scholarly journals Agency Conflicts, Socioemotional Wealth, and the Debt Maturity Structure of Family Firms: A Critical Analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 40
Author(s):  
Oscar Domenichelli
Keyword(s):  
Family Firms ◽  
Family Businesses ◽  
Debt Maturity ◽  
Agency Conflicts ◽  
Minority Shareholders ◽  
Socioemotional Wealth ◽  
Maturity Structure ◽  
International Importance ◽  
Specific Factors ◽  
The Impact

This paper aims to study the impact of the distinctive agency and socioemotional features of family firms on their debt maturity choices using a literature analysis of this topic, still substantially unexplored. Therefore, the paper examines the relationships between owners and managers; majority and minority shareholders, and family shareholders and family outsiders; and owners and creditors. The analysis suggests that the propensity of family businesses to use long-term debt depends on the generation leading the family firm, family blockholders, motivation for expropriating minority shareholders, family outsiders and their socioemotional orientation. Much still remains to be empirically studied. One interesting issue to explore further would be the influence of country-specific factors worldwide, in combination with firm-specific characteristics relating to agency conflicts and socioemotional wealth, on the debt maturity decisions of family firms, compared to non-family ones. Given the international importance of family firms, and their widespread presence and activity worldwide, additional empirical results on this topic may help governments adopt specific policies, that will better support family businesses, in light of their peculiar and unique economic and non-economic aspects.

scholarly journals Generational Socioemotional Wealth and Debt Maturity: Evidence from Private Family Firms of GIPSI Countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Oscar Domenichelli ◽  
Giulia Bettin
Keyword(s):  
Sovereign Debt ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Debt Crisis ◽  
Debt Maturity ◽  
Socioemotional Wealth ◽  
Debt Maturity Structure ◽  
Maturity Structure ◽  
Generation Family

In this paper we investigate the relationship between generational socioemotional wealth (SEW) and debt maturity structure in private family firms of GIPSI countries for the period 2010-2018. This appears to be quite an important issue to study, given that SEW is a peculiar aspect of family firms and its impact on the debt maturity structure, still relatively unexplored, is likely to change according to the generation running the family business. We show that the importance attached to SEW decreases when moving from the firms’ founder to the subsequent generations, with a negative effect on the amount of long-term debt. The forward-looking orientation of first-generation family firms favours long-term credit by banks in order to expand a healthy business which can be inherited by future generations. These businesses are hence perceived as less risky and more value-creating by external creditors, compared to later-generation family firms. Alternatively, SEW preservation is often less of a target in later-generation family firms, because some descendants consider the firm simply as a source of extra finance and conflicts of interest often arise between multiple generations or different family branches entering the business. Short-term debt may then be employed as a signaling effect of the quality of the firm. At the same time, borrowing long-term capital may become difficult if lenders question the creditworthiness of these businesses. This issue emerged dramatically during the sovereign debt crisis, when a significant contraction of credit to firms was observed throughout the GIPSI countries.

scholarly journals The long-term horizon of family firms in M&A: The impact on research investments and debt maturity structure

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabio Quarato
Keyword(s):  
Family Firms ◽  
Debt Maturity ◽  
Bank Debt ◽  
Growth Strategies ◽  
Debt Maturity Structure ◽  
Maturity Structure ◽  
Research Investments ◽  
The Impact ◽  
External Growth

Despite family business is the most widespread ownership structure worldwide, there is a lack of evidence on the impact of external growth strategies on their capital structure. Although most researches showed that the risk of losing control leads family firms to a lower level of debt, this article sheds new light on debt maturity structure and innovation investments when family firms embrace an acquisition path. In particular, I argue that family firms will use bank debt to a lower extent than nonfamily firms when they embrace an external growth strategy and, as a consequence, they are more likely to avoid cuts in research investments and focus more on long term debt. These hypotheses are consistent with agency theory arguments, as family principals exercise a more effective monitoring due to the larger ownership stake and the desire to pass the company on the offspring in profitable conditions. By having access to a panel data, I analyse acquisitions carried out in the period 2000-2013 by all Italian companies with turnover exceeding 50 million Euros, and the results support the long term perspective of family firms. In particular, family firms will use less bank debt to finance acquisitions, avoiding cutting research investments and relying on a more balanced debt maturity structure.

