IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/sbusec/v63y2024i2d10.1007_s11187-024-00875-6.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

New insights on economic theories of the family firm

Author

Listed:
  • James J. Chrisman

    (Mississippi State University)

  • Hanqing (Chevy) Fang

    (Missouri University of Science and Technology)

  • Silvio Vismara

    (University of Bergamo)

  • Zhenyu Wu

    (University of Manitoba)

Abstract

Research attention to family firms has significantly increased in recent years, with a growing application of economic theories such as agency theory and resource-based theory to explain differences between family firms and nonfamily firms and heterogeneity among family firm populations. Despite this progress, the formulation of an economic theory of family business remains notably absent. Merely applying existing economic theories of the firm to the realm of family business is inadequate, as these general theories fail to incorporate the idiosyncratic aspects of family firms, such as the pursuit of socioemotional wealth. This paper seeks to advance economic theories specific to family firms and lay the groundwork for future studies. We advocate for interdisciplinary research using insights from fields such as economics, management, sociology, and psychology to investigate the complex dynamics governing family firms and their economic behaviors, decision-making, and performance.

Suggested Citation

  • James J. Chrisman & Hanqing (Chevy) Fang & Silvio Vismara & Zhenyu Wu, 2024. "New insights on economic theories of the family firm," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 63(2), pages 697-711, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:sbusec:v:63:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s11187-024-00875-6
    DOI: 10.1007/s11187-024-00875-6
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11187-024-00875-6
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11187-024-00875-6?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Villalonga, Belen & Amit, Raphael, 2006. "How do family ownership, control and management affect firm value?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(2), pages 385-417, May.
    2. James J. Chrisman & Jess H. Chua & Shaker A. Zahra, 2003. "Creating Wealth in Family Firms through Managing Resources: Comments and Extensions," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 27(4), pages 359-365, October.
    3. Maximilian Lude & Reinhard Prügl, 2019. "Risky Decisions and the Family Firm Bias: An Experimental Study Based on Prospect Theory," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 43(2), pages 386-408, March.
    4. Jess H. Chua & James J. Chrisman & Alfredo De Massis, 2015. "A Closer Look at Socioemotional Wealth: Its Flows, Stocks, and Prospects for Moving Forward," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 39(2), pages 173-182, March.
    5. Debicki, Bart J. & Kellermanns, Franz W. & Chrisman, James J. & Pearson, Allison W. & Spencer, Barbara A., 2016. "Development of a socioemotional wealth importance (SEWi) scale for family firm research," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 7(1), pages 47-57.
    6. Daniel Kahneman & Amos Tversky, 2013. "Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision Under Risk," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Leonard C MacLean & William T Ziemba (ed.), HANDBOOK OF THE FUNDAMENTALS OF FINANCIAL DECISION MAKING Part I, chapter 6, pages 99-127, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    7. James J. Chrisman & Jess H. Chua & Alfredo Massis & Tommaso Minola & Silvio Vismara, 2016. "Management processes and strategy execution in family firms: from “what” to “how”," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 47(3), pages 719-734, October.
    8. repec:cup:buhirw:v:80:y:2006:i:02:p:263-295_00 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Jess H. Chua & James J. Chrisman & Erich B. Bergiel, 2009. "An Agency Theoretic Analysis of the Professionalized Family Firm," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 33(2), pages 355-372, March.
    10. Hanqinq “Chevy†Fang & Robert V.D.G. Randolph & Esra Memili & James J. Chrisman, 2016. "Does Size Matter? The Moderating Effects of Firm Size on the Employment of Nonfamily Managers in Privately Held Family SMEs," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 40(5), pages 1017-1039, September.
    11. James J. Chrisman & Jess H. Chua & Franz Kellermanns, 2009. "Priorities, Resource Stocks, and Performance in Family and Nonfamily Firms," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 33(3), pages 739-760, May.
    12. Jess H. Chua & James J. Chrisman & Pramodita Sharma, 1999. "Defining the Family Business by Behavior," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 23(4), pages 19-39, July.
    13. Chrisman, James J. & Chua, Jess H. & Kellermanns, Franz W. & Chang, Erick P.C., 2007. "Are family managers agents or stewards? An exploratory study in privately held family firms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 60(10), pages 1030-1038, October.
    14. Berghoff, Hartmut, 2006. "The End of Family Business? The Mittelstand and German Capitalism in Transition, 1949–2000," Business History Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 80(2), pages 263-295, July.
    15. William S. Schulze & Michael H. Lubatkin & Richard N. Dino & Ann K. Buchholtz, 2001. "Agency Relationships in Family Firms: Theory and Evidence," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 12(2), pages 99-116, April.
