IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/krk/eberjl/v5y2017i1p169-185.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Internationalisation of Family Firms: the Role of the Ownership Structure and the Composition of Top Management Team

Author

Listed:
  • Aleksandra Wąsowska

    (University of Warsaw; Faculty of Management, Poland)

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this paper isto investigate the determinants of family firm internationalisation, focusing on the roles of ownership (i.e. concentration of ownership, foreign ownership) and management (i.e. involvement of nonfamily managers, owner-CEO). Research Design & Methods: We test our hypothesis using linear regression models and logistic regression models, based on a sample of 6,957 family firms from seven European countries (Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Spain, UK). Findings: The concentration of ownership within the family hinders the propensity to export, but it has no effect on export intensity and export scope. Foreign ownership contributes to firm performance and that the impact of minority foreign ownership is more pronounced than the controlling foreign ownership. The involvement of nonfamily managers enhances internationalisation, and that owner-CEO hinders internationalisation, but only in terms of global exporting. Implications & Recommendations: The inclusion of outsiders (both in terms of ownership and management) enhances family firms’ internationalisation. This finding is particularly relevant to family business planning to expand abroad. We encourage further research investigating the relationships between different dimensions of ‘familiness’ and firm internationalisation, preferably in a multi-country context (e.g. advanced versus emerging economies). Contribution & Value Added: The originality of this work lies in treating family firms as a heterogeneous group and investigating the impact of different dimensions of ’familiness’ (i.e. ownership structure, composition of TMTs) upon an internationalisation strategy.

