Myyjiä, tuotekehittäjiä ja tuotejohtajia : tuotepäälliköiden tehtävärakenteen heijastuminen tuotekehitysprojektissa sisäiseen yrittäjyyteen ja intuitiiviseen päätöksentekotyyliin kuuluviin tekijöihin

The focus of the present study is on product managers’ responsibilities and job roles in product development projects. The aim of the research is to define how these responsibilities and job roles reflect joint intrapreneurial and intuitive characteristics in product development.The approach is quantitative. The concepts of product manager, product managers’ responsibilities and job roles, intrapreneurship and intuitive decision making style are defined in the framework. Product development project is an innovation process that lasts two to three years. Goals in this kind of projects are typically commercially successful products. Product development projects are based on team organizations…

Small family business performance: comparison between family and non-family enterprises

This study compares small family business performance between the Finnish family and non-family enterprises. The sample (2,004 firms) was derived to represent nationally small businesses, in collaboration with the Statistics Finland (Centre) in Helsinki. The answer rate of the study was 90% (data collected by mail questionnaires and telephone interviews). The method of the study was to compare family and non-family enterprises with ROA (return on assets) on an enterprise population level (Finland). The results of the study show that most of the small family businesses are controlled by the founder generation. Founder generation performance was slightly higher than among descendant generatio…

Innovativeness and Family-Firm Performance: The Moderating Effect of Family Commitment

The positive relationship between innovativeness and firm performance is well established and applies equally to all businesses, including family firms. However, little is yet known about how the unique characteristics of family firms influence this relationship. Drawing upon the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm, this study explains how the interplay between innovativeness as a firm-specific resource and family commitment as a family-specific resource affects performance. The analysis of longitudinal survey data collected from Finnish family firms demonstrates a curvilinear (U-shaped) moderating effect of the owner family’s commitment to the firm, in that the impact of innovativeness o…

Career Paths in Institutional Business Elites: Finnish Family Firms from 1762–2010

This article analyzes the career paths of family business executives in institutional business elites in Finland using an empirical database based on a Bourdieusian prosopographical approach. The results indicate that career paths became more complex but shortened in length toward the beginning of the twenty-first century. The early career paths of family executives changed from positions as assistants and salesmen in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to governance, chief executive officer (CEO), and management positions in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Compared with the founder generation, next-generation family members benefited from more rapid institutional business eli…

Yrittäjyyskasvatuksen puheenvuoroja : kohti yrittäjyyden monimuotoista oppimista ja opettamista

Students' perceptions on intrapreneurship education – prerequisites for learning organisations

The aim of this qualitative study is to understand the prerequisites for learning organisations (LO) as perceived by university students. Intrapreneurship education offers possibilities to increase student's adaptation of learning organisation's climate and behaviour. By analysing students' perceptions, more information about learning organisation creation was achieved. Content analysis was used to interpret the results. In total, 310 first year university master's degree students in Finland answered a series open-ended questions. The results show that for intrapreneurship education to result in an increase in learning organisations it should be based on individual motivation and the self-m…

Bonding family social capital and firm performance

This study aims to empirically investigate the effect of bonding family social capital on financial firm performance. The data collection mechanism was a survey sent to all Finnish large and medium-sized FBs (staff >50) in the spring of 2008. In total, 167 questionnaires were collected indicating a response rate of 22.3%. The results are based on structural equation modelling. The results suggest that bonding family social capital has both a direct and indirect positive influence on family firm financial performance.

Family influence on firm performance: Finnish publicly held family firm perspective

The study aims at examining the effect of family influence on firm performance. An empirical focus is put on comparison of return on investment of publicly held family and non family firms in Finland. The income statement and balance sheet data of the companies covers the years 2000–2005. The study shows that families are present in 25% of the companies listed on the OMX Helsinki, Finland Stock Exchange. The data indicates that publicly held family firms create close the same value added per employee than non-family firms. According to the results, family firms are less indebted and perform slightly better than non-family firms measured by return on investment. The observations of the study…

Entrepreneurial leadership and familiness as resources for strategic entrepreneurship