    16. Miller, Danny & Le Breton-Miller, Isabelle & Lester, Richard H. & Cannella Jr., Albert A., 2007. "Are family firms really superior performers?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 13(5), pages 829-858, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Michele Pinelli & Francesco Debellis & Alfredo Massis, 2024. "Long-term orientation, family-intensive governance arrangements, and firm performance: an institutional economics perspective," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 63(2), pages 731-754, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wright, Mike & Kellermanns, Franz W., 2011. "Family firms: A research agenda and publication guide," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 2(4), pages 187-198.
    2. Simon C. Parker, 2016. "Family Firms and the “Willing Successor†Problem," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 40(6), pages 1241-1259, November.
    3. Kosmidou, Vasiliki & Holt, Daniel T., 2022. "The relationship between family management and performance: A configurational approach in exploring the role of socioemotional wealth and generational stage," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 13(4).
    4. Ivan Miroshnychenko & Alfredo De Massis & Danny Miller & Roberto Barontini, 2021. "Family Business Growth Around the World," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 45(4), pages 682-708, July.
    5. Jaskiewicz, Peter & Block, Joern & Wagner, Dominik & Carney, Michael & Hansen, Christopher, 2021. "How do cross-country differences in institutional trust and trust in family explain the mixed performance effects of family management? A meta-analysis," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 56(5).
    6. Thomas M. Zellweger & Franz W. Kellermanns & James J. Chrisman & Jess H. Chua, 2012. "Family Control and Family Firm Valuation by Family CEOs: The Importance of Intentions for Transgenerational Control," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 23(3), pages 851-868, June.
    7. Jessenia Davila & Luis Gomez-Mejia & Geoff Martin, 2024. "Family Firms and Employee Pension Underfunding: Good Corporate Citizens or Unethical Opportunists?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 192(2), pages 323-339, June.
    8. Thomas M. Zellweger & James J. Chrisman & Jess H. Chua & Lloyd P. Steier, 2019. "Social Structures, Social Relationships, and Family Firms," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 43(2), pages 207-223, March.
    9. Franz Kellermanns & Kimberly Eddleston & Ravi Sarathy & Fran Murphy, 2012. "Innovativeness in family firms: a family influence perspective," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 38(1), pages 85-101, January.
    10. Hanqing “Chevy” Fang & Esra Memili & James J. Chrisman & Linjia Tang, 2021. "Narrow‐Framing and Risk Preferences in Family and Non‐Family Firms," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(1), pages 201-235, January.
    11. Hopkins, Lucas & Ferguson, Keith E., 2014. "Looking forward: The role of multiple regression in family business research," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 52-62.
    12. Basco, Rodrigo, 2013. "The family's effect on family firm performance: A model testing the demographic and essence approaches," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 4(1), pages 42-66.
    13. Pramodita Sharma & James J. Chrisman & Jess H. Chua & Lloyd P. Steier, 2020. "Family Firm Behavior From a Psychological Perspective," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 44(1), pages 3-19, January.
    14. Choi, Young Rok & Zahra, Shaker A. & Yoshikawa, Toru & Han, Bong H., 2015. "Family ownership and R&D investment: The role of growth opportunities and business group membership," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(5), pages 1053-1061.
    15. Stephen J. Smulowitz & Didier Cossin & Alfredo De Massis & Hongze (Abraham) Lu, 2023. "Wrongdoing in Publicly Listed Family- and Nonfamily-Owned Firms: A Behavioral Perspective," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 47(4), pages 1233-1264, July.
    16. James J. Chrisman & Jess H. Chua & Allison W. Pearson & Tim Barnett, 2012. "Family Involvement, Family Influence, and Family–Centered Non–Economic Goals in Small Firms," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 36(2), pages 267-293, March.
    17. Michael Carney & Marc Van Essen & Eric R. Gedajlovic & Pursey P.M.A.R. Heugens, 2015. "What do we know about Private Family Firms? A Meta–Analytical Review," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 39(3), pages 513-544, May.
    18. Dou, Junsheng & Wang, Ning & Su, Emma & Fang, Hanqing & Memili, Esra, 2020. "Goal complexity in family firm diversification: Evidence from China," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 11(1).
    19. Hiebl, Martin R.W., 2013. "Bean counter or strategist? Differences in the role of the CFO in family and non-family businesses," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 4(2), pages 147-161.
    20. Rodriguez-Garcia, P. & Menéndez-Requejo, S., 2020. "Family Constitution to manage family firms' agency conflicts," MPRA Paper 120016, University Library of Munich, Germany.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Family firms; Family business; Governance; Culture; Institutional economics; Long-term orientation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance
    • L20 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - General
    • L25 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Performance

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:sbusec:v:63:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s11187-024-00875-6. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.