Family Business Ownership, Family Management, and Company Size*

2021 ◽  
pp. 66-76
Author(s):  
Johan J. Graafland
2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vitor Braga ◽  
Aldina Correia ◽  
Alexandra Braga ◽  
Sofia Lemos

Purpose The success of the family firms cannot be detached from the current paradigm where, within the present economic conditions, economic agents struggle to exploit the existing opportunities and need to take into account the risks associated to the international arena and the innovation processes. The internationalisation and innovation processes may trigger resistance within family business due to their relatively higher difficulty to take risks and to invest in industries outside the scope of their original core business. Innovation and internationalisation processes become relevant strategies for the family firms’ continuity and success. In line with such fact, the aim of this paper is to contribute with insights regarding the processes of innovation and internationalisation within family businesses. In particular, this paper aims to assess the propensity of such firms to apply such strategies, to identify the particular business behaviour and to assess the extent to which the particulars of family firms may constraint or lead to the implementation of innovation policies, and thus its internationalisation. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected through questionnaires within family business aiming to understand the scope and characteristics of internationalisation and innovation processes within these firms. The 154 replies from such data collection were analysed using different multivariate statistic procedures, although this paper is based on factorial and correlation analysis. Findings The analysis of the results shows that there is an association between the processes of innovation and internationalisation within family business. In addition, the results also suggest a typology of firms regarding their innovation and internationalisation strategies and motivations. Research limitations/implications The results of this paper are, to some extent, limited because they did not allow comparing the findings with data from non-family business. However, the authors’ aim was not to distinguish family firms, but rather to characterise them. Practical implications This paper expects to contribute with lessons for the management of family business and to raise awareness of the constraints faced by family business. It is important to highlight that family business performance may be affected by a lower propensity to risk-taking attitudes, by the lack of non-family management and to the necessity of separating the family and the business in the business dimensions that the family limits the business growth. Originality/value Although there is a significant amount of the literature devoted to explore family business, innovation and internationalisation studies, very few draw on the relationship between internationalisation and innovation processes within family business. This paper explores such a relationship within a particular business context – the family dynamics that strongly affect management and business development.


2011 ◽  
Vol 403-408 ◽  
pp. 313-317
Author(s):  
Li Zhang

In China, the family business usually implement paternalistic management model at the startup. When the enterprise scale enlarged, along with the change of the outside environment, the risk and uncertainty of the enterprise management will be increased and the distortions of family management model will become increasingly clear. Therefore, it is an irresistible trend to carry out reforms on the family business governance model. This paper analyzed the current status of Chinese family management model, pointed out the opportunity under the market economy for family business accelerating its development, and summarized the four models of Chinese family business governance. Currently, under the market economy, the biggest problem faced by Chinese family business is not how to transform into modern enterprise, but how to realize their sustainable development. To build a modern enterprise system is just an important destination for family business development, but can’t be the only choose at the present stage. A precisely suitable enterprise system is established according to the time, place, different industry, scale, development stage and background, while there is no standard model of universal application.


Author(s):  
Courtney Lewis

Sorting out the diversity of small businesses and small- business practices begins with two seemingly simple but central questions: Who owns these businesses, and what markets do they serve? To delve into these questions, this chapter begins by examining the contextual distinctiveness of American Indians’ economic identities and their related experiences, especially in the context of capitalism. Addressing these constructions helps refine our theoretical understandings of what has been termed Indigenous entrepreneurship by following how the external shaping of Indigenous economic identity has hindered its representation as well as its expression. Family business ownership is highlighted here, followed by an examination of issues for tourism businesses, including buffering for privacy as well as complications of the “Buy Local” movement for tourism-based businesses.


2010 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juha Kansikas ◽  
Anne Laakkonen

AbstractThe aim of this qualitative research is to analyze university students’ attitudes toward family entrepreneurship. The theoretical framework of the study analyzes the interaction between family business, ownership, and entrepreneurship education. 211 students from the University of Jyväskylä participated in the study during the basic business study course “Introduction to Entrepreneurship and Business Operations” in September 2007. 143 of those wrote a one page essay, either in Finnish or English, on family entrepreneurship and family business ownership. The students were told to write about the phenomena in their own words. The results were analyzed with content analysis in order to understand how to improve the development of family business entrepreneurship education. The results of the study show that family businesses are perceived through the concept of family: a family owns, works in, and manages a family business. Students perceive family businesses as small businesses that employ people locally. Entrepreneurship motivates students, but owning a family business was perceived as unattractive. The results of the study can be utilized in family business entrepreneurship education.


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.


2004 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert H. Brockhaus

Management succession is a significant moment in a family business's life and an issue that requires analysis from the perspectives of family, management, and ownership systems in order to understand adequately the perspectives of the different stakeholders. In an effort to help improve the quality of the research methodology on this subject, past family business research methodology will be reviewed and critiqued, and some specific recommendations will be presented that can enhance the quality and value of family business research.


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