This exciting Research Agenda expertly addresses the question: What will be important within the family business field and for family businesses in practice over the next decade? Top international contributors explore farsighted theories, methods and topics, often taking a multi-disciplinary approach in order to outline the potential routes for further advancing family business research. Chapters cover the significance of new family trends, entrepreneurial legacy, board diversity, spatial-familiness, corruption, innovation and digital business transformation, challenging core assumptions surrounding the family business phenomenon and mapping the future of the discipline.

Family business is the most prominent form of business organization, and its importance to the global economy cannot be under-estimated. Until recently, the impact of the family on entrepreneurial firms has been under-researched, leading to a conceptual gap between the two areas of study, and an underestimation of the contribution of family systems to entrepreneurial success. Starting from the consideration that family is an intimate and essential aspect of entrepreneurship, this book considers connections between family, family members, entrepreneurial behavior, family business, society and the economy. Bringing together a unique range of international contributions, it offers new theoretical perspectives and empirical insights as well as an in-depth consideration of the diversity of contexts and processes associated with entrepreneurship in family settings. Above all, this book opens up a comprehensive research agenda on the linkages between family, family firms and entrepreneurship and will be of interest to researchers, educators and advanced students of entrepreneurship, small firms and family business.

This edited collection analyses the unexplored concept of the family business group, evaluating the opportunities and advantages that it creates for entrepreneurs. Raising a number of important questions, the authors construct a new research agenda for the complex topic of the family business group, which will ultimately assess its contribution towards the economy and society in general. The chapters provide a core understanding of the phenomenon and cover its formation, nature and complexities, as well as offering a holistic perspective and exploring factors such as scale, size and regional contexts. A useful tool for those researching small businesses, organisation, and business strategy, this book highlights the key advantages of family business group structures in both developed and developing countries, and local and national contexts.

'This is a very business-like book in its approach. It has an impressive global reach in its authorship, focal areas and use of evidence; it hits all the major practical challenges of family firms in a spirit that is fresh and current; and it deals with the cutting-edge themes and issues that are uppermost in the minds of owners, executives, advisors and researchers in the field.' – Nigel Nicholson, London Business School, author, Managing the Human Animal, Family Wars and The 'I' of Leadership Acclaim for the first edition: 'The authors have taken a lot of pain in putting this handbook together. As the name indicates, this is an excellent handbook for researchers.' – Global Business Review 'The Handbook of Research on Family Business has collected and synthesized a broad variety of topics by notable researchers who share a common dedication to family business research. This Handbook provides a comprehensive treatment that advances the frontiers of knowledge in family business, provoking valuable thoughts and discussion. The Handbook will serve as both an authoritative and comprehensive reference work for researchers investigating family enterprises.' – A. Bakr Ibrahim, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada 'Although family business research is a young discipline it is both necessary and important. For the wellbeing and future development of our society the survival of prosperous and passionate family business entrepreneurs is indispensable. In order to help the families in business to better understand how to succeed with their enterprises we need qualified and updated research. This book is the answer!' – Hans-Jacob Bonnier, Bonnier Business Press Group, Sweden and 6th Generation Chairman of the Family Business Network – International 'This Handbook is a unique compilation of the most important and the best recent family business research. The field has grown so rapidly that this effort will be a mark for the research to follow. The Handbook of Research on Family Business will be the reference for scholars in family business for many years to come. It will also stimulate new ideas in research.' – John L. Ward, IMD, Switzerland and Northwestern University, US During the previous decade, the multi-disciplinary field of family business has advanced significantly in terms of advances in theory, development of sophisticated empirical instruments, systematic measurement of family business activity, use of alternative research methodologies and deployment of robust tools of analysis. This second edition of the Handbook of Research on Family Business presents important research and conceptual developments across a broad range of topics. The contributors – notable researchers in the field – explore the frontiers of knowledge in family business entrepreneurship and stimulate critical thinking, enriching the repository of theoretical frameworks and methodologies. The Handbook takes a systematic and rigorous approach by providing in-depth insights into the dynamics of family business, its context and the significant role of stakeholders. Ultimately, this scholarly compendium of extant family business papers is an invaluable resource for researchers, educators, family business consultants, family business owner-managers and students.

Generation to Generation will help managers understand the special dynamics & challenges that family businesses face as they move through their life cycles. It explains how to handle succession, & the role of non-family professionals.

The SAGE Handbook of Family Business captures the conceptual map and state-of-the-art thinking on family business - an area experiencing rapid global growth in research and education since the last three decades. Edited by the leading figures in family business studies, with contributions and editorial board support from the most prominent scholars in the field, this Handbook reflects on the development and current status of family enterprise research in terms of applied theories, methods, topics investigated, and perspectives on the field′s future. The SAGE Handbook of Family Business is divided into following six sections, allowing for ease of navigation while gaining a multi-dimensional perspective and understanding of the field. Part I: Theoretical perspectives in family business studies Part II: Major issues in family business studies Part III: Entrepreneurial and managerial aspects in family business studies Part IV: Behavioral and organizational aspects in family business studies Part V: Methods in use in family business studies Part VI: The future of the field of family business studies By including critical reflections and presenting possible alternative perspectives and theories, this Handbook contributes to the framing of future research on family enterprises around the world. It is an invaluable resource for current and future scholars interested in understanding the unique dynamics of family enterprises under the rubric of entrepreneurship, strategic management, organization theory, accounting, marketing or other related areas.

