Business, Enterprise & Management
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://eresearch.qmu.ac.uk/handle/20.500.12289/5
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Item Learning from family business researchers(Emerald, 2023-10-23) Ratten,Vanessa; Chrisman, James J.; Mustafa, Michael J.; Sciascia, Salvatore; Seaman, Claire; Cruz, Allan DiscuaPurpose – This article provides commentary from well known family business researchers on what they have learnt about the family business field and tips for the future. Design/methodology/approach – Well known family business management researchers were contacted in order to provide their feedback on the field of family business management. Their responses were then curated into an article that can help others learn from their advice. Findings –The family business management researchers provided suggestions on how to succeed in the field of family business management and advice for current and future researchers. Thereby helping to advance the field and provide new novel research ideas that can help science as well as practice. Originality/value –This article is amongst the first to provide verbatim advice from the leading family business management scholars. Thus, providing original and innovative ideas about what is needed in the field of family business management.Item Integrating family, friendship and business networks in family firms(Emerald, 2021-03-23) Seaman, Claire; McQuaid, RonDesign Semi-structured interviews of thirteen family-owned and managed businesses are used to establish the patterns of networking. A detailed case study is then presented, allowing a deeper qualitative analysis of the interaction of different types of networks.Item The role of vision in determining family, small business and minority ethnic business research(Edward Elgar, 2020-09-04) Seaman, Claire; Bent, Richard; Calabro, AndreaFamily business and migration pre-date written history and yet are relatively young fields of research, which has to some extent evolved in parallel with the fields of small business research and minority ethnic entrepreneurship. In practice, however, the strands often overlap and contain common issues and challenges, this overlap provides a hinterland currently not fully explored and contextualized within research. Drawing together current research from the three fields, this chapter will highlight and conceptualize the overlaps as a working model for future analysis and highlight a number of key areas for future research. This sometime artificial distinction is especially important where research is developed into practice. The development of appropriate support systems through formal and informal networks is a key priority for communities, economies and the success of the family themselves.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 Scottish family businesses: Innovative strategies for education and business support(Inderscience Publishers, 2020-09-30) Seaman, ClaireFamily business is of critical importance to economies, communities and societies across Scotland, but academic research that considers and supports this group of businesses through links to the policy agenda is in the relatively early stages of development. In 2017, it was estimated that the Top 100 family businesses in Scotland contributed 11% of on-shore GDP to the Scottish economy and supported around 100, 000 jobs. The development of a ‘Top 100’ list for Scottish Family Businesses is key because it allows us to consider their economic importance alongside the wide range of international family business research that considers their differentiating factors. Building this bridge between academic research and policy is a current priority. This paper outlines some of the practical developments from this work, whilst contributing to the debate about the translation of academic research into the wider field of policy and business support. In opening the debate, the academic team at Queen Margaret Business School are also highlighting their willingness to engage with colleagues whose professional experience is similar or complementary and to share approaches that have worked across difference countries, cultures and geo-political divides.Item Business internet use in small, family owned and managed hotels in Scotland(Inderscience, 2020-02-05) Fyfe, Jo; Seaman, Claire; Bent, RichardTourism and thus hospitality is a key strategic priority for the Scottish Government which in many communities is still highly dependent on small, family owned and managed hotels. This exploratory study is designed to initiate dialogue and to explore the complexity of the operating environment and perceived business support needs in the ever-more complex and dynamic e-environment. The development of the internet has altered the manner in which the hospitality industry operates; offering global marketing opportunities, open-source review sites and perhaps crucially the opportunity to interact with and sell directly to the consumer. Results indicate that the positive aspects of the internet were perceived to outweigh the disadvantages; however, the learning challenges identified were primarily around the effective management of on-line resources and global reputation. The vital role of small family owned and managed hotels in the development of a coherent tourism offering for Scotland is acknowledged here and can be additionally allied to geography. There are areas in Scotland, and indeed much of the world, that draw tourists yet are not sufficiently populous to host hotel chains or even specialist boutique hotels. In part, the reason tourists are drawn to those areas is precisely their relatively undeveloped nature, yet this creates a challenge for business learning within small independent hotels.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.