Il family brand nella comunicazione online: asset o liability?

The research fits in the international debate on the relationship between family involvement and performance, by introducing the branding strategies as moderating variable. Thus, the study approaches the problem by adopting a holistic perspective, encompassing both the structural and strategic aspects. In the first chapter, the thesis presents a systematic review of the literature about family involvement-performance relationship. Moreover, it presents the results of a meta-analysis applied to the empirical studies. In the second chapter, it outlines the issues of brand management in family firms, examining the aspects that influence the decision to adopt a family brand and the impact that this choice has on performance. Finally, in the third chapter it presents a longitudinal analysis (2005-2011), conducted on a sample of 102 family firms belonging to the Italian wine industry. The empirical investigation applies a hierarchical multivariate regression model and tests the moderating effect of branding strategies on the relationship between family involvement and performance. In particular, it analyzes the branding trough a content analysis to the textual content of websites. [edited by Author]