization flexibility frame of mind. Study 3 demonstrates the interactive effect of categorization flexibility and adventure priming in a high-consequence domain. Study 4 integrates the interactive effects of decisions with low- vs high-consequence, adventure priming and categorization flexibility within a single decision domain of high consequence. Findings Consumers with higher- (vs lower-) categorization flexibility tend to opt for unconventional choices when the decision domain entails low consequences, whereas such a result does not hold under decision domain of high consequences. The categorization flexibility effects in case of low-consequence decision domain holds true even when consumers are primed to be categorization flexible. Furthermore, with additional adventure priming, consumers show an increased preference for unconventional options even under a decision domain with high consequence. Research limitations/implications This study could not examine real purchase behavior as results are based on cross-sectional, behavioral intention data. In addition, it did not examine the underlying reason for presence of cross-domain categorization flexibility index. Practical implications The results suggest that stimuli may be tailored to consumers in ways that increase the salience and the perceived attractiveness of unconventional choices. Further, data reinforce the notion of cross-categorical interrelations among different domains, which could be leveraged by marketers. Originality/value This study represents the first documentation of the potential ways by which unconventional product choice might be a function of individuals’ categorization flexibility level across different types of decision domains. The findings yield implications that are novel to both categorization and consumer decision-making literature.

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