Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the family business literature on human resource management (HRM) activities within family-owned businesses to advance theory and practice. Design/methodology/approach This paper is a review of research on the formation, adaptation, and termination...

Purpose – This paper is a conversation piece which highlights the ways in which succession planning in large company might be handled. The discussion focuses on Christopher Oughtred the former Chairman of William Jackson Food Group, one of the largest family businesses in the UK. The paper...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze how founders of family-controlled Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) under bounded rationality implement internal governance mechanisms that may affect the long-term performance once the founder retires. These actions create a hurdle for...

Purpose – Knowledge often is the fundament for strategic competitive advantage. Thus, it is highly relevant to understand better how knowledge is transferred from one generation to the next in family businesses. The purpose of this paper is to link the competitive advantage realisation in...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore factors facilitating and impeding succession from father to daughter in family businesses in China. Design/methodology/approach – Using explorative case study approach this study examines the experiences of four female successors at different...

Purpose – The failure to innovate has been recognized as one of the prime causes of business failure. In addition to this, the purpose of this paper is to explore whether it is the failure to act or inertia that can also explain the inability of family businesses to move forward....

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider, from a practitioner’s perspective, two phrases that are often used in the family enterprise field; “best practice” and “trusted adviser”. They are sometimes found together, a trusted adviser being one who has a meaningful...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to consider multigenerational landed estates in Scotland from a family business perspective. The strategic vision for the business is considered here in terms of the family definition of success, drawing upon aspects of cultural identity, legal and fiscal...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the strategic approach adopted by the current owners of family-held estates in Scotland to explore the approaches that have led to multigenerational ownership. Design/methodology/approach A social constructionist epistemology was adopted to...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate gender differences among (potential) successors of Dutch family firms with respect to education, self-perceived capabilities and ownership ambition. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical analysis – which includes correlations, t...