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Does Size Matter? The Moderating Effects of Firm Size on the Employment of Nonfamily Managers in Privately Held Family SMEs

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  • Hanqinq “Chevy†Fang
  • Robert V.D.G. Randolph
  • Esra Memili
  • James J. Chrisman

Abstract

Family firms’ decisions to hire nonfamily managers are influenced by agency costs, socioemotional wealth concerns, and the availability of high–quality nonfamily managers in the labor pool. We hypothesize that owing to these factors, family ownership and intrafamily succession intentions will be negatively associated with the proportion of nonfamily managers in private small– and medium–sized (SME) family firms. However, firm size is hypothesized to positively moderate those relationships because as family firm size increases, the benefits of hiring nonfamily managers rise faster than the costs. Tobit regression analyses of 7,299 private SMEs support our hypotheses.

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  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:entthe:v:40:y:2016:i:5:p:1017-1039
    DOI: 10.1111/etap.12156
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    3. Hillebrand, Sebastian & Teichert, Thorsten, 2020. "Successor selection in times of continuity and renewal - A discrete choice-experiment," WiSo-HH Working Paper Series 59, University of Hamburg, Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences, WISO Research Laboratory.
    4. Kerai, Anita & Kumar, Vikas & Singla, Chitra, 2023. "Impact of TMT structural power asymmetry on family firm internationalization," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(4).
    5. Gottschalck, Nicole & Guenther, Christina & Kellermanns, Franz, 2020. "For whom are family-owned firms good employers? An exploratory study of the turnover intentions of blue- and white-collar workers in family-owned and non-family-owned firms," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 11(3).
    6. Taewoo Kim & Jennifer C. Sexton & Laura E. Marler, 2023. "Innovation as a mixed gamble in family firms: the moderating effect of inter-organizational cooperation," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(4), pages 1389-1408, April.
    7. Debellis, Francesco & De Massis, Alfredo & Messeni Petruzzelli, Antonio & Frattini, Federico & Del Giudice, Manlio, 2021. "Strategic agility and international joint ventures: The willingness-ability paradox of family firms," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(1).
    8. Christina Guenther & Maksim Belitski & Nada Rejeb, 2023. "Overcoming the ability-willingness paradox in small family firms’ collaborations," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(4), pages 1409-1429, April.
    9. Chu, Irene & Vu, Mai & Adomako, Samuel & Lanivich, Stephen E., 2024. "Human flourishing from eudaimonic balance of values in entrepreneurs," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    10. Xuan He & Weicheng Xiao & Qiang Liang, 2024. "Coexisting with the national will: state logic and intrafamily succession," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 63(2), pages 713-730, August.
    11. Christian Brück & Jonas Ludwig & Anja Schwering, 2018. "The use of value-based management in family firms," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 28(4), pages 383-416, February.
    12. Francesco Debellis & Michele Pinelli & Marcel Hülsbeck & Anne Heider, 2023. "Ownership, governance, and internationalization in family firms: a replication and extension," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 61(4), pages 1437-1459, December.
    13. Llanos-Contreras, Orlando & Alonso-Dos-Santos, Manuel & Welsh, Dianne H.B., 2024. "Graduating college students apply here: Communicating family firm ownership and firm size," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 15(1).
    14. 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.
    15. Patel, Pankaj C. & João Guedes, Maria & Pagano, Michael S. & Olson, Gerard T., 2020. "Industry profitability matters: The value of sustainable growth rate and distance from bankruptcy as enablers of venture survival," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 80-92.
    16. 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).
    17. Kölling, Arnd, 2017. "Employment in family firms: Less but safe? Analyzing labor demand of German family firms with a treatment model for panel data," Working Papers 92, Berlin School of Economics and Law, Institute of Management Berlin (IMB).

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