Accessing Resources from Innovation Partners: The Search Breadth of Family SMEs

This study investigates differences in the diversity of cooperation partners used for innovation-related activities (i.e., search breadth) between family and nonfamily small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as within the group of family SMEs. The results generally confirm our hypotheses...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of small business management 2012-04, Vol.50 (2), p.191-215
Main Authors: Classen, Nicolas, Van gils, Anita, Bammens, Yannick, Carree, Martin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chief executive officers
Comparative analysis
Family firms
Family owned businesses
Innovation
Innovations
Organizational behavior
Organizational behaviour
Partners
Search theory
Senior management
Small & medium sized enterprises-SME
Small and medium sized enterprises
Studies
Citations: Items that cite this one
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Description
Summary:This study investigates differences in the diversity of cooperation partners used for innovation-related activities (i.e., search breadth) between family and nonfamily small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as within the group of family SMEs. The results generally confirm our hypotheses derived from the behavioral theory of the firm. Specifically, we show that family SMEs have a lower search breadth than their nonfamily counterparts. Our findings further illustrate how attributes of the CEO (level of education) and the top management team (nonfamily management involvement and educational background diversity) relate to the search breadth of family SMEs.
ISSN:0047-2778
1540-627X
DOI:10.1111/j.1540-627X.2012.00350.x