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Given the growing interest in the topic of knowledge management (KM) in family firms (FFs) and the subsequent increasing number of papers published, this study aims to review the field to identify and analyze the main themes and trends.

This study applies bibliometric techniques to a sample of 146 papers published from 2007 to 2023 and their 8,126 unique cited references. Bibliometric coupling is performed on the sample papers to explore the current intellectual structure of the field of KM in FFs, whereas cocitations analysis is performed to investigate the different literature streams that served as roots for the development of such a field.

Bibliographic coupling reveals that sample papers can be grouped into four clusters, and, through papers content analysis, the author identifies their core themes as knowledge sharing, innovation, knowledge-based dynamic capabilities and intellectual capital. Cocitation analysis of the cited references revealed four main clusters that can be considered the literature streams that served as roots for the development of the field, i.e. knowledge-based view, socioemotional wealth, strategic management and social capital (as a theory and as a resource).

This study contributes to the literature on KM in FFs by extending prior systematic review efforts with bibliometric analyses and combining these results to highlight connections between the main research themes around which scholars have debated (i.e. the clusters identified through bibliometric coupling) and their theoretical foundations (i.e. the clusters identified through cocitation analysis). This study also has practical implications by synthesizing and informing managers about FFs’ advantages and weaknesses in the KM process.

This study aims to identify the updated areas in family business innovation (FBI) and propose a future research agenda for scholars in the domain.

Using VOSviewer and Bibliometrix-R, this study conducts a bibliometric analysis on 699 Scopus-indexed journal articles/reviews to analyse FBI’s performance and intellectual structure.

This study provides up-to-date assessment through performance analysis. Through the co-citation, co-word and thematic evolution analysis, this study unpacks FBI themes/topics to propose possible future avenues.

The findings provide insights into resilient innovation-driven family businesses to enlighten the next generation of family business leaders with essential innovation knowledge for sustainable growth.

This study complements past FBI reviews by offering renewed perspectives that future research can focus on, in turn, enhancing literature on contemporary, relevant topical issues in the FBI post-COVID-19 pandemic.

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether and how inter-firm cooperation and firm age moderate the relationship between family ownership and productivity.

We first estimate the total factor productivity (TFP) of a large sample of Italian firms observed over the period 2010–2018 and then apply a Poisson random effects model.

TFP is, on average, higher for non-family firms (non-FFs) than for FF. Furthermore, inter-organizational cooperation and firm age mitigate the negative effect of family ownership. In detail, it is found that belonging to a network acts as a moderator in different ways according to firm age. Indeed, young FFs underperform non-FF peers, although the TFP gap decreases with age. In contrast, the benefits of a formal network are high for older FFs, suggesting that an age-related learning process is at work.

The study provides evidence that FFs can outperform non-FFs when they move away from Socio-Emotional Wealth-centered reference points and exploit knowledge flows arising from high levels of social capital. In the case of mature FFs, networking is a driver of TFP, allowing them to acquire external resources. Since FFs often do not have sufficient in-house knowledge and resources, they must be aware of the value of business cooperation. While preserving the familiar identity of small companies, networks grant FFs the competitive and scale advantages of being large.

Despite the wide but ambiguous body of research on the performance gap between FFs and non-FFs, little is known about the role of FFs’ heterogeneity. This study has proven successful in detecting age as a factor in heterogeneity, specifically to explain the network effect on the link between ownership and TFP. Based on a representative sample, the study provides a solid framework for FFs, policymakers and academic research on family-owned companies.

Digitalisation is perceived as a new process that may add value to firms. Current theoretical understanding assumes it should be part of a firm's strategy to respond to multiple pressures in the business environment. This paper explores the occurrence of digitalisation in a rare context, that of the English agricultural industry in the United Kingdom, a place disproportionality filled with family firms. The general understanding of digitalisation in family firm settings remains embryonic. The authors' explorations make theoretical contributions to research at the intersection of rural entrepreneurship, family business and innovation.

Utilising a purposive, qualitative approach, primary data was collected from multiple interviews with 28 UK family farms, and secondary data from another 164. Interview transcripts were coded using NVivo, along with secondary data from reports, observations and websites.