Coping mechanisms of Philippine tourism and hospitality family businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic: a non-parametric approach

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Santiago ◽  
Fernando Martin Roxas ◽  
John Paolo Rivera ◽  
Eylla Laire Gutierrez
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Family Businesses ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Family Enterprises ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Non Parametric

PurposeFamily businesses (FB), mostly small-sized, dominate the tourism and hospitality industry (THI), especially in the rural areas. While many would have been used to the impact of demand seasonality, it is unknown how these businesses would have survived through the restrictions imposed to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as compared to non-family business (NFB) counterparts. This study aims to determine if there were differences on how family and non-family enterprises in the THI coped with government restrictions.Design/methodology/approachBy subjecting the survey data from tourism enterprises to non-parametric techniques, the authors establish empirical evidence on similarities and differences of coping strategies adopted by FBs and NFBs; their required support from government and their perceptions of a post-pandemic THI.FindingsThe analysis revealed that family-owned tourism and hospitality businesses in the Philippines tended to collaborate with other businesses to manage the impact of the pandemic restrictions. Since they hired more seasonal workers prior to the restrictions, they tended to avoid hiring workers during the restricted period. NFBs, on the other hand, that were generally larger in size and more professionally managed with more regular employees, tended to streamline operations for greater efficiency.Research limitations/implicationsThe study relied on survey results distributed and collected online. There is an innate bias against those firms that did not have access to the survey links.Practical implicationsThe comparative study suggests that interventions to assist firms in the THI should consider the differences in firm ownership as “one size does not fit all.”Social implicationsThe study provides evidence about how environmental factors impact the operations of family firms. Thus, it provides valuable insights for both the academic community and industry practitioners.Originality/valueThis is the first study in the Philippines that was able to capture response of family and non-family firms in the THI during the COVID-19 lockdown.

scholarly journals Ownership structure and performance in family businesses at early developmental stage: evidence from China

2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 138-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhong Qin ◽  
Xin Deng
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Stage ◽  
Ownership Structure ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Family Businesses ◽  
Early Developmental Stage ◽  
Governance Mechanism ◽  
Professional Managers ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Early Developmental

This paper explores the impact of ownership structure on performance of family businesses at its early developmental stage in a context of under-developed market environment. Using a survey data of 296 private family firms in Ningbo, China, we find both management and single largest shareholder’s ownership is positively related to firm’s performance. However, family’s shareholding does not have significant impact on performance. Further inquiry on firm’s willingness to give shares to managers who are not family members indicates that while nearly half of the firms are willing to provide shares to professional managers, weak corporate governance mechanism and under-developed market may discourage such practice.

Main financial factors influencing the survival, development and performance of family firms

2012 ◽  
pp. 125-143
Author(s):  
Oscar Domenichelli
Keyword(s):  
Agency Costs ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Agency Conflicts ◽  
Minority Shareholders ◽  
Debt Finance ◽  
Personal Savings ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Control And Management ◽  
Personal Assets

Sometimes the impossibility of employing an adequate level of debt may prevent family firms from developing or reaching high performance; however, they can increase their ability to collect debt finance thanks to personal assets to collateralize or personal guarantees, supplied by family members. Furthermore, agency costs of equity are negligible in family businesses, owing to the insignificant separation among the functions of ownership, control and management and their intra-familial altruistic linkages, but agency costs of debt are high, as family firms are usually small or medium-sized enterprises and, thus, more opportunistic and little transparent. Agency conflicts between majority and minority shareholders prevent family firms, to some extent, from getting equity finance and developing, as non-family and minority shareholders may undergo a loss of personal wealth. The level of debt tends to increase when family firms grow. In the early stages of its development, a family-owned firm usually relies on personal savings and sources of capital provided by friends and relatives; while, in the later stages of its growth, a family-owned firm can more easily employ debt and external equity to finance its development.

