How do family businesses grow? Differences in growth patterns between family and non-family firms

Family businesses vary considerably in size, ranging from small entrepreneurial ventures over medium-sized companies to large global corporations. However, we know little about how family businesses grow. Our research analyses differences in growth patterns between family and non-family businesses,...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Moreno Menéndez, Ana María, Casillas Bueno, José Carlos
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Sevilla (US)
Repositorio:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
OAI Identifier:oai:idus.us.es:11441/180228
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/11441/180228
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfbs.2021.100420
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Firm growth
Family business
Socioemotional wealth
Resource-based view
Spain
Descripción
Sumario:Family businesses vary considerably in size, ranging from small entrepreneurial ventures over medium-sized companies to large global corporations. However, we know little about how family businesses grow. Our research analyses differences in growth patterns between family and non-family businesses, considering two dimensions of business growth: sales (performance) and employees (resources). Based on the Penrosean resource- based view of the firm and socioemotional wealth (SEW) perspective, we test and find —using a panel of 2000 Spanish manufacturing companies (2006–2014) —that family businesses tend to grow less than non-family businesses in terms of sales but more in terms of employees. Our research casts doubt on the myth of low growth in family businesses and shows that SEW should complement the Penrosean approach to explain the growth of family businesses.