Title: Exploring the moderation effects of family business status on the relationships between CEO's characteristics and SME internationalisation: evidence from Bulgaria

Authors: Desislava I. Yordanova

Addresses: Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Sofia University 'St. Kliment Ohridski', 1113 Sofia, 125 Tsarigradsko Shose Blvd., bl.3, Bulgaria

Abstract: This study explores the moderating effects of the family business status on the relationships between the chief executive officer's characteristics and internationalisation in a sample of Bulgarian SMEs. Drawing upon the upper echelons theory and the resource-based view, the paper proposes a conceptual model and hypotheses positing that the effects of the chief executive officer's attributes on internationalisation may differ significantly between family and non-family SMEs. The empirical findings reveal the presence of diverging antecedents of internationalisation between family and non-family SMEs supporting the view that it is important to research family SMEs as distinctive research objects. The paper provides a discussion of practical implications and recommendations for future research.

Keywords: internationalisation; family firms; family business; SMEs; small and medium-sized enterprises; CEO characteristics; moderating effects; Bulgaria; entrepreneurship.

DOI: 10.1504/WREMSD.2017.083029

World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, 2017 Vol.13 No.2/3, pp.314 - 337

Received: 02 Jan 2016
Accepted: 25 Jan 2016
Published online: 18 Mar 2017 *

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