IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wsi/jecxxx/v23y2015i01ns0218495815500028.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

No Consensus in Sight: An Analysis of Ten Years of Family Business Definitions in Empirical Research Studies

Author

Listed:
  • Tanja Steiger

    (BRP Powertrain, Rotaxstraße 1, 4623 Gunskirchen, Austria)

  • Christine Duller

    (Institute of Applied Statistics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Altenberger Straße 69, 4040 Linz, Austria)

  • Martin R. W. Hiebl

    (Institute of Management Control and Consulting, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Altenberger Straße 69, 4040 Linz, Austria;
    Chair of Management Accounting and Control, University of Siegen, Hölderlinstraße 3, 57076 Siegen, Germany)

Abstract

Family business (FB) scholars often criticize the fact that FB research has not yet developed a commonly accepted definition of what constitutes an FB. At the same time, the literature lacks empirical evidence for this claim. Hence, we collected all empirical FB research articles published between 2002 and 2011 in the five leading FB research journals to examine the types of FB definitions used in the literature and to determine how their usage relates to bibliographical and methodological contextual factors. The resulting 238 articles were analyzed in terms of their underlying approaches to defining FBs. Our paper provides empirical support for the notion that FB research has not yet found a commonly accepted definition of FB. Most definitions can be classified as being rooted in the components-of-involvement approach (44% of all evaluated articles), in the essence approach (21%), or in a combination of the two (33%). We also find that the type of FB definition used in empirical research in our sample is significantly associated with the publication outlet, the continent of data collection, the number of authors and the stock market listing status of analyzed firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Tanja Steiger & Christine Duller & Martin R. W. Hiebl, 2015. "No Consensus in Sight: An Analysis of Ten Years of Family Business Definitions in Empirical Research Studies," Journal of Enterprising Culture (JEC), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 23(01), pages 25-62.
    • Handle: RePEc:wsi:jecxxx:v:23:y:2015:i:01:n:s0218495815500028
    DOI: 10.1142/S0218495815500028
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S0218495815500028
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1142/S0218495815500028?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. Calvin Wang, 2010. "Daughter Exclusion in Family Business Succession: A Review of the Literature," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 31(4), pages 475-484, December.
    2. van Damme, E.E.C., 2004. "Maatschappelijk onverantwoordelijke politiek," Other publications TiSEM 91da020a-7364-455c-8efe-8, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    3. Neal Alexander, 2011. "Design and Analysis of Vaccine Studies by HALLORAN, M. E., LONGINI JR., I. M., and STRUCHINER, C. J," Biometrics, The International Biometric Society, vol. 67(1), pages 326-327, March.
    4. N/A, 2003. "Lyle V. Jones: Biography," Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics, , vol. 28(4), pages 389-394, December.
    5. -, 2003. "Major statistical publications: abstracts," Sede Subregional de la CEPAL para el Caribe (Estudios e Investigaciones) 27529, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
    6. Unknown, 2003. "Francis Joseph Marschner: USDA Geographer," Amber Waves:The Economics of Food, Farming, Natural Resources, and Rural America, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, pages 1-1, June.
    7. Susan Starkings, 2009. "Naive Decision Making: Mathematics Applied to the Social World by T. W. Körner," International Statistical Review, International Statistical Institute, vol. 77(1), pages 151-151, April.
    8. Edvinsson, Rodney, 2011. "Aspiring to a Higher Rank: Swedish Factor Prices and Productivity. By Svante Prado. Gothenburg: University of Gothenburg, 2008. Pp. 242, Published Ph.D. thesis," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 71(3), pages 812-813, September.
    9. N/A, 2003. "Prospects for North America and Japan," National Institute Economic Review, National Institute of Economic and Social Research, vol. 186(1), pages 18-22, October.
    10. Antonio Caparrós Ruiz & Mª. Lucía Navarro Gómez, 2002. "Factors affecting quits and layoffs in Spain," Economic Working Papers at Centro de Estudios Andaluces E2002/16, Centro de Estudios Andaluces.
    11. Paul Dragos Aligica & Bogdan Florian, 2008. "Entrepreneurship and education. The missing link in international development theory and practice," International Journal of Business and Globalisation, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 2(1), pages 28-38.
    12. Szakolczai, György, 2006. "Joseph E. Stiglitz: A viharos kilencvenes évek. A világ eddig legprosperálóbb tíz évének új története. Napvilág kiadó, Budapest, 2005, 336 o [Joseph E. Stiglitz: The Roaring Nineties: A New History," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(7), pages 732-736.
