The Embeddedness of Family Businesses: Contexts and Institutions

Family businesses stand as one of the most ubiquitous organizations around the world. They represent a form of entrepreneurial activity which centres around one of the most fundamental institutions of society: the family. Just as the family may have myriad different configurations, norms, resources and entrepreneurial opportunities across the many diverse societal settings around the world, the businesses they foster diverge in kind. Yet, the steadily growing academic literature around the phenomenon of the family business still often overlooks both institutionally unique settings beyond the typical market economies of the west, and the family itself. Indeed, the emphasis is often placed on the business as opposed to the family behind it. This thesis seeks to contribute to the emerging stream on family business heterogeneity, by considering the multiple institutional settings within which the family business is embedded. To do so, it first explores the relationship between the institution of the family and the ventures it may foster within the transitional economies of Central and Eastern Europe. Next, further focus is placed on the business family, through inquiry into its role in fostering future entrepreneurial intentions and action of its successor generation. Finally, the dissertation investigates how the organisational form that is the family business may struggle to attain wider, societal acceptance against the backdrop of intuitional volatility.