Family Business Special Issue

ÔThis book provides a thorough review and compendium of important family business research. It should be in the personal library of every family business scholar and graduate student involved in this vital field of study.Õ Ð Michael A. Hitt, Texas A&M University, US ÔA systematic review of the field and an incredibly useful reference book for anyone involved in studying or teaching family business.Õ Ð Sara Carter OBE FRSE, Strathclyde Business School, UK ÔThis book offers a succinct but thorough overview of how our understanding of significant issues in family business has evolved through rigorous research. This annotated bibliography of the 215 top-cited family business studies provides the empirical evidence and the basis for insightful comments from the authors on topics which will benefit from further scholarly debate and research. The authors are to be congratulated for making accessible those research contributions which have the potential to make a meaningful difference to the practice of family business.Õ Ð Jill Thomas, The University of Adelaide Business School, Australia ÔI highly recommend the annoted bibliography by De Massis, Sharma, Chua, and Chrisman to experienced scholars as well as to incoming researchers. The authors selected carefully (and in a transparent manner) relevant papers and summarized them in a way that provides a helpful basis for future research. Well done!Õ Ð Sabine B. Rau, WHUÐOtto Beisheim School of Management, Germany ÔA welcome addition to the field of family business studies! Offers an update and thorough compendium of relevant research conducted within the last 15 years. A most useful reference for doctoral students, established scholars and thoughtful practitioners. Importantly, the first three chapters offer critical commentary and synthesis that go well beyond what one typically finds in an annotated bibliography. Overall, this book offers a solid foundation for moving the study of family business forward.Õ Ð Lloyd Steier, University of Alberta, Canada ÔIf I had been asked to suggest the currently most-needed editorial endeavor for advancing family business studies, I would have answered with no hesitation: an up-to-date annotated bibliography. The fieldÕs growth over the past 15 years has been so intense, that even experts who devote most of their research efforts to family business Ð not to mention younger scholars approaching the field Ð will significantly benefit from De Massis, Sharma, Chua, and ChrismanÕs indispensable work.Õ Ð Carlo Salvato, Bocconi University, Italy and Associate Editor, Family Business Review This book catalogues the 215 most-cited empirical, theoretical, and practical articles on family business published in 33 journals since 1996. Researchers, students, and practicing managers will find it indispensable as a quick reference and guide to what we have learned about family firms. Annotations for the articles consist of: summary of key findings, research questions, contributions, and research implications. They also include a detailed description of the methodologies, empirical data, definitions, and conceptual models used. In addition, the book features chapters that review the literature, discuss how family businesses have been defined, present recent trends in family business empirical research, and provide an agenda for future research. Scholars, researchers and PhD students in the fields of family business, entrepreneurship, organization theory, management, economics, finance, anthropology, sociology and business history will find this compendium insightful. The topics covered in the book will also prove to be essential to practitioners Ð both advisors and operators of family enterprises Ð as it will provide evidence-based knowledge on the issues and dilemmas faced by them in everyday life.

This book explores the relationship between families, firms, and regions and the extent to which these relationships contribute to regional economic and social development. Although family business participation in economic activities has been a common phenomenon since pre-industrial societies, and its importance has evolved throughout time and across spatial contexts, the book suggests that these factors have often been neglected in family business and regional studies. Taking this research gap into account, the book aims to deepen our understanding of the role family firms play in the regional economy. In particular, it explores two seldom studied questions. Firstly, what role do family firms play in regional development? Secondly, how do different spatial regional contexts shape family firm operations and performance? Family Business and Regional Development presents a model of "spatial familiness" and uses themes such as productivity, networks and competitiveness to shed new light on family businesses. Moreover, it approaches the juxtaposition between family business and regional studies to encourage the cross-fertilisation of ideas, theories, and research methods between the two fields. Bringing together leading experts in entrepreneurship, regional economics, and economic geography, this book will be a valuable reading for advanced students, researchers and policymakers interested in family firms, regional studies and economic geography.

This timely Handbook provides a comprehensive guide to the methodological challenges of qualitative research in family business. Written by an international, multidisciplinary team of experts in the field, the Handbook provides practical guidance based on the experiences of senior researchers, and features reflective discussion on how to craft insightful, rigorous studies.

"Family firms represent over 90 per cent of businesses globally, and play a significant role in the economies of many nations. This innovative book takes an interdisciplinary, cross-national approach to the study of family firms as institutions as well as the relationship between family firms and external institutions. In doing so, it demonstrates the impact of these interactions both on the firms and institutions themselves and on the wider economic context. Featuring in-depth analysis of original research, chapters take both theoretical and empirical approaches to explore the family firm as an organization, and include several key case studies. At a micro level, the social and cultural unit of the family and its behaviour is investigated, and at a macro level, external institutional contexts are examined to explain and theorise firms' behaviours and strategies, covering areas such as innovation, competitiveness and reputation. The book provides important conceptual insights and critical empirical research, as well as ideas for future research agendas. Family Firms and Institutional Contexts will be a critical read for scholars and doctoral students in business and management, particularly those with an interest in family firms. Policymakers and practitioners in these areas will also find its insights of practical relevance"--

The SAGE Handbook of Family Business captures the conceptual map and state-of-the-art thinking on family business - an area experiencing rapid global growth in research and education since the last three decades. Edited by the leading figures in family business studies, with contributions and editorial board support from the most prominent scholars in the field, this Handbook reflects on the development and current status of family enterprise research in terms of applied theories, methods, topics investigated, and perspectives on the field′s future. The SAGE Handbook of Family Business is divided into following six sections, allowing for ease of navigation while gaining a multi-dimensional perspective and understanding of the field. Part I: Theoretical perspectives in family business studies Part II: Major issues in family business studies Part III: Entrepreneurial and managerial aspects in family business studies Part IV: Behavioral and organizational aspects in family business studies Part V: Methods in use in family business studies Part VI: The future of the field of family business studies By including critical reflections and presenting possible alternative perspectives and theories, this Handbook contributes to the framing of future research on family enterprises around the world. It is an invaluable resource for current and future scholars interested in understanding the unique dynamics of family enterprises under the rubric of entrepreneurship, strategic management, organization theory, accounting, marketing or other related areas.