    13. Baines, Dudley, 2004. "The History of Human Populations. Volume 2. Migration, Urbanization, and Structural Change. By P. M. G. Harris. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2003. Pp. xxiv, 553. $99.99," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 64(4), pages 1154-1155, December.
    14. Unknown, 2003. "Francis Joseph Marschner," Amber Waves:The Economics of Food, Farming, Natural Resources, and Rural America, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, pages 1-1, June.
    15. David Kirby, 2006. "Creating Entrepreneurial Universities in the UK: Applying Entrepreneurship Theory to Practice," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 31(5), pages 599-603, September.
    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. Christine Weigel & Klaus Derfuss & Martin R. W. Hiebl, 2023. "Financial managers and organizational ambidexterity in the German Mittelstand: the moderating role of strategy involvement," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 17(2), pages 569-605, February.
    2. Yáñez-Araque, Benito & Sánchez-Infante Hernández, Juan Pablo & Gutiérrez-Broncano, Santiago & Jiménez-Estévez, Pedro, 2021. "Corporate social responsibility in micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises: Multigroup analysis of family vs. nonfamily firms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 581-592.
    3. Martin R.W. Hiebl & Zhen Li, 2020. "Non-family managers in family firms: review, integrative framework and future research agenda," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 763-807, August.
    4. Kalhor Elham, 2024. "Institutional effects on family business internationalization: A systematic review," ZFW – Advances in Economic Geography, De Gruyter, vol. 68(1), pages 41-62.
    5. Andreas Strobl & Kurt Matzler & Bright Adu Nketia & Viktoria Veider, 2020. "Individual innovation behavior and firm-level exploration and exploitation: how family firms make the most of their managers," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 809-844, August.
    6. Bürgel, Tobias R. & Hiebl, Martin R.W. & Pielsticker, David I., 2023. "Digitalization and entrepreneurial firms' resilience to pandemic crises: Evidence from COVID-19 and the German Mittelstand," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 186(PA).
    7. Martin Quinn & Martin R. W. Hiebl & Ken Moores & Justin B. Craig, 2018. "Future research on management accounting and control in family firms: suggestions linked to architecture, governance, entrepreneurship and stewardship," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 28(4), pages 529-546, February.
    8. Unai Arzubiaga & Amaia Maseda & Txomin Iturralde, 2019. "Exploratory and exploitative innovation in family businesses: the moderating role of the family firm image and family involvement in top management," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 13(1), pages 1-31, February.
    9. Julia Riepl & Christine Mitter & Michael Kuttner, 2024. "Risk management during the COVID-19 crisis: insights from an exploratory case study of medium-sized family businesses," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 35(1), pages 109-135, March.
    10. Leonidou, Leonidas C. & Eteokleous, Pantelitsa P. & Christodoulides, Paul & Strømfeldt Eduardsen, Jonas, 2023. "A dynamic capabilities perspective to socially responsible family business: Implications on social-based advantage and market performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 155(PA).
    11. Veland Ramadani & Léo-Paul Dana & Nora Sadiku-Dushi & Vanessa Ratten & Dianne H. B. Welsh, 2017. "Decision-Making Challenges of Women Entrepreneurship in Family Business Succession Process," Journal of Enterprising Culture (JEC), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 25(04), pages 411-439, December.
    12. Paul J. Woodfield & Kenneth Husted, 2019. "How Does Knowledge Sharing Across Generations Impact Innovation?," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 23(08), pages 1-17, December.
    13. Michael Espindola Araki & Henrique Castro Martins, 2022. "Integrating uncertainty and governance into a capital structure puzzle: can risk-taking and rule-taking explain zero-leverage firms?," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 16(6), pages 1979-2034, August.
    14. Woodfield, Paul & Husted, Kenneth, 2017. "Intergenerational knowledge sharing in family firms: Case-based evidence from the New Zealand wine industry," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 8(1), pages 57-69.
    15. Martin R. W. Hiebl & Barbara Mayrleitner, 2019. "Professionalization of management accounting in family firms: the impact of family members," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 13(5), pages 1037-1068, November.
    16. Andreas Kallmuenzer & Andreas Strobl & Mike Peters, 2018. "Tweaking the entrepreneurial orientation–performance relationship in family firms: the effect of control mechanisms and family-related goals," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 12(4), pages 855-883, October.

