IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/fambus/v9y2018i3p180-191.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Family business employer brand: Understanding applicants’ perceptions and their job pursuit intentions with samples from the US and Belgium

Author

Listed:
  • Arijs, Diane
  • Botero, Isabel C.
  • Michiels, Anneleen
  • Molly, Vincent

Abstract

Recruiting college educated non-family employees has been one of the challenges identified by family business owners affecting the success and continuity of family firms. To better understand this challenge, we build on previous work from recruitment, branding, and family business literature to introduce the family business employer brand construct and its components. We explore the perceptions that non-family applicants have about the family business employer brand components, and how these perceptions affect intentions to pursue a job with a family firm. Data were collected through surveys in the USA (N = 293) and Belgium (N = 324). Results from both countries indicate that participants evaluated instrumental (i.e., compensation, job security, and advancement opportunities) and symbolic (i.e. trustworthiness, innovation, thrift, style, and dominance) components of the family business employer brand differently in the two countries and these factors varied in the effect that they had on the intent to pursue a job in a family firm. Implications of these results for practice and further research are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:fambus:v:9:y:2018:i:3:p:180-191
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jfbs.2018.08.005
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877858517300098
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jfbs.2018.08.005?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ajzen, Icek, 1991. "The theory of planned behavior," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 179-211, December.
    2. Astrachan, Claudia Binz & Botero, Isabel & Astrachan, Joseph H. & Prügl, Reinhard, 2018. "Branding the family firm: A review, integrative framework proposal, and research agenda," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 9(1), pages 3-15.
    3. Goel, Sanjay & Mazzola, Pietro & Phan, Phillip H. & Pieper, Torsten M. & Zachary, Ramona K., 2012. "Strategy, ownership, governance, and socio-psychological perspectives on family businesses from around the world," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 3(2), pages 54-65.
    4. Tim Barnett & Franz W. Kellermanns, 2006. "Are We Family and Are We Treated as Family? Nonfamily Employees’ Perceptions of Justice in the Family Firm," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 30(6), pages 837-854, November.
    5. Lemmink, Jos & Schuijf, Annelien & Streukens, Sandra, 2003. "The role of corporate image and company employment image in explaining application intentions," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 1-15, February.
    6. Block, Jörn H. & Fisch, Christian O. & Lau, James & Obschonka, Martin & Presse, André, 2016. "Who prefers working in family firms? An exploratory study of individuals’ organizational preferences across 40 countries," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 7(2), pages 65-74.
    7. Devon DelVecchio & Cheryl Jarvis & Richard Klink & Brian Dineen, 2007. "Leveraging brand equity to attract human capital," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 18(3), pages 149-164, September.
    8. Orth, Ulrich R. & Green, Mark T., 2009. "Consumer loyalty to family versus non-family business: The roles of store image, trust and satisfaction," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 16(4), pages 248-259.
    9. Chrisman, James J. & Chua, Jess H. & Litz, Reginald, 2003. "A unified systems perspective of family firm performance: an extension and integration," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 18(4), pages 467-472, July.
    10. Botero, Isabel C., 2014. "Effects of communicating family ownership and organisational size on an applicant's attraction to a firm: An empirical examination in the USA and China," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 5(2), pages 184-196.
    11. Kausel, Edgar E. & Slaughter, Jerel E., 2011. "Narrow personality traits and organizational attraction: Evidence for the complementary hypothesis," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 114(1), pages 3-14, January.
    12. Ceja, Lucia & Tapies, Josep, 2009. "Attracting talent to family-owned businesses: The perceptions of MBA students," IESE Research Papers D/815, IESE Business School.
    13. Isabel C. Botero & Christopher Graves & Jill Thomas & Tomasz A. Fediuk, 2012. "Recruitment challenges in family firms: the effects of message content and type of applicant on organisational attractiveness," International Journal of Management Practice, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 5(4), pages 343-360.
    14. Michael Spence, 1973. "Job Market Signaling," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 87(3), pages 355-374.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Chaudhary, Sanjay & Dhir, Amandeep & Ferraris, Alberto & Bertoldi, Bernando, 2021. "Trust and reputation in family businesses: A systematic literature review of past achievements and future promises," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 143-161.
    2. 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).
    3. Beck, Susanne & Prügl, Reinhard & Walter, Katharina, 2020. "Communicating the family firm brand: Antecedents and performance effects," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 95-107.
    4. Llanos-Contreras, Orlando & Alonso-Dos-Santos, Manuel & Welsh, Dianne H.B., 2024. "Graduating college students apply here: Communicating family firm ownership and firm size," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 15(1).
    5. Ehlers, Annika & Rumble, Ryan & Binz Astrachan, Claudia & Baù, Massimo, 2024. "Fulfillment or status: Job seekers’ reward expectations towards family and non-family employers," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 15(4).
    6. Stefano Amato & Rodrigo Basco & Nicola Lattanzi, 2022. "Contextualizing employment outcomes in family business research: current findings and future research avenues," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 72(2), pages 531-604, June.
    7. Binz Astrachan, Claudia & Prügl, Reinhard & Hair, Joseph F. & Babin, Barry J., 2019. "Marketing and branding in family business: Assessing the landscape and charting a path forward," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 10(1), pages 3-7.
    8. Stutz, Adrian & Schell, Sabrina & Hack, Andreas, 2022. "In family firms we trust – Experimental evidence on the credibility of sustainability reporting: A replication study with extension," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 13(4).
    9. Battisti, Enrico & Nirino, Niccolò & Leonidou, Erasmia & Salvi, Antonio, 2023. "Corporate social responsibility in family firms: Can corporate communication affect CSR performance?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    10. Waterwall, Brian & Alipour, Kent K., 2021. "Nonfamily employees’ perceptions of treatment in family businesses: Implications for organizational attraction, job pursuit intentions, work attitudes, and turnover intentions," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 12(3).
    11. Unai Arzubiaga & Alfredo De Massis & Amaia Maseda & Txomin Iturralde, 2023. "The influence of family firm image on access to financial resources in family SMEs: a signaling theory perspective," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 233-258, January.
    12. Phillips, Duygu & Madison, Kristen & Wolf, Sandra & Hack, Andreas & Kellermanns, Franz W., 2024. "Signaling the family firm brand in recruitment materials: The role of category-based cognitive processing on applicant attraction," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    13. Fernando A. Martín-Hidalgo & Ines Herrero & Ana Pérez-Luño, 2024. "The Lights and Shadows of Family Involvement in Small and Medium-Sized Firms," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(1), pages 4137-4160, March.
    14. Kinias, Ioannis & Chalis, Spyridon & Glyptis, Loukas, 2023. "Family business research: A systematic review and an uncelebrated role of marketing," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    15. Naciye Sekerci & Jamil Jaballah & Marc van Essen & Nadine Kammerlander, 2022. "Investors’ Reactions to CSR News in Family Versus Nonfamily Firms: A Study on Signal (In)credibility," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 46(1), pages 82-116, January.
    16. Bornhausen, Anna Maria, 2022. "Conceptualizing cross-country analyses of family firms: A systematic review and future research agenda," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(4).
    17. Santiago, Andrea & Pandey, Shweta & Manalac, Ma. Theresa, 2019. "Family presence, family firm reputation and perceived financial performance: Empirical evidence from the Philippines," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 10(1), pages 49-56.

