Title
The Landscape of Family Business Outcomes: A Summary and Numerical Taxonomy of Dependent Variables
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.
Published in
Family Business Review
Citation/Other Information
25(1), 33-57.