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Attracting talent to family-owned businesses: The perceptions of MBA students

Author

Listed:
  • Ceja, Lucia

    (IESE Business School)

  • Tapies, Josep

    (IESE Business School)

Abstract

This paper examines the perceptions that MBA students hold regarding family-owned businesses compared to non-family firms. The study is based on the assumption that attracting talent is critical not only for continuous competitive advantage, but also for the survival of family-owned businesses. Therefore, family-owned firms should promote themselves as equally attractive as non-family organizations in terms of employment opportunities. MBA graduates represent a rich pool of talent that can help family-owned firms to prosper across generations. One avenue of inquiry in this regard is to study MBA students and their perceptions. Consequently, studying whether MBA students hold a specific image regarding family-owned businesses is brought to the forefront. With this aim, the authors engaged in an enquiry process, dealing with MBA students' perceptions of the strengths and weaknesses of family-owned firms compared to non-family businesses. The sample was composed of 213 MBA students from 20 different countries. The results showed that MBA students do indeed hold a particular image regarding family-owned firms. More specifically, some of the findings are that MBA students perceive family-owned firms as having more problems within the ownership than non-family businesses, are not as good as non-family firms in attracting talented managers, have less job rotation, are slower in their internationalization processes, are slower in the implementation of new technologies, have more difficulty in issuing equity and have a later retirement age than non-family firms. Limitations of the study and future research are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Ceja, Lucia & Tapies, Josep, 2009. "Attracting talent to family-owned businesses: The perceptions of MBA students," IESE Research Papers D/815, IESE Business School.
    • Handle: RePEc:ebg:iesewp:d-0815
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    File URL: http://www.iese.edu/research/pdfs/DI-0815-E.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Caprano, Johannes, 2019. "Recruiting Generation Y for the Backbone of Economy: Organizational Attractiveness of Small, Family Owned, and Rural Firms," Junior Management Science (JUMS), Junior Management Science e. V., vol. 4(4), pages 493-523.
    3. Arijs, Diane & Botero, Isabel C. & Michiels, Anneleen & Molly, Vincent, 2018. "Family business employer brand: Understanding applicants’ perceptions and their job pursuit intentions with samples from the US and Belgium," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 9(3), pages 180-191.
    4. Sievinen, Hanna Maria & Ikäheimonen, Tuuli & Pihkala, Timo, 2020. "Owners’ rule-based decision-making in family firm strategic renewal," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 36(3).
    5. Jaufenthaler, Philipp, 2023. "A safe haven in times of crisis: The appeal of family companies as employers amid the COVID-19 pandemic," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 14(1).
    6. Rodrigo Basco & Thomas Bassetti & Lorenzo Dal Maso & Nicola Lattanzi, 2023. "Why and when do family firms invest less in talent management? The suppressor effect of risk aversion," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 27(1), pages 101-130, March.

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    Keywords

    family-owned businesses; non-family firms; MBA students; talent; perceptions;
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