I choose my business model! A cross-national analysis of business model choice in family firms

Abstract

Purpose

Drawing on family-business and business model (BM) literature the purpose of this paper is to explore whether a relationship exists between the family involvement in the management (i.e. closed or mixed management) and BM choice.

Design/methodology/approach

A multiple case study analysis of family-owned wineries in Chianti (Italy) and Côtes du Rhône (France) has been conducted.

Findings

The analysis surprisingly reveals that no relationship exists between the BM ideal type chosen and the type of management composition. Rather, it seems that the choice of hiring non-family managers is dictated by the willingness to reinforce the BM chosen by the owner and that the role played by non-family managers is not revolutionary but reinforces the owner’s BM choice. The authors propose that the stewardship theory can contribute in explaining the findings.

Originality/value

A twofold contribution is offered by this study: first, it links the strategic management research on BMs to family business (FB) research on corporate governance and specifically on the composition of management teams; second, it provides an empirical example of a cross-national comparative analysis on FBs using multiple case studies.

Citation

Casprini, E., D'Antone, S., Paranque, B., Pucci, T. and Zanni, L. (2016), "I choose my business model! A cross-national analysis of business model choice in family firms", EuroMed Journal of Business, Vol. 11 No. 2, pp. 212-231. https://doi.org/10.1108/EMJB-06-2014-0017