The Adolescence of Family Firm Research: Taking Stock and Planning for the Future

46 Pages Posted: 12 May 2011

See all articles by Eric Gedajlovic

Eric Gedajlovic

Simon Fraser University (SFU) - Strategy and Business Economics

Michael Carney

Concordia University, Quebec - John Molson School of Business

James J. Chrisman

Mississippi State University - College of Business

Franz Willi Kellermanns

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Date Written: February 1, 2011

Abstract

Through its rapid growth during the past decade, family business research has reached its adolescence as a field of study and family business scholars now regularly contribute interesting and though provoking work to top-tier management, entrepreneurship and finance journals. In this review article, we seek to document the growing maturity of family business research and to promote its integration into broader streams of inquiry in the organizational sciences. To do so, we describe two major themes in recent family business research related to the fundamental management questions “How do firms differ?” and “Why do these differences matter?” Based upon our review, we describe the past and potential future contributions of family business based research and conclude that it holds great promise to “give back” and provide meaningful contributions to the more established disciplines that have supported its development and emergence as a distinctive field of study.

Keywords: Family Firms, Corporate Governance, Agency Theory

JEL Classification: D21, D23, G30, G32, L20, L21

Suggested Citation

Gedajlovic, Eric and Carney, Michael and Chrisman, James J. and Kellermanns, Franz Willi, The Adolescence of Family Firm Research: Taking Stock and Planning for the Future (February 1, 2011). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1837578 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1837578

Eric Gedajlovic

Simon Fraser University (SFU) - Strategy and Business Economics ( email )

2053 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T-1Z2
Canada

HOME PAGE: http://www.gedajlovic.com

Michael Carney (Contact Author)

Concordia University, Quebec - John Molson School of Business ( email )

1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W.
Montreal, Quebec H3G 1M8
Canada

James J. Chrisman

Mississippi State University - College of Business ( email )

Mississippi State, MS 39762-0964
United States

Franz Willi Kellermanns

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

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