The authors present empirical evidence illustrating how digitalisation manifests incrementally and radically in different types of family farms. The authors present a model that shows the areas of farming that have, and continue to be, digitalised. This increases analytical precision when identifying digitalisation activities that differ depending on the strategy to either scale or diversify. The authors propose that incremental digitalising occurs to a great extent during a scaling strategy, and that radical digitalising occurs to a smaller extent during diversification strategies in family farms.

This research uses a sample of family-run farms from the UK agricultural sector to explore nuanced elements of digitalisation. It should therefore be explored in other types of family firms located in different sectors and geographies.

This research is important because family farms are under increasing pressure and have limited financial resources to deal with the digitalisation agenda. Therefore, empirical evidence helps other farms in similar situations. The authors found digitalisation investments, that tend to be capital intensive, only matter for scalers and less so for diversifiers. Family farms can use the model presented as a tool to evaluate their farm. The tool helps them define what to do, and ideate the potential activities that might be digitalised, to feed into their wider strategy.

Family firms, in particular farms, are critical to many economies. The general consenses currently assumes all family firms should digitalise, yet the authors' evidence suggests that this is not the case. It is important to create policies that are sensitive to the needs of different types of businesses, in this case between family firm scalers and diversifiers, instead of simply incentivising digitalisation using a blanket approach usually by offering financial aid. Understanding how digitisation can support (or not) family firm resilience and growth in an effective and efficient manner can have significant benefit to individual firms, and across industries.

The proposed model extends theoretical understanding linking strategy, digitalisation activity and innovation in family farms. It shows that digitalisation is a key building block of scaling strategies, maximising digitalisation to increase efficiency. Yet, diversifying family farms minimise digitalisation, whereby they only digitalise a small amount of the farming activity. This empirical evidence contrasts with the wider narrative that farmers are slower at using new technology. This research found that some are slower because it does not align with their strategy. However, sometimes digitalisation aligns with their strategy during external changes, in which case the diversifiers are quick to act.

Ownership structure plays a significant role in determining board demographic diversity. However, it is still unclear how different ownership configurations impact the structures of firm's boards and how board diversity influences firm performance. This study aims to investigate the relationship between family ownership and board diversity. Therefore, in this study, the authors argue that family firms have a lower level of board demographic diversity (in terms of age, gender and nationality) than non-family firms and that board diversity moderates the relationship between ownership and firm performance.

To test the authors’ hypotheses, we draw data from a sample of 341 German family and non-family firms for a period of five years.

The results show that family firms are less diverse in terms of age, gender and nationality diversity than non-family firms.

This study contributes to the general understanding of family firms and in particular the role ownership plays in shaping board demographic diversity.

The main goal of this study is to determine the role of employee commitment in the relations between the compensation system and turnover intentions of employees in the Republic of Serbia, as well as to investigate whether there is a mediating effect of employee commitment in this relation.

The primary methodology implemented in the research was data gathering, obtaining theoretical research works on the proposed relations and empirical studies based on the PLS-SEM, analysed by IBM SPSS Statistics and SmartPLS data processing software. The data for the analysis was obtained from a total sample of 764 employees, collected in the Republic of Serbia via an online questionnaire.

The results indicated a positive statistically significant relationship between the formative construct (compensation system) and reflective construct (commitment), as well as a negative statistically significant relationship between the compensation system and reflective construct (turnover intentions). Employee commitment partially mediates the relationship between the compensation system and turnover intentions of employees.

The study was conducted in Serbia and is thus rooted in the specific national context which is characterized by high power distance and high uncertainty avoidance and more collectivistic society with feminine values more expressed. Most of the previous investigations related to the mentioned constructs were performed in companies from more developed countries, including Western Europe and the United States of America, whereas there has been no such research conducted in Serbia to date. The results portrayed a mismatch between the expected relations regarding the attitudes of employees to the rewards and the proposed national context. Modern companies in Serbia need to follow a modern reward mechanism to build stronger commitment and decrease turnover intentions. Moreover, in most earlier research works, compensation was examined in terms of satisfaction with rewards, while this study was based on questions related to perceptions of employees toward HR compensation practices (“The organization offers me”-type questions), not related to their satisfaction. Further, in the majority of previous research works, the compensation system was examined as a variable in combination with other HR processes (staffing, training and development, career development, employee relations, HR planning, communication, etc.), as a HPWP, while in this case the authors used only the practice of compensation (reward elements and employee performance evaluation) to investigate relations with commitment and turnover intentions.

