Business, Enterprise & Management
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Item Extending cross-gender succession theories: Mother–son succession in family business(Emerald, 2018-12-10) Seaman, Claire; Ross, Susanne; Bent, Richard; Higgins, David; Jones, Paul; McGowan, PauricThe importance of succession in family business is well documented and there is general agreement that successful succession represents a key factor in the success or otherwise of individual businesses owned and run by families. The importance of gender in family business succession is a much more recent topic, where initial work has focussed very much on the increasing tendency for women to take on the family business as a successor. Far less research, however, considers the scenario where a female leader passes on the business, whether that takes the form of family succession, a new leader from out with the family or indeed business sale. This dearth of research is not entirely surprising: whilst female leaders in a family business context are not new, their numbers have been relatively small and often mediated through the lens of co-preneurship with a male partner. As women increasingly succeed to and found family businesses however, the gender dimension within family business succession develops and the research response forms the basis for this chapter.Item Factors contributing to familiarity degree in family firms(Inderscience, 2019-03-26) Barroso Martínez, Ascensión; Sanguino Galván, Ramón; Seaman, Claire; Bañegil Palacios, Tomás M.This research proposes a measuring instrument to determine the intensity of family engagement in meeting the defining and distinguishing criteria of family businesses. This proposed method enables the assessment of the different degrees of familiarity of a business on a continuous scale, where the extremes represent the companies with lower and higher degree of familiarity. The instrument, therefore, allows classify firms in function of its familiarity degree. The study was conducted in 180 Spanish family businesses. We have used a latent variable model (Rasch model) which has allowed us to define the familiarity degree construct from the existence or not of a set of items. This methodology also enables managers and institutions to identify the most uncertain perceived items. The article contributes to the existence of an objective characterisation when exploring the extent to which family members are involved in the family business, identifying its degree of familiarity.Item Artisan food production, small family business and the Scottish food paradox(Emerald, 2019-05-13) Quinn, Bernie; Seaman, ClairePurpose This paper draws together three strands of work currently being carried out at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh to take an overview of food in Scotland and on-going local interventions. The provision of ‘artisan’ food, defined here as food that forms part of the established tradition of its local area, usually produced on a relatively small scale, has become prominent in Scotland in recent years and is seen by many as part of a developing food culture that begins to address the Scottish Food Paradox. Design/Methodology/Approach A review of current research that considers artisanal food production and work that researches small and family enterprises was undertaken Findings Small business support within the UK and indeed tailored support for businesses owned and managed by families is in a developmental phase at present. While there are numerous sources from which businesses can seek support, there are also acknowledged challenges for businesses in identifying the most appropriate sources of support and the opportunity cost of engaging with business support agencies remains a serious concern for many. Further, much business support prioritizes high growth businesses effectively de-prioritizing artisanal food producers. Research Limitations/Implications The development and promotion of appropriate business support systems tailored to artisanal food production is an area that would merit further development Originality/Value The value of this piece lies in its blending of two distinct areas of work, considering both the challenges faced by artisanal food producers and recent research in family and smaller enterprises.Item The relationship between corporate governance and financial performance: Evidence from Jordanian family and nonfamily firms(Emerald, 2018-12-10) Saidat, Zaid; Silva, Mauricio; Seaman, ClaireThe main objective of this article is to attempt to fill a research gap in the relationship between corporate governance mechanisms and financial performance of family and nonfamily firms’ by using a sample of non-financial firms listed on Amman Stock Exchange for a period 2009 to 2015. Although, the concerns of corporate governance and firm’s ownership structure have recently attracted serious attention from scholars, policymakers, and academic institutions, a large number of empirical works found no clear link between corporate performance and corporate governance. In addition, the research into how the corporate governance has an influence on family firms, especially in emerging countries is still unclear. In particular, Jordan as an emerging market has not been the focus of previous studies, particularly with regard to corporate governance in family firms.Item Family Values: Influencers in the Development of Financial and Non-financial Dynamics in Family Firms(Palgrave Macmillan, 2018-09-06) Seaman, Claire; Silva, Mauricio; Bent, Richard; Dibrell, Clay; Memili, EsraThe role of family values is considered here as one potential contributor to heterogeneity. The pursuit of profit as an end goal may be key for many family businesses, but there are well-documented cases of businesses where corporate citizenship and philanthropy are integral to the business model. Earlier work has highlighted that where one family has a predominant level of control in a business, their family values may assume greater importance and thereby be more likely to influence strategy. Within this chapter, we propose that the concentration of family values that occurs when one family has a predominant level of control within the business may be a key contributor to the development of financial and non-financial dynamics, representing one way in which strategy is developed and implemented.Item Innovation and Knowledge Transfer in Rural Entrepreneurship and Regional Development(2008-05) Seaman, Claire; Graham, Stuart; Bent, RichardFamily businesses provide a critical structure for economic activity and wealth-creation worldwide, existing and flourishing across geo-political frontiers, markets, areas and legal forms of business [Poutzioris et al, 2004]. Worldwide, family businesses are the most common type of business and despite much academic debate about the precise definition of a family business, estimates of the proportion of family businesses within the economies of developed countries remain remarkably constant at around two thirds of business operations [Poutzioris et al, 2004] and around half of GDP economic activity and private employment [Shanker and Astrachan, 2006]. One constant theme throughout the literature is the relatively private nature of family businesses, which in turn tends to mean that accurate information about them is not readily available [Astrachan and Shanker, 2006]. A second constant theme is the importance of the contribution that family businesses make to economic, social, cultural and community development, whether the be in the UK [Reid and Harris, 2004], the USA [Astrachan and Shanker 2006], in the Chinese economy [Chung and Yuen, 2003; Poutzioris et al, 2004] or amongst distinct and relatively discrete minority communities [Dhaliwal and Kangis, 2008]. The combination of a sector of clear and, to some extent, measurable, importance where robust data are nonetheless difficult to establish, illustrates both the dilemma of family business research and its importance Working with the Scottish Family Business Association and the Economic Development Unit at East Lothian Council, Queen Margaret University are currently researching the impact of family business in East Lothian on local communities, businesses and regional development. Family businesses frequently play a key role in Regional Economic Development, as they tend to be based within a community and prove relatively resistant to major geographic re-location. The methodology is currently being piloted, therefore, which is based around the use of semi-structured interviews with one or more members of a family business. The impact of family business culture on knowledge transfer and the implications of the relatively informal working practices often identified within family-based SMEs will be considered, alongside effective strategies for engagement and examples from current projects. Links between current KT policy and the specific needs of family businesses will be explored as part of both local and National strategies for engagement.Item Social networking in family businesses in a local economy(Sage, 2017-07-30) Seaman, Claire; McQuaid, R.; Pearson, M.Small, family owned businesses make considerable contributions to local economies. The importance of social networks to their development is also well established. This paper explores the different types of distinct, but interlocking, social networks of a rural business family, focussing upon the interaction between family, business and friendship networks. It presents a multi-rational logic framework to consider how the differing logics of each of these network influences the development and behaviour of family businesses. The changes in networks over time and between generations of the family are also analysed and gaps or structural holes within the networks identified. Implications for research and policy are then set out.