Title: The international entry mode of family-owned enterprises: a socio-emotional wealth perspective

Authors: Vincenzo Pisano

Addresses: Department of Economics and Management, University of Catania, Corso Italia 55, Catania 95129, Italy

Abstract: This paper aims to provide a preliminary step in the attempt to consolidate international business and family business research outcomes. The idea is that the two literature streams keep developing separately calling for the development of a consolidation process. Through the adoption of the socio-emotional wealth (SEW) perspective, the paper proposes a conceptual re-interpretation of the results achieved by the main international business theories underlining the key and most influential factors potentially affecting the international entry mode process of family-owned enterprises. It is suggested that family firms tend to perceive a higher risk than non-family firms because of their intrinsic characteristics and connected principles behind decision processes. Specifically, family-owned firms pursue the protection of the SEW and hence, their choices should always be in line with such principle. As a consequence, their ideal entry mode should always guarantee the full protection of the SEW, a specificity that only Greenfield investments can pledge.

Keywords: family-owned business; internationalisation; socio-emotional wealth; SEW; market entry mode; Greenfield investments; family-owned multinational enterprises; global strategy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCM.2018.091497

International Journal of Comparative Management, 2018 Vol.1 No.1, pp.45 - 64

Received: 18 Sep 2017
Accepted: 11 Nov 2017
Published online: 02 May 2018 *

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