Gradualistic succession in Chinese family firms and industrial layout adjustment

This study aims to explore how intergenerational inheritance affects the industrial layout adjustment of Chinese family businesses during the inheritance process. Drawing on theories such as social emotional wealth and organizational authority, we view intergenerational succession as a gradual redistribution of decision-making power in enterprises, rather than a discrete event. Based on this, we examine whether and how gradual power transfer affects the long-term industrial layout decisions of enterprises. Previous studies have often viewed inheritance as a binary breakpoint, which has limited our ability to capture strategic adjustments during the transition period. This pre-registration study aims to further demonstrate that the emphasis on social reputation and political relationships in family businesses can regulate their industrial layout adjustment patterns during the inheritance process. By shifting the focus from inheritance outcomes to the inheritance process, this study deepens our understanding of how intergenerational leadership handover affects long-term strategic decision-making in family businesses, and provides insights for inheritance-planning, corporate governance, and policy-making in emerging markets.