    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. Phillips, Duygu & Madison, Kristen & Wolf, Sandra & Hack, Andreas & Kellermanns, Franz W., 2024. "Signaling the family firm brand in recruitment materials: The role of category-based cognitive processing on applicant attraction," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    2. Stutz, Adrian & Schell, Sabrina & Hack, Andreas, 2022. "In family firms we trust – Experimental evidence on the credibility of sustainability reporting: A replication study with extension," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 13(4).
    3. Waterwall, Brian & Alipour, Kent K., 2021. "Nonfamily employees’ perceptions of treatment in family businesses: Implications for organizational attraction, job pursuit intentions, work attitudes, and turnover intentions," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 12(3).
    4. Ehlers, Annika & Rumble, Ryan & Binz Astrachan, Claudia & Baù, Massimo, 2024. "Fulfillment or status: Job seekers’ reward expectations towards family and non-family employers," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 15(4).
    5. Botero, Isabel C., 2014. "Effects of communicating family ownership and organisational size on an applicant's attraction to a firm: An empirical examination in the USA and China," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 5(2), pages 184-196.
    6. Llanos-Contreras, Orlando & Alonso-Dos-Santos, Manuel & Welsh, Dianne H.B., 2024. "Graduating college students apply here: Communicating family firm ownership and firm size," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 15(1).
    7. 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.
    8. 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).
    9. Barroso Martínez, Ascensión & Sanguino Galván, Ramón & Botero, Isabel C. & González-López, Óscar R. & Buenadicha Mateos, María, 2019. "Exploring family business brands: Understanding predictors and effects," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 10(1), pages 57-68.
    10. Unai Arzubiaga & Alfredo De Massis & Amaia Maseda & Txomin Iturralde, 2023. "The influence of family firm image on access to financial resources in family SMEs: a signaling theory perspective," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 233-258, January.
    11. Guidice, Rebecca M. & Mero, Neal P. & Greene, Juanne V., 2013. "Perceptions of accountability in family business: Using accountability theory to understand differences between family and nonfamily executives," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 4(4), pages 233-244.
    12. Sebastien Knockaert & François Grima & Olivier Brunel, 2018. "Prestige, respect et responsabilité sociale : attributs symboliques comme facteur d'attractivité organisationnelle d'une association," Post-Print hal-02362420, HAL.
    13. Carbone, Emmadonata & Cirillo, Alessandro & Saggese, Sara & Sarto, Fabrizia, 2022. "IPO in family business: A systematic review and directions for future research," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 13(1).
    14. Bargoni, Augusto & Alon, Ilan & Ferraris, Alberto, 2023. "A systematic review of family business and consumer behaviour," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    15. Ramos, Hazel Melanie & Man, Thomas Wing Yan & Mustafa, Michael & Ng, Zuie Zuie, 2014. "Psychological ownership in small family firms: Family and non-family employees’ work attitudes and behaviours," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 5(3), pages 300-311.
    16. Astrachan, Claudia Binz & Botero, Isabel & Astrachan, Joseph H. & Prügl, Reinhard, 2018. "Branding the family firm: A review, integrative framework proposal, and research agenda," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 9(1), pages 3-15.
    17. Margarete Schellong & Nils D. Kraiczy & Lucia Malär & Andreas Hack, 2019. "Family Firm Brands, Perceptions of Doing Good, and Consumer Happiness," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 43(5), pages 921-946, September.
    18. Lena Evertz & Stefan Süß, 2017. "The importance of individual differences for applicant attraction: a literature review and avenues for future research," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 67(3), pages 141-174, June.
    19. Maximilian Lude & Reinhard Prügl, 2019. "Risky Decisions and the Family Firm Bias: An Experimental Study Based on Prospect Theory," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 43(2), pages 386-408, March.
    20. Chandler, Jeffrey A. & Payne, G. Tyge & Moore, Curt & Brigham, Keith H., 2019. "Family involvement signals in initial public offerings," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 10(1), pages 8-16.

    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:eee:fambus:v:9:y:2018:i:3:p:180-191. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/719791/description#description .

    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.