Title: Owner orientations and strategies and their impact on family business

Authors: Petra Moog, Desiree Mirabella, Susanne Schlepphorst

Addresses: Department of Business Succession, University of Siegen, Holderlinstr. 3, D-57068 Siegen, Germany. ' Department of Business Succession, University of Siegen, Holderlinstr. 3, D-57068 Siegen, Germany. ' Department of Business Succession, University of Siegen, Holderlinstr. 3, D-57068 Siegen, Germany

Abstract: Family firms seem to be different from non-family firms. They might be less entrepreneurial and more family-oriented or have an own family-specific strategy. The question in this context is why we can observe this phenomenon. In this explorative study, we explain that the individual orientation of previous, current and future owners of a family business might be the key to those differences. To find evidence for this assumption, we researched six family businesses and all family members involved. The 16 interviews show that the owners as individuals and their orientations drive the differentiated strategy and orientation of family businesses.

Keywords: entrepreneurial orientation; family orientation; business succession; non-family firms; family-specific strategies; business owners; company ownership; small and medium-sized enterprises; SMEs; Germany; entrepreneurship; innovation management; entrepreneurial behaviour; family businesses.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEIM.2011.038450

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, 2011 Vol.13 No.1, pp.95 - 112

Published online: 30 Sep 2014 *

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