Call for papers: "Family Businesses in Global Competition"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Globalisation and Small Business.

Family business research has developed over the past decade but is still an emerging field of study. Family firms have been of interest to management researchers where topics such as succession, corporate governance and strategic management have received particular attention. The complexity of family businesses results in studies investigating how they are similar to or different from other types of organisations. Internationalisation, performance, innovation and entrepreneurial orientation were topics of special interest but with controversial results.

In a globalised economy, family firms try to compete against large multinational companies. The contribution of family businesses to international markets depends on how they can strengthen their family-specific resources or familiness. This bundle of resources can create competitive advantage for family firms going or already acting international.

We invite contributions to this special issue which attempts to explore family business in a global environment. The goal is therefore to collect a number of valuable papers that investigate the role and contribution of family firms in global competition. Understanding the differences of family businesses and how they are strategically managed will lead to implications for competitiveness in globalised economies. Both conceptual and empirical papers are welcome.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Strategy and performance
• Internationalisation and entry modes
• Innovation and entrepreneurial orientation of family firms
• Case studies illustrating the role of family businesses in global competition
• Succession and corporate governance in international family firms
• Resources of family firms and familiness
• Traditions in international family businesses

Important Dates

Submission of extended abstracts (max. 500 words): 31 October, 2015
Notification of acceptance of abstracts: 30 November, 2015
Submission of full papers following acceptance of abstracts: 31 January, 2015
Notification of acceptance, refusal or revision of full papers: 31 March, 2016
Submission of accepted and revisited final papers: 30 April, 2016