The primary aim is to renew academic discourse on financial education in business families. It emphasizes the need for effective financial literacy programs to foster a healthier relationship with money, addressing both technical aspects of finance and its psychological and relational impacts among family members.

This perspective article explores the impact of money education within business families. It discusses the psychological effects of money education on family dynamics and decision-making in family businesses. The research draws on previous studies, surveys and practical examples to highlight the importance of financial education and its implications on family and business sustainability.

Financial education is essential in business families as it enables more meaningful discussions on money and wealth, fostering informed decisions and decreasing conflict. Yet, it is often overlooked. There is a need for academic research into effective strategies for financial education for family members and the effects of financial literacy, or its absence, on various aspects of the business and the family system. The article presents a selection of pertinent questions for future research in this domain.

This article contributes to the family business field by underscoring the gap in scholarly research on money education within family businesses. It advocates for comprehensive financial education strategies that balance technical knowledge with an understanding of the psychological and relational aspects of money.

Through this exploration, this article seeks to contribute to facilitate a greater female participation in power and leadership positions in the context of succession by presenting perspectives in research and practical implications for both family firms and business families.

Literature review of seminal work on women’s involvement in the leadership succession of family firms and systematic reviews related to the topic published in the last 15 years.

Past research shows that the landscape of gender inclusion in the context of succession has evolved, offering women more access to leadership positions in family firms. Perceptions of women as invisible in business or playing emotional roles in the family, shifted to leaders, managing family business. However, access to leadership positions is not equitable to all regions and women leaders still face significant challenges to achieve legitimacy and recognition inside and outside the organisation. Future research should contribute to the enhancement of gender inclusion in leadership of family firms. Action research and interventions in both family firms and business families are ways to achieve this.

This paper elaborates on new research avenues and provides practical insights into how to enhance gender inclusion in the context of succession at both business family and family firm’s realms.

The purpose of this viewpoint is to spotlight the role of reviewers within the collaborative triad of academic publishing. It argues that the significance of reviewers is often disregarded, leading to a gap in our understanding of the peer review process. This perspective emphasizes reviewers as unsung heroes in the publishing ecosystem, providing intentional and thought-provoking insights into the less-discussed yet impactful developments in the evolving peer review landscape.

Leveraging the author’s distinguished background as a recipient of the Journal of Service Marketing Outstanding Reviewer Award, this paper offers a personal reflection and synthesised viewpoints on the peer review process. Serving as a representative voice for reviewers, it provides insightful perspectives from the vantage point of a peer reviewer, diverging from conventional editorials and commentaries authored by editors.

Acknowledging the shrinking reviewer pool, this viewpoint suggests a mandatory “review for review” system alongside incentives like editorial positions, while considering financial rewards for reviewers. The rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in review prompts ethical concerns but offers solutions for handling diverse submissions and dealing with “Reviewer 2.” While embracing open review for its transparency, potential pitfalls surrounding article confidence and copyright require attention. Ultimately, this viewpoint advocates for a collaborative approach, valuing reviewers, exploring innovative solutions, navigating ethical dilemmas in the technological age and implementing transparent practices responsibly for the betterment of scholarly discourse.

This viewpoint highlights the invaluable contributions of reviewers, enriching the scholarly community and promoting intellectual growth.

This research aims to better understand the factors and determinants that shape the job satisfaction of European family business owners.

The study is based on a unique sample of 11,362 European family business owners surveyed within the European Union Labour Force Survey (EU LFS) framework, and the main findings were obtained by estimating ordered logistic regression models.

The authors show that only 26.8% of European family business owners are women, which underlines the gender imbalance in family business ownership, and the authors' results also report that their job satisfaction is significantly lower compared to males. The authors also find the highest job satisfaction amongst family business owners with master-level degrees and point out several interesting statistically significant differences across the industry focus of the family business.

This research contributes to the body of knowledge on the job satisfaction of family business owners by conducting a large-scale study based on a statistically representative sample of European respondents.