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Review of Family Business Definitions: Cluster Approach and Implications of Heterogeneous Application for Family Business Research

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  • Henrik Harms

    (Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWI), Heimhuder Straße 71, 20148 Hamburg, Germany)

Abstract

This review article displays several attempts to define family businesses as well as a systematization approach to get new insights about the relationship between family business definitions and their application under different conditions such as legal framework, culture or regional understanding of family. Potential explanations for the ambiguity of what is meant by family firms are revealed by reviewing 267 journal articles. A consensus about the object of investigation would result in a deeper understanding of family firms’ uniqueness, might lead to more reliable comparative studies as well as interdisciplinary work (e.g., finance and family firms) and enables a quicker consolidation of family business research, especially in contrast to research on small and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurship. Therefore, the present review contributes to the development of family business research by providing an initial attempt to comprehensively systematized existing family firm definitions which could be used by researchers in family business research.

Suggested Citation

  • Henrik Harms, 2014. "Review of Family Business Definitions: Cluster Approach and Implications of Heterogeneous Application for Family Business Research," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 2(3), pages 1-35, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijfss:v:2:y:2014:i:3:p:280-314:d:38495
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    9. Martina Sageder & Christine Mitter & Birgit Feldbauer‐Durstmüller, 2018. "Image and reputation of family firms: a systematic literature review of the state of research," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 335-377, January.
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    11. Andersson, Fredrik W. & Johansson, Dan & Karlsson, Johan & Lodefalk, Magnus & Poldahl, Andreas, 2017. "The Characteristics and Performance of Family Firms: Exploiting information on ownership, governance and kinship using total population data," Working Papers 2017:1, Örebro University, School of Business.
    12. Hanna Górska-Warsewicz & Maciej Dębski & Krystyna Rejman & Wacław Laskowski, 2020. "The Specificity of Family Firms Providing Accommodation Services—The Experience of a Post-Socialist Country 30 Years after the Economic Transformation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-21, December.
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