PurposeThis paper seeks to investigate how familiness and entrepreneurial leadership are related to each other in family firms. Familiness and entrepreneurial leadership are viewed as resources for strategic entrepreneurship. The aim of the paper is to shed light on familiness in three family firms and contribute to the field's growing body of work.Design/methodology/approachThe paper employs a case study method. The interviewees were interviewed by theme questions and secondary information was gathered to strengthen the empirical section. Qualitative interpretation of empirical data was used.FindingsThe findings demonstrate the variety of familiness and entrepreneurial leadership within fa…

Family firm prerequisites for international business operations: a production and marketing capabilities approach

The purpose of this study is to compare SME family firms’ and non-family firms’ organisational prerequisites for international business operations. The main focus lies in the production and marketing capabilities needed for conducting international business. A quantitative study was conducted in Finland. A random sampling was done by utilising the database of the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK). A sample of 2,000 firms was gathered from the target population, EK database, which consisted of 16,000 firms. The answer rate for the study was 28%. All together, 555 firms answered the mail survey. Three hundred thirty three respondents were coming from family firms and 222 replies repres…

Opportunity Recognition in Social Entrepreneurship

Opportunity recognition (OR) is at the very heart of entrepreneurship. However, research on OR in the context of social entrepreneurship is still in its early stages. First, this article identifies, codifies and analyses OR-relevant articles on social entrepreneurship (SE) through the lens of Sarasvathy’s three views of entrepreneurial opportunity recognition. In the second step, statistical methods are applied on the results to indicate possible correlations among different schools of thought in SE and views on OR. OR in social ventures is found to be a prevalent topic in SE literature and differences in OR between social and commercial ventures are found.

Students’ Perceptions of Family Entrepreneurship – A Study on Family Business Academic Education

L’objectif de cette recherche est d’analyser les points de vue d’étudiants universitaires envers la condition des entrepreneurs. Le fond théorique analyse l’interaction entre l’entreprise familiale, le propriétaireship, et l’éducation sur la condition des entrepreneurs. 211 étudiants de l’Université de Jyväskylä ont participé à cette étude pendant le cours fondamental de Basic business studies appelé “Introduction to Entrepreneurship and Business Operations” en septembre 2007. 143 d’entre eux ont écrit un essai d’une page, soit en finnois soit en anglais, sur les entreprises familiales et les propriétaires familiales. Les étudiants ont écrit sur le phénomène avec leurs propres mots. Les rés…

Resource based view on multigenerational family dynasty: study of Sinebrychoff merchant and industrial family in the grand duchy of Finland (1809-1917)

In the research paper historical inquiry will be conducted in order to trace the roots of family dynasty resources in the Late Empire Russia. To be precise, one successful, Russian origin, merchant and industrial family that made its business in the Grand Duchy of Finland will be analyzed. Major purpose lies in defining core resources and culture-specific attributes of family dynasty. The Russian merchant and industrial class on the verge of the 20th century represented the most powerful and financially efficient layer of business community, contributing yearly the lion’s share to the gross national product and employing thousands of former peasants in the Russian Empire. That is to say, af…

The new face of university–business cooperation in Finland

This paper analyses the development of university-business cooperation (UBC) in Finland in the context of the University Reform Act of 2009, drawing on the experience of four universities: Aalto University, University of Jyvaskyla, University of Turku, and Lappeenranta University of Technology. Six UBC dimensions are examined: institutional context, stakeholders, motivations, facilitators/inhibitors, benefits, and drawbacks. We find that UBC, while a relatively recent process, is growing fast in dynamic local innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems. The University Act of 2009 had an uneven effect on the six UBC dimensions, with the most visible impact being manifested on motivations. Aal…

Monelta kantilta : Ilkka Nummelalle omistettu juhlakirja

Evolutionary selection and variation in family businesses

PurposeThis qualitative study attempts to understand what kinds of evolutionary selection and variation occur in family businesses during the preparation of a managerial and ownership succession.Design/methodology/approachThe study was conducted by interviewing members of one family business in Louisiana, USA and one in Finland in order to contribute to the understanding of succession preparation in small family businesses with two generations. Evolutionary economics was adapted for this interdisciplinary study to explain evolutionary changes in a family business succession.FindingsThe findings indicate that both selection and variation can take place through different routes during the pre…

The business elite in Finland: a prosopographical study of family firm executives 1762–2010

This study presents a prosopographical analysis of the Finnish business elite. The longitudinal panel dataset includes 456 members of family firms from 1762–2010 who have received the honorary title of counsellor in Finland. Counsellor biographies have been written by an economic history association network of 130 historians. Most family firms are no longer elite after the third generation of the family business or the second counsellor generation; therefore, the same core families rarely remain part of the economic elite for more than 100 years.