Social networks and family firm internationalisation: cases from a transition economy

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liridon Kryeziu ◽  
Recai Coşkun ◽  
Besnik Krasniqi
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Transition Economy ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Family Firm ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Family Businesses ◽  
Product Diversification ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Competitive Prices ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of family firms’ types of social networks on internationalisation. By investigating the mechanisms and the process and complexity regarding the operation, function and impact of social networks, this paper aims to gain insights and understand the dynamism concerning the content, and process as well as build rich and detailed construct analysis. Design/methodology/approach This study used a qualitative case study as a research strategy to examine the impact of social networks on family firm internationalisation. A qualitative research strategy was used as the impact of networking relations and structure is challenging to be measured statistically. Findings The findings suggest that family firm internationalisation was gradual and characterised by an incremental learning process. This process facilitated the networking relations and structures that helped firms improve their quality, product diversification and set competitive prices. Research limitations/implications This study’s first limitation is that it focused mainly on low technology manufacturing firms. This paper recommends examining how high technology firms maximise social networks. Secondly, this paper examined family firms; therefore, this paper recommends comparing and contrasting networking relations and family and nonfamily firms' social structure. Thirdly, being limited only to social networks, this study did not focus on the impact of ownership; this paper suggests future studies to examine family ownership and involvement in firm internationalisation. Originality/value Understanding how firms’ social network types influence family firms’ internationalisation in a transition economy is critical to ensuring family businesses’ expansion. This study explains how family firms use social networks to internationalise, extending the current understanding of family business literature in transition economies. It also provides implications for policymakers and family firms managers for improving the growth prospects of family businesses.

Affective and Emotional Determinants of Entrepreneurial Orientation Within Family Firms

2019 ◽  
pp. 157-181
Author(s):  
Remedios Hernández-Linares ◽  
María Concepción López-Fernández ◽  
María José Naranjo-Sánchez ◽  
Laura Victoria Fielden
Keyword(s):  
Entrepreneurial Orientation ◽  
Affective Commitment ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Socioemotional Wealth ◽  
Business Context ◽  
Emotional Factors ◽  
Strategic Behaviors ◽  
Scant Attention ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activities ◽  
The Impact

As a predominant form of business organization, family firms have attracted increasing attention by scholars, and especially by those researching entrepreneurial orientation with the aim of better understanding of entrepreneurial activities pursued by enterprises. However, the literature on the confluence of entrepreneurial orientation and family firms has paid scant attention to the influence of affective and emotional factors. To cover this research gap, the authors analyze the impact of affective commitment and concern for socioemotional wealth preservation on entrepreneurial orientation. To do so, they performed an empirical study using the data collected from 342 small and mid-sized family firms from Portugal, a country where family firms are under-researched even though they make up the backbone of the economy. Results show that both affective commitment and socioemotional wealth positively impact entrepreneurial orientation, pointing to the need to further research the relationships between such factors and strategic behaviors in the family business context.

scholarly journals Financing Decisions in Family Businesses: A Review and Suggestions for Developing the Field

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 369-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anneleen Michiels ◽  
Vincent Molly
Keyword(s):  
Family Business ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Family Businesses ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Financing Decisions ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Specific Factors ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Business Financing

Motivated by the growing attention to the financing decisions of family firms, this review brings together the two highly relevant research fields of family business and finance. This study critically reviews 131 articles on financing decisions in family businesses, published between 1977 and 2016 in 64 finance and management journals. We develop a state of the art on family business financing literature and present a model to guide extant and future research by identifying gaps across the theoretical perspectives and across context-specific elements such as family business heterogeneity and country-specific factors.

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