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Utilization and value of social networking relationships in family and nonfamily firms in an African transition economy

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  • Acquaah, Moses

Abstract

This study investigates the utilization of managerial networking relationships with social and political entities to create social capital in family-owned and nonfamily firms, and compares the impact of the value of the social capital derived from the networking relationships on performance between family-owned and nonfamily firms. Using data from Ghana, the findings show that there are differences in the utilization of networking with social and political stakeholders to create social capital by family-owned and nonfamily firms. While networking relationships with government bureaucratic officials and community leaders have an inverted U-shaped relationship with performance for family-owned firms, it has a linear, positive and monotonic relationship with performance for nonfamily firms. Overall, the findings suggest that networking relationship matters, but extensive utilization of networking relationships with external stakeholders may have diminishing returns to performance for family-owned firms.

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  • Acquaah, Moses, 2011. "Utilization and value of social networking relationships in family and nonfamily firms in an African transition economy," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 29(5), pages 347-361.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eurman:v:29:y:2011:i:5:p:347-361
    DOI: 10.1016/j.emj.2011.03.002
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    Cited by:

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    2. Acquaah, Moses, 2013. "Management control systems, business strategy and performance: A comparative analysis of family and non-family businesses in a transition economy in sub-Saharan Africa," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 4(2), pages 131-146.
    3. Sanchez-Famoso, Valeriano & Iturralde Jainaga, Txomin & Maseda García, Amaia, 2015. "Kapital sozialaren garrantzia familia enpresetan," Revista de Dirección y Administración de Empresas, Universidad del País Vasco - Escuela Universitaria de Estudios Empresariales de San Sebastián.
    4. Carmelo Cennamo & Pascual Berrone & Cristina Cruz & Luis R. Gomez–Mejia, 2012. "Socioemotional Wealth and Proactive Stakeholder Engagement: Why Family–Controlled Firms Care More about their Stakeholders," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 36(6), pages 1153-1173, November.
    5. Hulya Eker, 2021. "A Theoretical Study From the Sociological Perspective on the Social Capital of Youth With Disabilities," Journal of Economy Culture and Society, Istanbul University, Faculty of Economics, vol. 64(64), pages 377-395, December.
    6. Victoria Antin Yates & James M. Vardaman & James J. Chrisman, 2023. "Social network research in the family business literature: a review and integration," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(4), pages 1323-1345, April.

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