Identifying territory-linked family business groups: a methodological proposal
Journal of Family Business Management
ISSN: 2043-6238
Article publication date: 13 October 2020
Issue publication date: 10 February 2022
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to design a methodology to identify territory-linked family business groups (TLFBGs) in order to overcome the methodological challenges and ease studies about family business groups' (FBGs) impact on territories.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper applied an algorithm to a data set of firms located in Gipuzkoa that were registered in the SABI database in 2018.
Findings
The paper defined a new construct, TLFBGs, and proposed a methodology that automatized the identification of TLFBGs by a seven-stage algorithm that was intended to be applicable to any firm-level economic and financial data set, including all registered firms and not only listed firms.
Practical implications
TLFBGs unveil the real relevance that family businesses have in the territorial development, encouraging the political support to family business. Additionally, the methodology provided allows understanding growth processes of family business.
Originality/value
The paper defines a new construct, TLFBGs, that highlights both the underexplored links existing between family and territory and between family and business groups, providing the process and criteria to capture it. The paper opens up large-scale empirical research on the social (and economic) influence of TLFBGs in territorial development.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Basque Government Department of Education, Language policy and Culture (IT885-16).
Citation
Garmendia-Lazcano, A., Iturrioz-Landart, C. and Aragon-Amonarriz, C. (2022), "Identifying territory-linked family business groups: a methodological proposal", Journal of Family Business Management, Vol. 12 No. 1, pp. 120-135. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFBM-06-2020-0059
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited