Ability and willingness as sufficiency conditions for family-oriented particularistic behavior:implications for theory and empirical studies

Distinguishing sufficient conditions from necessary conditions is crucial in both theoretical and empirical studies. We propose that the sufficiency condition for family involvement to produce family-oriented particularistic behavior in a firm requires the presence of both ability and willingness. We demonstrate how the omission of this sufficiency condition in commonly used theoretical models employed to explain how family involvement affects firm behavior can result in theoretical limitations and empirical indeterminacy. Finally, we discuss how considering both ability and willingness can lead to better theory, more generalizable empirical findings, and help explain heterogeneity among firms with family involvement

Identifying industry-specific barriers to inheritance in small family businesses

This article explores generic and industry-specific barriers to inheritance among family businesses within the tourism and hospitality industry. Data from comparable surveys of owners of tourism and hospitality businesses in Denmark and Canada reveal a very low rate of inheritance and a number of industry-specific barriers, including those related to location (e.g., remoteness and small-town settings result in out-migration by children who do not share their parents' lifestyle goals); nature of the work (long hours, high contact with customers, and hands-on labor make the business unappealing); viability of the business (seasonality of demand, taxes, or inseparability of business and family assets result in low potential for inheritance); and the lifestage of parents and children (many owners are in a second career or preretirement enterprise, and children cannot become involved). A number of hypotheses arise from this research and a framework for examining generic and industry-specific barriers is presented, with commentary on how other industries could be examined for these barriers

The role of family ownership in international entrepreneurship: exploring nonlinear effects

Family ownership, International entrepreneurship, Stewardship, Stagnation, M16, L26, F20, L25,