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Environmental Uncertainty and Strategic Behavior in Belgian Family Firms

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  • Gils, Anita Van
  • Voordeckers, Wim
  • van den Heuvel, Jeroen

Abstract

Despite the prevalence and economic importance of family businesses both in Europe and the US, relatively little research has been performed on how these types of firms remain competitive in today's dynamic environment. The aim of this research project--conducted among a representative sample of family businesses in Belgium--is to analyze a manager's perception of environmental uncertainty and to link it to the family firm's strategic behavior. Results indicate that family firm managers do not perceive their environment as a very hostile one. To attain a competitive advantage, most of them opt for a competitive strategy that combines a cost leadership and differentiation perspective. However, a large group of family firms occupies a 'stuck-in-the-middle-position'. The selection of a strategy is linked to family firm goals and the CEO's uncertainty perception of some specific issues in the family firm's environment.

Suggested Citation

  • Gils, Anita Van & Voordeckers, Wim & van den Heuvel, Jeroen, 2004. "Environmental Uncertainty and Strategic Behavior in Belgian Family Firms," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 22(5), pages 588-595, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eurman:v:22:y:2004:i:5:p:588-595
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    Cited by:

    1. Vanderstraeten, Johanna & van Witteloostuijn, Arjen & Matthyssens, Paul, 2020. "Organizational sponsorship and service co-development: A contingency view on service co-development directiveness of business incubators," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    2. Rebeca García-Ramos & Belén Díaz-Díaz & Myriam García-Olalla, 2017. "Independent directors, large shareholders and firm performance: the generational stage of family businesses and the socioemotional wealth approach," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 11(1), pages 119-156, January.
    3. Efstathios Tapinos & Graham Leask & Mike Brown, 2023. "Perceived environmental turbulence and corporate strategy: The case of the UK recession," Futures & Foresight Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 5(3-4), September.
    4. Carmen Barroso-Castro & Marta Domínguez de la Concha Castañeda & Mª de los Ángeles Rodríguez Serrano, 2022. "Listed SMEs and innovation: the role of founding board members," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 18(2), pages 901-934, June.
    5. Geoffrey Martin & Joanna Tochman Campbell & Luis Gomez-Mejia, 2016. "Family Control, Socioemotional Wealth and Earnings Management in Publicly Traded Firms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 133(3), pages 453-469, February.
    6. Martínez-Sanchis, Paula & Aragón-Amonarriz, Cristina & Iturrioz-Landart, Cristina, 2020. "How the Pygmalion Effect operates in intra-family succession: Shared expectations in family SMEs," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 38(6), pages 914-926.
    7. Drago, Carlo & Ginesti, Gianluca & Pongelli, Claudia & Sciascia, Salvatore, 2018. "Reporting strategies: What makes family firms beat around the bush? Family-related antecedents of annual report readability," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 9(2), pages 142-150.
    8. Lueg, Rainer & Borisov, Boris Genadiev, 2014. "Archival or perceived measures of environmental uncertainty? Conceptualization and new empirical evidence," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 658-671.
    9. Boers, Börje & Ljungkvist, Torbjörn & Brunninge, Olof & Nordqvist, Mattias, 2017. "Going private: A socioemotional wealth perspective on why family controlled companies decide to leave the stock-exchange," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 8(2), pages 74-86.
    10. Ada Domańska & Ewa Więcek-Janka & Robert Zajkowski, 2022. "Implementing Sustainable Development Concept: A Typology of Family Firms in Poland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-21, April.
    11. Blanco-Mazagatos, Virginia & de Quevedo-Puente, Esther & Delgado-García, Juan Bautista, 2018. "Human resource practices and organizational human capital in the family firm: The effect of generational stage," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 337-348.
    12. Stephen Brammer & Stefan Hoejmose & Kerry Marchant, 2012. "Environmental Management in SMEs in the UK: Practices, Pressures and Perceived Benefits," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(7), pages 423-434, November.
    13. Sciascia, Salvatore & Mazzola, Pietro & Kellermanns, Franz W., 2014. "Family management and profitability in private family-owned firms: Introducing generational stage and the socioemotional wealth perspective," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 5(2), pages 131-137.
    14. Jacek Lipiec, 2014. "Capital Asset Pricing Model Testing at Warsaw Stock Exchange: Are Family Businesses the Remedy for Economic Recessions?," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 2(3), pages 1-14, July.
    15. Ginesti, Gianluca & Ossorio, Mario & Dawson, Alexandra, 2023. "Family businesses and debt maturity structure: Focusing on family involvement in governance to explain heterogeneity," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 14(2).
    16. Allan Discua Cruz & Carole Howorth & Eleanor Hamilton, 2013. "Intrafamily Entrepreneurship: The Formation and Membership of Family Entrepreneurial Teams," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 37(1), pages 17-46, January.

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