    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. Martin R. W. Hiebl & Birgit Feldbauer-Durstmüller & Christine Duller & Herbert Neubauer, 2012. "Institutionalisation Of Management Accounting In Family Businesses — Empirical Evidence From Austria And Germany," Journal of Enterprising Culture (JEC), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 20(04), pages 405-436.
    2. Marti Sanchez-Fibla & Ulysses Bernardet & Erez Wasserman & Tatiana Pelc & Matti Mintz & Jadin C. Jackson & Carien Lansink & Cyriel Pennartz & Paul F. M. J. Verschure, 2010. "Allostatic Control For Robot Behavior Regulation: A Comparative Rodent-Robot Study," Advances in Complex Systems (ACS), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 13(03), pages 377-403.
    3. Gila E. Fruchter & Charles S. Tapiero, 2005. "Dynamic Online And Offline Channel Pricing For Heterogeneous Customers In Virtual Acceptance," International Game Theory Review (IGTR), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 7(02), pages 137-150.
    4. Saudamini Das & Stephen C. Smith, 2012. "Awareness As An Adaptation Strategy For Reducing Mortality From Heat Waves: Evidence From A Disaster Risk Management Program In India," Climate Change Economics (CCE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 3(02), pages 1-29.
    5. H. Akcay & C. Tezcan, 2009. "Exact Solutions Of The Dirac Equation With Harmonic Oscillator Potential Including A Coulomb-Like Tensor Potential," International Journal of Modern Physics C (IJMPC), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 20(06), pages 931-940.
    6. Marion A. Weissenberger-Eibl & Benjamin Teufel, 2013. "The Innovation Process As A Political Process — How Organisational Politics Can Influence The Technological Newness Of Product Innovations," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 17(04), pages 1-34.
    7. Alan Pilkington & Romano Dyerson, 2004. "Incumbency And The Disruptive Regulator: The Case Of Electric Vehicles In California," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 8(04), pages 339-354.
    8. Hanna-Kaisa Ellonen & Ari Jantunen & Olli Kuivalainen, 2011. "The Role Of Dynamic Capabilities In Developing Innovation-Related Capabilities," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 15(03), pages 459-478.
    9. So-Jin Yoo & Olukemi Sawyerr, 2014. "The Search for Broad Environmental Information and New Product Development Success in Technology-Based SMEs," Journal of Enterprising Culture (JEC), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 22(01), pages 27-55.
    10. H. V. Mukesh & Rajasekharan Pillai K., 2020. "Role of Institutional Ecosystem in Entrepreneurship Education: An Empirical Reiteration," Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Emerging Economies, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, vol. 29(1), pages 176-205, March.
    11. Boris Rumanko & Zuzana Lušňáková & Monika Moravanská & Mária Šajbidorová, 2021. "Succession as a Risk Process in the Survival of a Family Business—Case of Slovakia," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-20, September.
    12. Esther Hormiga & Petra Saá-Pérez & Nieves L. Díaz-Díaz & José Luis Ballesteros-Rodríguez & Inmaculada Aguiar-Diaz, 2017. "The influence of entrepreneurial orientation on the performance of academic research groups: the mediating role of knowledge sharing," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 10-32, February.
    13. Matthew J. Xerri & Yvonne Brunetto, 2011. "The Impact Of The Perceived Usefulness Of Workplace Social Networks Upon The Innovative Behaviour Of Sme Employees: A Social Capital Perspective," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 15(05), pages 959-987.
    14. Centobelli, Piera & Cerchione, Roberto & Esposito, Emilio & Shashi,, 2019. "Exploration and exploitation in the development of more entrepreneurial universities: A twisting learning path model of ambidexterity," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 172-194.
    15. Miguel A. Hernandez, 2019. "Unveiling International New Ventures’ Success: Employee’s Entrepreneurial Behavior," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-32, August.
    16. Maura Pozzi & Carlo Pistoni & Silvio Carlo Ripamonti & Amalia De Leo, 2023. "Generation and Gender Differences in Family Businesses: A New Psychological Perspective," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 44(4), pages 919-934, December.
    17. Pravakar Sahoo & Rajiv Kumar, 2011. "The Impact Of Commodity Transaction Tax On Futures Trading In India: An Ex-Ante Analysis," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 56(03), pages 423-440.
    18. Tor Helge Aas, 2010. "Implementing A Value Assessment Tool For Service Innovation Ideas," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 14(06), pages 1149-1167.
    19. Brett R. Smith & Terri Feldman Barr & Saulo D. Barbosa & Jill R. Kickul, 2008. "Social Entrepreneurship: A Grounded Learning Approach To Social Value Creation," Journal of Enterprising Culture (JEC), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 16(04), pages 339-362.
    20. van Burg, E. & Gilsing, V.A. & Reymen, I.M.M.J. & Romme, A.G.L., 2008. "Creating university spin-offs : A science-based design perspective," Other publications TiSEM ed13609d-fde4-43dc-ba8a-d, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.

    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:wsi:jecxxx:v:23:y:2015:i:01:n:s0218495815500028. 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: Tai Tone Lim (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.worldscinet.com/jec/jec.shtml .

    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.