Title: Navigating family succession in a turbulent context: the case of Circuit Empire in Lebanon

Authors: Eliane Khalifé; Walid J. Abou-Khalil; Sonia Boussaguet; Matteo Rossi

Addresses: Faculty of Business Administration and Management, Saint Joseph University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon ' Faculty of Business Administration and Management, Saint Joseph University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon ' Strategy and Entrepreneurship Department, NEOMA Business School, Reims, France ' Department of Law, Economics, Management and Quantitative Methods, University of Sannio, Benevento, Italy; WSB Merito University in Poznan, ul. Powstańców Wielkopolskich 5, 61-895, Poznań, Poland

Abstract: Lebanon, recognised as a turbulent context, presents significant challenges for family business succession that have received limited scholarly attention. This study examines the narrative of a prominent century-old Lebanese family business through a single-case approach. It contributes to understanding family business succession by: 1) offering insights into the Lebanese context; 2) providing empirical evidence on succession dynamics; 3) focusing on successors' commitment. The findings expand Labaki's (2014) 'dual commitment' model by incorporating individual commitment to heirs concerning career choice intentions. Entrepreneurial freedom and a warrior's mindset emerge as strong drivers of founding intent. Unexpectedly, the study also underscores the need to address heirs' potential for 'deviant behaviour' as a critical factor for successful succession.

Keywords: family business; Lebanon; succession process; turbulent context; unique case study; media sources; commitment; career choice intention; deviant behaviour.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2026.152258

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2026 Vol.57 No.4, pp.502 - 522

Received: 12 Sep 2024
Accepted: 06 Nov 2024
Published online: 13 Mar 2026 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article