Exploring family business. Culture and values as a competitive advantage

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
• ABSTRACT
• TABLE OF CONTENTS
• TABLE OF FIGURES
• TABLE OF TABLES
• ABBREVIATIONS
• INTRODUCTION
  • BACKGROUND
  • RESEARCH PURPOSE AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS
  • LITERATURE REVIEW
  • METHODOLOGY
  • STRUCTURE OF THE RESEARCH
• FAMILY BUSINESS AS AN OBJECT OF SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS
  • A HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF A FAMILY ENTERPRISE
  • EVOLUTION OF FAMILY BUSINESS STUDIES
  • DEFINING FAMILY BUSINESS
  • LEVELS OF ANALYSIS IN FAMILY BUSINESS STUDIES
• UNDERSTANDING KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF FAMILY BUSINESS
  • MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FAMILY AND NON-FAMILY BUSINESS
  • FAMILY BUSINESS SYSTEM IN A DYNAMIC PERSPECTIVE
    • Family system
    • Ownership systems
    • Business system
  • CONCEPTUALIZING FAMILY INFLUENCE IN FAMILY BUSINESS: F-PEC SCALE
    • Power
    • Experience
    • Culture
• CENTRAL THEORIES IN FAMILY BUSINESS
  • AGENCY THEORY AND STEWARDSHIP THEORY
    • Family owner vs. external manager (employee)
    • Family owner vs. external shareholder (not family member)
    • Family owner vs. family manager
  • RESOURCE-BASED VIEW AND SOCIAL CAPITAL THEORY
    • The concept of familiness
    • Parsimony, personalism, and particularism
    • Family business longevity and resources orchestration
    • Social capital as a specifically important resource of family firms
  • COMMUNICATION THEORIES: CASUAL LINKS TO FAMILY BUSINESS THEORIES
    • Trust, self-disclosure, and predictability
    • Social Penetration Theory
    • Uncertainty Reduction Theory
    • Interpersonal and institutional trust in family business
• CONCEPTUALIZING CULTURE AND VALUES IN FAMILY BUSINESS
  • ESSENTIALS OF CULTURE AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
    • Culture: fundamental characteristics
    • Organizational culture
  • ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE AND BUSINESS PERFORMANCE
    • Impact of culture on performance
    • Culture as a source of competitive advantage
  • FAMILY BUSINESS CULTURE AND VALUES RESEARCH
• CULTURE AND VALUES IN FAMILY BUSINESS: MICRO PERSPECTIVE
  • VALUES IN FAMILY BUSINESS
    • The power of values in family business
    • Frequent family business values
  • BUILDING FAMILY BUSINESS CULTURE
    • How do family values become core values in family business culture?
    • Dilemmas in managing family business culture
  • FAMILY BUSINESS CULTURE AND VALUES AS COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
    • Managing family business culture
    • Family business culture as a source of competitive advantage
• CULTURE AND VALUES IN FAMILY BUSINESS: MACRO PERSPECTIVE
  • FUNDAMENTAL MODELS OF CULTURE DIFFERENCES
    • Hall's high context and low context culture
    • Hofstede's cultural dimensions' theory
  • THE EVIDENCE OF CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN FAMILY BUSINESS
    • German and Japanese family business and culture
    • Cross-cultural variations in family business
• SUMMARY
  • FINDINGS
  • THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS
  • PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS
  • LIMITATIONS
  • FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS
• REFERENCES
• APPENDIX A
• APPENDIX B
• APPENDIX C
• APPENDIX D

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

The thesis aims to examine the characteristics of family businesses and their uniqueness in terms of culture, values, and behavior. This literature-based analysis focuses on family business issues in a strategic management perspective, exploring how culture and values contribute to a competitive advantage.

• Defining and analyzing family business characteristics.
• Exploring the influence of family systems, ownership, and business structures on family business dynamics.
• Examining the role of family influence and the F-PEC scale (Power, Experience, Culture) in shaping family business culture.
• Understanding the impact of national culture on family business performance.
• Analyzing the role of culture and values as a source of competitive advantage in family businesses.

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The thesis begins by examining the historical development of family businesses and the evolution of their academic study. It explores the concept of defining family businesses and the different levels of analysis within family business studies.

Key characteristics of family businesses are analyzed, distinguishing them from non-family businesses. The "Family Business System" is then introduced, focusing on the family system, ownership systems, and business system within a dynamic perspective. The chapter concludes by conceptualizing family influence using the F-PEC scale.

Central theories relevant to family business studies are explored, including agency theory, stewardship theory, resource-based view, social capital theory, and communication theories. These theories provide a framework for understanding the unique dynamics within family firms.

The thesis then focuses on the concept of culture and values within family businesses, discussing the essentials of culture and organizational culture, the impact of culture on business performance, and exploring the research on family business culture and values.

The micro perspective of family business culture and values is examined. This includes an analysis of the role of values in family businesses, the frequent values found within them, and the process of building family business culture. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the competitive advantage of family business culture and values.

The thesis then transitions to the macro perspective, exploring fundamental models of cultural differences, including Hall's high and low context cultures and Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory. It also examines the evidence of cultural differences in family businesses, with a focus on German and Japanese family businesses and cross-cultural variations.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The research focuses on family businesses, their characteristics, and the impact of culture and values on their performance. Key terms and concepts include family business systems, family influence, family business values, family business culture, national culture, and competitive advantage. This study analyzes the interplay of these factors in shaping family business success.