Department/School

Entrepreneurship

Date of this version

2011

Document Type

Article

Keywords

family business discipline, modified Delphi technique, cluster analysis, multidimensional scaling, classification

Abstract

To promote theoretical development in family business research, this research identified 327 dependent/outcome variables used in 257 empirical family business studies in 1998-2009. In four studies, the authors categorized outcome variables, developed a numerical taxonomy with seven clusters (performance, strategy, social and economic impact, governance, succession, family business roles, and family dynamics) plotted along two dimensions (business–family and short-term–long-term), validated their research, and identified missing outcome variables and variables that deserve more attention. Experts agree that family business roles, succession, and family dynamics make the family business domain unique and that noneconomic performance and family-specific topics deserve more attention.

Volume

25

Issue

1

Published in

Family Business Review

Citation/Other Information

25(1), 33-57.

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