Effects of family control on the degree and type of diversification: empirical evidence for business groups

This article analyzes the impact of ownership structure on corporate diversification,with reference to large listed family business groups. By considering agency theoryand socioemotional wealth, the study examines the relationship between family own-ership, concentration of ownership, and degree and type of diversification. The studyconsiders 99 Spanish listed business groups (50 family-controlled- and 49 nonfamily-controlled groups) and considers diversification of business group as the focus ofanalysis. The results show how family business groups present a lower preference forunrelated diversification than related diversification. There is also a nonlinear rela-tionship between the concentration of ownership in family groups and the degree ofdiversification, showing different behaviors in family groups according to sharesowned by the family's leading shareholders. This article contributes to the literatureby providing a more precise identification of the corporate strategy adopted by busi-ness groups and establishing new evidence about the impact of family control ondiversification strategies and the differences regarding nonfamily business groups

A multi-voiced account of family entrepreneuring research: expanding the agenda of family entrepreneurship

Purpose This conceptual, multi-voiced paper aims to collectively explore and theorize family entrepreneuring, which is a research stream dedicated to investigating the emergence and becoming of entrepreneurial phenomena in business families and family firms. Design/methodology/approach Because of the novelty of this research stream, the authors asked 20 scholars in entrepreneurship and family business to reflect on topics, methods and issues that should be addressed to move this field forward. Findings Authors highlight key challenges and point to new research directions for understanding family entrepreneuring in relation to issues such as agency, processualism and context. Originality/value This study offers a compilation of multiple perspectives and leverage recent developments in the fields of entrepreneurship and family business to advance research on family entrepreneuring

Marking gender studies:the (Radical) value of creative-critical assessment

Feminist pedagogies have established the need to query power structures in terms of curriculum content and teaching praxis. However, the topic of student assessment poses difficulties: it is a means through which students’ performance is evaluated and quantified according to set institutionalised criteria that values particular forms of hegemonic knowledge. The following article presents a self-reflexive exploration of assessment within a Gender Studies module taught in the Autumn semesters of the 2017/18 and 2018/19 academic years at a UK university. The module was a core component of the institution’s MA in Gender Studies. This was an exciting opportunity to experiment with assessment styles corresponding to feminist pedagogies to help develop students’ and instructors’ disciplinary scope and explore the radical potential for creative-critical approaches to assessment. This article outlines some the challenges of employing alternative modes of learning and teaching from a feminist perspective and suggests some strategies to address these

A multi-voiced account of family entrepreneuring research : expanding the agenda of family entrepreneurship

Purpose This conceptual, multi-voiced paper aims to collectively explore and theorize family entrepreneuring, which is a research stream dedicated to investigating the emergence and becoming of entrepreneurial phenomena in business families and family firms. Design/methodology/approach Because of the novelty of this research stream, the authors asked 20 scholars in entrepreneurship and family business to reflect on topics, methods and issues that should be addressed to move this field forward. Findings Authors highlight key challenges and point to new research directions for understanding family entrepreneuring in relation to issues such as agency, processualism and context. Originality/value This study offers a compilation of multiple perspectives and leverage recent developments in the fields of entrepreneurship and family business to advance research on family entrepreneuring

Engineered Models of Metastasis with Application to Study Cancer Biomechanics

Three-dimensional complex biomechanical interactions occur from the initial steps of tumor formation to the later phases of cancer metastasis. Conventional monolayer cultures cannot recapitulate the complex microenvironment and chemical and mechanical cues that tumor cells experience during their metastatic journey, nor the complexity of their interactions with other, noncancerous cells. As alternative approaches, various engineered models have been developed to recapitulate specific features of each step of metastasis with tunable microenvironments to test a variety of mechanistic hypotheses. Here the main recent advances in the technologies that provide deeper insight into the process of cancer dissemination are discussed, with an emphasis on three-dimensional and mechanical factors as well as interactions between multiple cell types

Family Business Restructuring:A Review and Research Agenda

Although business restructuring occurs frequently and it is important for the prosperity of family firms across generations, research on family firms has largely evolved separately from research on business restructuring. This is a missed opportunity, since the two domains are complementary, and understanding the context, process, content, and outcome dimensions is relevant to both research streams. We address this by examining the intersection between research on business restructuring and family firms to improve our knowledge of each area and inform future research. To achieve this goal, we review and organize research across different dimensions to create an integrative framework. Building on current research, we focus on 88 studies at the intersection of family firm and business restructuring research to develop a model that identifies research needs and suggests directions for future research

A Grounded Theoretical Approach To Understanding Innovation In Destination Marketing Organizations

As competition for scarce resources increases, cities are turning toward marketing strategies to attract economic and social development. Innovation is a key component of success for destination marketing organizations (DMOs), but there is a need for additional empirical and theoretical development. Findings from this research based on analysis of interviews with 12 DMO leaders illuminate the need for (1) an innovation-centered organizational culture, (2) the ability to use external stakeholders as knowledge sources, and (3) the ability to use and develop knowledge internally. An organizational capabilities perspective is used to understand these influences. The results offer managers a road map for successful innovation implementation and benefit researchers by providing clarity into the antecedents of the innovation capability with the DMO context

Do Nonfamily Managers Enhance Family Firm Performance?

Prior studies find that nonfamily managers enhance family firm performance, yet other studies note that family firms have difficulty attracting high-quality nonfamily managers, often settling for average-quality nonfamily managers. Given these findings, how is it possible that average-quality nonfamily managers enhance family firm performance? We address this paradox by theorizing that lower-performing, rather than higher-performing, family firms are more likely to benefit from employing nonfamily managers. Using a sample of 324 small family firms, we find that family firms with below-average performance significantly benefit from employing nonfamily managers, whereas family firms with above-average performance do not experience the same benefit. We attribute the difference to the presence of family-management capacity constraints in lower-performing family firms. For family firms with such constraints, the employment of nonfamily managers is more beneficial than it is for higher-performing family firms, which are not bound by these constraints