The impact of the mother during family business succession

Examples from the Asian business community

Bibliographic Data

ID3645085
AuthorsShaheena Janjuha‐jivraj (corresponding author)
Year2004
Volume30
Issue4
Pages781-797
Publication date2004-07-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueNew Community (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0047-9586 • E-ISSN: 1469-9451
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13691830410001699612
OpenAlexW2012842651
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited24

Women in ethnic businesses have often been heralded as a critical labour resource but at the same time exploited and unacknowledged for their significant contribution. This paper considers the role of women in Asian businesses by adopting a very different perspective. The cases reviewed consider family businesses (defined as having two or more generations involved in the ownership and management of the business) and the role of the mother as a mediator between both generations. Previous research on working dynamics in the family business field has focused almost exclusively on the power struggles between the founder (typically the father) and the heir (usually the son). The central thrust of this paper is to explore these working dynamics by focusing on the involvement and subsequent impact of the mother of the successor (also the wife of the founder). The research identifies the mother's role as a critical buffer between the generations, which is generally not recognised, let alone acknowledged by the family members experiencing transition. This paper adopts an unusual approach in its methodology by interviewing the founder and successor only, rather than the mother as well. By following this somewhat unorthodox approach I argue that the involvement of the mother is critical to the business. However, how it is perceived by key family members in the business is even more important as this will determine whether she has a platform to assert herself as an equal party or needs to adopt a dexterous approach in order to balance relations. The paper draws on data collected from Asian family firms based in Britain

Business · Ethnic group · Family business · Interview · Political science · Public relations · Sociology · Successor cardinal · Wife · Entrepreneurship Studies and Influences · Family Business Performance and Succession · Law · Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy · Marketing

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