This book explores the relationship between families, firms, and regions and the extent to which these relationships contribute to regional economic and social development. Although family business participation in economic activities has been a common phenomenon since pre-industrial societies, and its importance has evolved throughout time and across spatial contexts, the book suggests that these factors have often been neglected in family business and regional studies. Taking this research gap into account, the book aims to deepen our understanding of the role family firms play in the regional economy. In particular, it explores two seldom studied questions. Firstly, what role do family firms play in regional development? Secondly, how do different spatial regional contexts shape family firm operations and performance? Family Business and Regional Development presents a model of "spatial familiness" and uses themes such as productivity, networks and competitiveness to shed new light on family businesses. Moreover, it approaches the juxtaposition between family business and regional studies to encourage the cross-fertilisation of ideas, theories, and research methods between the two fields. Bringing together leading experts in entrepreneurship, regional economics, and economic geography, this book will be a valuable reading for advanced students, researchers and policymakers interested in family firms, regional studies and economic geography.

ÔThis book provides a thorough review and compendium of important family business research. It should be in the personal library of every family business scholar and graduate student involved in this vital field of study.Õ Ð Michael A. Hitt, Texas A&M University, US ÔA systematic review of the field and an incredibly useful reference book for anyone involved in studying or teaching family business.Õ Ð Sara Carter OBE FRSE, Strathclyde Business School, UK ÔThis book offers a succinct but thorough overview of how our understanding of significant issues in family business has evolved through rigorous research. This annotated bibliography of the 215 top-cited family business studies provides the empirical evidence and the basis for insightful comments from the authors on topics which will benefit from further scholarly debate and research. The authors are to be congratulated for making accessible those research contributions which have the potential to make a meaningful difference to the practice of family business.Õ Ð Jill Thomas, The University of Adelaide Business School, Australia ÔI highly recommend the annoted bibliography by De Massis, Sharma, Chua, and Chrisman to experienced scholars as well as to incoming researchers. The authors selected carefully (and in a transparent manner) relevant papers and summarized them in a way that provides a helpful basis for future research. Well done!Õ Ð Sabine B. Rau, WHUÐOtto Beisheim School of Management, Germany ÔA welcome addition to the field of family business studies! Offers an update and thorough compendium of relevant research conducted within the last 15 years. A most useful reference for doctoral students, established scholars and thoughtful practitioners. Importantly, the first three chapters offer critical commentary and synthesis that go well beyond what one typically finds in an annotated bibliography. Overall, this book offers a solid foundation for moving the study of family business forward.Õ Ð Lloyd Steier, University of Alberta, Canada ÔIf I had been asked to suggest the currently most-needed editorial endeavor for advancing family business studies, I would have answered with no hesitation: an up-to-date annotated bibliography. The fieldÕs growth over the past 15 years has been so intense, that even experts who devote most of their research efforts to family business Ð not to mention younger scholars approaching the field Ð will significantly benefit from De Massis, Sharma, Chua, and ChrismanÕs indispensable work.Õ Ð Carlo Salvato, Bocconi University, Italy and Associate Editor, Family Business Review This book catalogues the 215 most-cited empirical, theoretical, and practical articles on family business published in 33 journals since 1996. Researchers, students, and practicing managers will find it indispensable as a quick reference and guide to what we have learned about family firms. Annotations for the articles consist of: summary of key findings, research questions, contributions, and research implications. They also include a detailed description of the methodologies, empirical data, definitions, and conceptual models used. In addition, the book features chapters that review the literature, discuss how family businesses have been defined, present recent trends in family business empirical research, and provide an agenda for future research. Scholars, researchers and PhD students in the fields of family business, entrepreneurship, organization theory, management, economics, finance, anthropology, sociology and business history will find this compendium insightful. The topics covered in the book will also prove to be essential to practitioners Ð both advisors and operators of family enterprises Ð as it will provide evidence-based knowledge on the issues and dilemmas faced by them in everyday life.

Now considered a classic in the field, this book first called attention to what Kanter has referred to as the "myth of separate worlds." Rosabeth Moss Kanter was one of the first to argue that the assumes separation between work and family was a myth and that research must explore the linkages between these two roles.

"Family firms represent over 90 per cent of businesses globally, and play a significant role in the economies of many nations. This innovative book takes an interdisciplinary, cross-national approach to the study of family firms as institutions as well as the relationship between family firms and external institutions. In doing so, it demonstrates the impact of these interactions both on the firms and institutions themselves and on the wider economic context. Featuring in-depth analysis of original research, chapters take both theoretical and empirical approaches to explore the family firm as an organization, and include several key case studies. At a micro level, the social and cultural unit of the family and its behaviour is investigated, and at a macro level, external institutional contexts are examined to explain and theorise firms' behaviours and strategies, covering areas such as innovation, competitiveness and reputation. The book provides important conceptual insights and critical empirical research, as well as ideas for future research agendas. Family Firms and Institutional Contexts will be a critical read for scholars and doctoral students in business and management, particularly those with an interest in family firms. Policymakers and practitioners in these areas will also find its insights of practical relevance"--