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Managerial Controls in Private Family Firms: The Influence of a Family’s Decision Premises

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  • Daniel Magalhães Mucci

    (Department of Accounting and Actuarial Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-010, Brazil)

  • Ann Jorissen

    (Department of Accounting and Finance, University of Antwerpen, 2000 Antwerpen, Belgium)

  • Fabio Frezatti

    (Department of Accounting and Actuarial Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-010, Brazil)

  • Diógenes de Souza Bido

    (Department of Social and Applied Sciences, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, São Paulo 01302-907, Brazil)

Abstract

In most studies, the affiliation of the manager (family-affiliated or non-family affiliated) and supposedly related behavior (agent or steward) is considered the sole antecedent to explain a family business’ (non) professionalization of managerial controls. This paper, based on Luhmann’s new system theory, examines whether a family’s decision premises influence the design of managerial controls in family firms in addition to a manager’s family affiliation status. Using survey data of 135 large and medium-sized Brazilian family firms and testing the hypotheses with SEM, this study provides evidence that a family’s decision premises significantly influence the design of managerial controls in family firms. This study provides evidence that when a family’s intention to transfer the firm to next generation (TGO) is high, more formal controls, as well as controls of a more participative nature are adopted in a family firm. Moreover, the results do not indicate that the level of family involvement in management affects the design of controls in firms with high TGO. The results only showed a significant relationship between a family’s intention to control and influence (FCI) the firm and the absence of participative controls. In addition, these findings also illustrate that each single family-induced decision premise has the potential to explain family firm behavior, since each of the two premises considered in our study is related to a different design of the controls adopted by the family firm.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniel Magalhães Mucci & Ann Jorissen & Fabio Frezatti & Diógenes de Souza Bido, 2021. "Managerial Controls in Private Family Firms: The Influence of a Family’s Decision Premises," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-21, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:4:p:2158-:d:500980
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    Cited by:

    1. Jordi Moreno-Gené & José Luis Gallizo, 2021. "Intergenerational Differences in Family Business Management and Their Influence on Business Profitability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-17, June.
    2. Fábio Frezatti & Diógenes Souza Bido & Daniel Magalhães Mucci & Franciele Beck & Ana Paula Capuano Cruz, 2023. "The Impact of the Management Control System on the Family Business’ Intention to Maintain the Organization for Future Generations," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 14(2), pages 1145-1176, June.
    3. Edwin Ricardo Flores-Hernández & María Luisa Rodero-Cosano & Ana Evelyn Perla-Cartagena, 2022. "Complexity of Family Businesses in El Salvador: A Structural Equation Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-18, June.

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