Suggested Citation

  • Aleksandra Wąsowska, 2017. "The Internationalisation of Family Firms: the Role of the Ownership Structure and the Composition of Top Management Team," Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review, Centre for Strategic and International Entrepreneurship at the Cracow University of Economics., vol. 5(1), pages 169-185.
    • Handle: RePEc:krk:eberjl:v:5:y:2017:i:1:p:169-185
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://eber.uek.krakow.pl/index.php/eber/article/download/184/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Julian Birkinshaw, 1996. "How Multinational Subsidiary Mandates are Gained and Lost," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 27(3), pages 467-495, September.
    2. Arosa, Blanca & Iturralde, Txomin & Maseda, Amaia, 2010. "Ownership structure and firm performance in non-listed firms: Evidence from Spain," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 1(2), pages 88-96, June.
    3. Aghion, Philippe & Tirole, Jean, 1997. "Formal and Real Authority in Organizations," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 105(1), pages 1-29, February.
    4. Andrea Calabro & Donata Mussolino & Morten Huse, 2009. "The role of board of directors in the internationalisation process of small and medium sized family businesses," International Journal of Globalisation and Small Business, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 3(4), pages 393-411.
    5. Yakov Amihud & Baruch Lev, 1981. "Risk Reduction as a Managerial Motive for Conglomerate Mergers," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 12(2), pages 605-617, Autumn.
    6. Shleifer, Andrei & Vishny, Robert W, 1997. "A Survey of Corporate Governance," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 52(2), pages 737-783, June.
    7. Jan Johanson & Jan-Erik Vahlne, 2009. "The Uppsala internationalization process model revisited: From liability of foreignness to liability of outsidership," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(9), pages 1411-1431, December.
    8. Young, Stephen & Tavares, Ana Teresa, 2004. "Centralization and autonomy: back to the future," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 13(2), pages 215-237, April.
    9. Danny Miller & Isabelle Le Breton‐Miller & Barry Scholnick, 2008. "Stewardship vs. Stagnation: An Empirical Comparison of Small Family and Non‐Family Businesses," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(1), pages 51-78, January.
    10. Jensen, Michael C. & Meckling, William H., 1976. "Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 305-360, October.
    11. Fama, Eugene F. & Jensen, Michael C., 1985. "Organizational forms and investment decisions," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 14(1), pages 101-119, March.
    12. David G. Sirmon & Michael A. Hitt, 2003. "Managing Resources: Linking Unique Resources, Management, and Wealth Creation in Family Firms," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 27(4), pages 339-358, October.
    13. Daszkiewicz Nelly & Wach Krzysztof, 2014. "Motives for Going International and Entry Modes of Family Firms in Poland," Journal of Intercultural Management, Sciendo, vol. 6(2), pages 5-18, April.
    14. repec:ner:ucllon:http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/17678/ is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Eddleston, Kimberly A. & Kellermanns, Franz W., 2007. "Destructive and productive family relationships: A stewardship theory perspective," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 22(4), pages 545-565, July.
    16. Jan Johanson & Jan-Erik Vahlne, 1977. "The Internationalization Process of the Firm—A Model of Knowledge Development and Increasing Foreign Market Commitments," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 8(1), pages 23-32, March.
    17. Steven N. Kaplan & Per Stromberg, 2001. "Venture Capitalists As Principals: Contracting, Screening, and Monitoring," NBER Working Papers 8202, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    18. Rafael La Porta & Florencio Lopez‐De‐Silanes & Andrei Shleifer, 1999. "Corporate Ownership Around the World," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 54(2), pages 471-517, April.
    19. Andrea Colli & Esteban Garc�a-Canal & Mauro F. Guill�n, 2013. "Family character and international entrepreneurship: A historical comparison of Italian and Spanish ‘new multinationals’," Business History, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(1), pages 119-138, January.
    20. Salvatore Sciascia & Pietro Mazzola & Joseph Astrachan & Torsten Pieper, 2012. "The role of family ownership in international entrepreneurship: exploring nonlinear effects," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 38(1), pages 15-31, January.
    21. Shrader, Rodney C. & Simon, Mark, 1997. "Corporate versus independent new ventures: Resource, strategy, and performance differences," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 12(1), pages 47-66, January.
    22. Kontinen, Tanja & Ojala, Arto, 2010. "The internationalization of family businesses: A review of extant research," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 1(2), pages 97-107, June.
    23. Igor Filatotchev & Johannes Stephan & Björn Jindra, 2008. "Ownership structure, strategic controls and export intensity of foreign-invested firms in transition economies," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 39(7), pages 1133-1148, October.
    24. Krzysztof Wach, 2015. "Incremental versus Rapid Internationalisation of Firms: Results of Exploratory Investigation from Poland," Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review, Centre for Strategic and International Entrepreneurship at the Cracow University of Economics., vol. 3(4), pages 37-48.
    25. K. Pavitt & M. Robson & J. Townsend, 1989. "Technological Accumulation, Diversification and Organisation in UK Companies, 1945--1983," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 35(1), pages 81-99, January.
    26. Zahra, Shaker A., 2003. "International expansion of U.S. manufacturing family businesses: the effect of ownership and involvement," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 18(4), pages 495-512, July.
    27. Steen Thomsen & Torben Pedersen, 2000. "Ownership structure and economic performance in the largest european companies," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(6), pages 689-705, June.
    28. Mike Burkart & Denis Gromb & Fausto Panunzi, 1997. "Large Shareholders, Monitoring, and the Value of the Firm," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 112(3), pages 693-728.
    29. Chung, Hsi-Mei, 2014. "The role of family management and ownership on semi-globalization pattern of globalization: The case of family business groups," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 260-271.
