Governance-Mechanismen in Familienunternehmen: Inhibitoren oder Katalysatoren für die Internationalisierung des Unternehmens

In eigentümergeführten kleinen und mittelgroßen Familienunternehmen sind Internationalisierungsentscheidungen, wie die Entscheidung Produkte zu exportieren, oft alleinig durch den Inhaber bestimmt. Dieser ist in der Regel risikoavers und entscheidet konservativ um das Familienkapital zu schützen. Aufsichtsräte können entscheidend durch ihre Expertise dazu beitragen die Risikowahrnehmung des Vorstandes zu objektivieren. Von zentraler Bedeutung für die Zusammenarbeit der Akteure sind Governance-Mechanismen, welche das Wirken der Aufsichtsräte auf den Eigentümer-Vorstand bestimmen. Neben den klassischen formellen Mechanismen wie bspw. der Unabhängigkeit der Aufsichtsräte spielen in Familienunternehmen auch informelle Mechanismen wie relationale Normen und Vertrauen eine wichtige Rolle. Um die Bedeutung dieser Governance-Mechanismen auf die Exportintensität von kleinen und mittleren Familienunternehmen zu testen, wurde eine empirische Studie mit Hypothesentests durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass sowohl der formelle Mechanismus der Unabhängigkeit des Aufsichtsrats als auch der informelle Mechanismus relationale Normen die Internationalisierung des Unternehmens positiv beeinflussen. Die vorliegende Studie erweitert das Forschungsgerüst der Internationalisierung von Familienunternehmen, insbesondere bezüglich des Einflusses der Corporate Governance in diesem Zusammenhang

Turning innovativeness into domestic and international corporate venturing:The moderating effect of high family ownership and influence

Stemming from socioemotional wealth preservation arguments, the aim of this paper is to analyse whether high family ownership and influence moderate the relationship between innovativeness and modes of corporate venturing activities (national vs. international venturing). The main hypotheses are tested on a sample of 235 firms using structural equation modelling techniques in the form of partial least squares regression. Our main findings suggest that there is a significant positive relationship between innovativeness and corporate venturing activities, both in family and non-family firms. This relationship is much stronger for national than international corporate venturing. Moreover, high family ownership and influence negatively affect only the innovativeness-national venturing relationship, while this negative effect is less manifest for the case of international venturing

Governance structure and internationalization of family-controlled firms:The mediating role of international entrepreneurial orientation

Stemming from resource dependence theory this article investigates the mediating role of international entrepreneurial orientation on the relationship between the involvement of non-family members in the firms' governance structure and both pace of internationalization and international performance of family firms. Relying on a sample of 113 German family firms, the theoretical model proposed in the study is tested via structural equation modeling techniques. Our findings suggest that a high involvement of non-family members in governance structure has a positive impact on family firms' pace of internationalization, and that this relationship is mediated by the international entrepreneurial orientation of the firm. The discussion section offers implications for family business and international entrepreneurship literature, as well as practical implications

The influence of ownership structure and board strategic involvement on international sales: The moderating effect of family involvement

This paper contributes to the family business and the international business literature by analysing whether and to what extent different compositions of the ownership structure and degrees of board strategic involvement impact on the level of international sales of family and non-family businesses. Our main hypotheses are tested on a sample of 342 Norwegian firms via regression analysis. The results from this study show the existence, in both in family and non-family businesses, of a positive and significant relationship between foreign investors’ ownership and the level of international sales. Furthermore, the relationship between CEO ownership impacts negatively on international sales in both family and non-family businesses. While board strategic involvement contributes positively to international sales in non-family businesses it becomes not significant when we only look at family businesses. Implications for theory and practice and future research directions are discussed