Family Firms (FFs) form the majority of all firms around the world and they account for an enormous percentage of the employment, the revenue, and the GDP of most capitalist countries. While MNCs have long been thought of as the main contributors to international business, it is now recognised that a substantial number of family firms are active in the international arena. This handbook focuses on the features which make family firm internationalization unique. Chapters provide FF specific theories and cover the process of FF internationalization. It examines the role of network ties and provides an insight into the development of family firms that have grown into big multinationals. Importantly this Handbook equips you with a better understanding of specific features of family firms as they internationalize from or to Asian or emerging markets. Family firms offer a fruitful context to study internationalization through a process perspective, therefore this Handbook is an invaluable source of knowledge for students, scholars and policy makers in the areas of family business, entrepreneurship and internationalization.

This book offers an integrated discussion on international entry mode decisions in the context of family firms. It provides scholars and students a state-of-the art of extant knowledge on family firms' entry modes into foreign contexts by outlining main research trajectories and empirical findings of prior studies. To this end, differences between family and non-family firms as well as sources of heterogeneity across different family firms are pointed out for the main types of entry modes. Moreover, this book offers new insights on the choice between either creating a joint venture or a wholly-owned subsidiary in a foreign country as it theoretically and empirically shows how economic and noneconomic drivers shape family leaders' international strategic preferences. Offering a thoughtful review of extant studies and a comprehensive reasoning on the phenomenon of family firm internationalization, this is an insightful read for scholars and students interested in family firms and international business. Claudia Pongelli holds a Ph.D. in Management from LUISS University (Rome, Italy) where she has also been a Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the Department of Business and Management. Since 2018, she has been Affiliate Research Fellow at IPAG Entrepreneurship & Family Business Center (Nice, France) and is currently a Research Fellow at the Department of Management and Law, University of Rome Tor Vergata (Rome, Italy). She also teaches International Business as an Adjunct Professor, both at LUISS University and Università San Raffaele Roma.

Drawing on a series of case studies from Finland, this book examines the role of networking in the internationalisation process of family firms. Providing a comprehensive overview of recent literature alongside the empirical analysis of 24 family firms, the authors use theoretical concepts from family business research to create a model specifically for the internationalisation and networking of family firms. An insightful read for those interested in international and small business, this book offers practical implications for the successful internationalisation of family firms and sets the agenda for future research in the field of family business.

This book offers an integrated discussion on international entry mode decisions in the context of family firms. It provides scholars and students a state-of-the art of extant knowledge on family firms’ entry modes into foreign contexts by outlining main research trajectories and empirical findings of prior studies. To this end, differences between family and non-family firms as well as sources of heterogeneity across different family firms are pointed out for the main types of entry modes. Moreover, this book offers new insights on the choice between either creating a joint venture or a wholly-owned subsidiary in a foreign country as it theoretically and empirically shows how economic and noneconomic drivers shape family leaders’ international strategic preferences. Offering a thoughtful review of extant studies and a comprehensive reasoning on the phenomenon of family firm internationalization, this is an insightful read for scholars and students interested in family firms and international business.

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.

"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"--