Pre-paradigmatic Status of Social Entrepreneurship Research: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract Social entrepreneurship (SE) research has been presented in the literature as a field of action in a pre-paradigmatic state, a field that lacks an established epistemology. Despite that impediment, several qualitative and quantitative studies have already been undertaken on the sole base of some institutions’ worldview and without previous solidification of theory. Consequently, critics and social constructivists have found much ambivalence in these and owing to the resulting mess, even question SE's legitimization as a distinctive item of research. Articles on the topic of SE make use of a variety of frameworks, borrowing from neo-institutional or dialectic theory, bringing with t…

The Experiential Perceptions of Entrepreneurial Competencies : Avenues for the Next-Generation Entrepreneurship Education

AbstractThis self-narrative study on entrepreneurial competencies was conducted among potential next-generation members belonging to entrepreneurial families. As public university bachelor students, self-narratives written by the students themselves do not reflect just perceptions of entrepreneurial competencies in the context of business families but also in the context of higher education. The conceptual advancement of this paper focuses on extending the discussion of entrepreneurial experience-based competencies before designing and launching a venture, such as creativity, innovativeness, risk-taking, sales, and marketing.

In search of family business continuity: the case of transgenerational family entrepreneurship

This qualitative case study analyses continuity of transgenerational entrepreneurship in the family business. Transgenerational entrepreneurship is based on multigenerational, and in this particular firm, on the founder and next generation, business activities in the same family business. Methodologically, the data was collected by interviewing members of two generations of Imagon Ltd.; the founder, and his sons. Imagon Ltd. shows signs of transgenerational continuity. It did not start off that way in the founder’s mind; his desire was just to work for himself and fulfil his own visions. It was only much later that the prospect of defining his company as a family business entered the pictur…

Tukea ja neuvoja appeasement-politiikalle : The Timesin uutisointi ja kannanotot Ison-Britannian hallituksen ulkopolitiikasta Tshekkoslovakian ja Saksan välisessä konfliktissa 1938

Understanding family dynasty: Nurturing the corporate identity across generations

This study aims to analyse the Ahlstrom annual reports. The content analysis contributes to family business corporate identity. According to the results family business corporate identity is based both on history and on the future. Human resource management, customer relationships, high quality, and also family ownership reflect corporate identity in large family corporations. Modern family business corporate identity is based on continuously developing the business concept and its core competency. Meeting the needs of customers and technical quality standards combined with upgrading and developing the business idea characterises family business corporate identity. peerReviewed

Non-family employees in small family business succession: the case of psychological ownership

This study is analysing non-family employees' perceptions on psychological ownership during the family business succession process. Three small family companies were chosen for the multiple case studies. The results of this study show that non-family employees are participating on the small family business succession and they do possess a strong psychological ownership towards the family business, their own work, and the founder generation. Non-family employees recognise the changing management and leadership in successions. Non-family employees' psychological ownership increases in succession. This has got influence on commitment and well being in unique way according to personal character…

Editorial notes

Analysis of research ideas: combining metaphors for research

This paper presents a framework – idea puzzle – for scientific analysis of research ideas. Analysis of research ideas is included in research planning ahead of research implementation and reporting. Research planning is traditionally based on the project metaphor for research which specifies linear tasks, deliverables and deadlines. Such a metaphor does not make explicit, however, decisions which are implicit in research tasks. This gap is fulfilled by the jigsaw puzzle metaphor which specifies interdependent and iterative decisions instead. Idea puzzle framework illustrates the jigsaw puzzle metaphor since it is a synthesis of scientific method in twenty one decisions. Such decisions speci…

Disguised Employment - The Nature of Forced Entrepreneurship

Present labor markets are in the wind of change. A widely made distinction between employees and individual contractors has been challenged. The study discusses abductively, i.e. both conceptually and empirically, the nature of being a responsible employer. Consequently, the two central concepts are: a) responsibility and b) employment relationship. The empirical research task is: Why does disguised employment exist? Question of the research is: What is disguised employment as forced entrepreneurship? The approach is qualitative and abductive, which in this case means a two-way dialogue between the findings gained from literature and interviews. For this exploration, twelve open and unstruc…