    30. Sumon Kumar Bhaumik & Nigel Driffield & Sarmistha Pal, 2010. "Does ownership structure of emerging-market firms affect their outward FDI? The case of the Indian automotive and pharmaceutical sectors," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 41(3), pages 437-450, April.
    31. Jan Brzozowski & Marco Cucculelli, 2016. "Proactive and Reactive Attitude to Crisis: Evidence from European Firms," Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review, Centre for Strategic and International Entrepreneurship at the Cracow University of Economics., vol. 4(1), pages 181-191.
    32. Lin, Wen-Ting, 2012. "Family ownership and internationalization processes: Internationalization pace, internationalization scope, and internationalization rhythm," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 47-56.
    33. Steven N. Kaplan & Per Stromberg, 2001. "Venture Capitals As Principals: Contracting, Screening, and Monitoring," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(2), pages 426-430, May.
    34. Calabrò, Andrea & Torchia, Mariateresa & Pukall, Thilo & Mussolino, Donata, 2013. "The influence of ownership structure and board strategic involvement on international sales: The moderating effect of family involvement," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(3), pages 509-523.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Cornelius Hafner, 2021. "Diversification in family firms: a systematic review of product and international diversification strategies," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 529-572, April.
    2. Baronchelli, Gianpaolo & Bettinelli, Cristina & Del Bosco, Barbara & Loane, Sharon, 2016. "The impact of family involvement on the investments of Italian small-medium enterprises in psychically distant countries," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 25(4), pages 960-970.
    3. Calabrò, Andrea & Torchia, Mariateresa & Pukall, Thilo & Mussolino, Donata, 2013. "The influence of ownership structure and board strategic involvement on international sales: The moderating effect of family involvement," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(3), pages 509-523.
    4. Jean-François Hennart & Antonio Majocchi & Emanuele Forlani, 2019. "The myth of the stay-at-home family firm: How family-managed SMEs can overcome their internationalization limitations," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 50(5), pages 758-782, July.
    5. Mikel Alayo & Txomin Iturralde & Amaia Maseda & Gloria Aparicio, 2021. "Mapping family firm internationalization research: bibliometric and literature review," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 15(6), pages 1517-1560, August.
    6. Luís Pacheco & Carla Lobo & Isabel Maldonado, 2022. "The Presence of Foreign Capital and the Internationalization of Portuguese Industrial SMEs," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-18, February.
    7. Mazzi, Chiara, 2011. "Family business and financial performance: Current state of knowledge and future research challenges," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 2(3), pages 166-181.
    8. D’Angelo, Alfredo & Majocchi, Antonio & Buck, Trevor, 2016. "External managers, family ownership and the scope of SME internationalization," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(4), pages 534-547.
    9. Jean-Luc Arregle & Francesco Chirico & Liena Kano & Sumit K. Kundu & Antonio Majocchi & William S. Schulze, 2021. "Family firm internationalization: Past research and an agenda for the future," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 52(6), pages 1159-1198, August.
    10. Bauweraerts, Jonathan & Sciascia, Salvatore & Naldi, Lucia & Mazzola, Pietro, 2019. "Family CEO and board service: Turning the tide for export scope in family SMEs," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(5), pages 1-1.
    11. Krzysztof Wach, 2017. "Exploring the Role of Ownership in International Entrepreneurship: How does Ownership Affect Internationalisation of Polish Firms?," Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review, Centre for Strategic and International Entrepreneurship at the Cracow University of Economics., vol. 5(4), pages 205-223.
    12. Debellis, Francesco & Rondi, Emanuela & Plakoyiannaki, Emmanuella & De Massis, Alfredo, 2021. "Riding the waves of family firm internationalization: A systematic literature review, integrative framework, and research agenda," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 56(1).
    13. Rosalia Santulli & Mariateresa Torchia & Andrea Calabrò & Carmen Gallucci, 2019. "Family ownership concentration and firm internationalization: integrating principal-principal and socioemotional wealth perspectives," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 17(2), pages 220-248, June.
    14. Calabrò, Andrea & Campopiano, Giovanna & Basco, Rodrigo & Pukall, Thilo, 2017. "Governance structure and internationalization of family-controlled firms: The mediating role of international entrepreneurial orientation," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 238-248.
    15. Metsola, Jaakko & Leppäaho, Tanja & Paavilainen-Mäntymäki, Eriikka & Plakoyiannaki, Emmanuella, 2020. "Process in family business internationalisation: The state of the art and ways forward," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(2).
    16. Sascha Kraus & Christine Mitter & Felix Eggers & Philipp Stieg, 2017. "Drivers of internationalization success: a conjoint choice experiment on German SME managers," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 11(3), pages 691-716, July.
    17. Michael Carney & Marc Van Essen & Eric R. Gedajlovic & Pursey P.M.A.R. Heugens, 2015. "What do we know about Private Family Firms? A Meta–Analytical Review," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 39(3), pages 513-544, May.
    18. Oesterle, Michael-Jörg & Richta, Hannah Noriko & Fisch, Jan Hendrik, 2013. "The influence of ownership structure on internationalization," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 187-201.
    19. Marco Galvagno & Vincenzo Pisano, 2021. "Building the genealogy of family business internationalization: a bibliometric mixed-method approach," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 126(1), pages 757-783, January.
    20. Casprini, Elena & Dabic, Marina & Kotlar, Josip & Pucci, Tommaso, 2020. "A bibliometric analysis of family firm internationalization research: Current themes, theoretical roots, and ways forward," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(5).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    family firms; top management team; ownership structure; internationalisation; export;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:krk:eberjl:v:5:y:2017:i:1:p:169-185. 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: Piotr Stanek, PhD. (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/aekrapl.html .

    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.