Family character and international entrepreneurship

A historical comparison of Italian and Spanish ‘new multinationals’

Bibliographic Data

ID8419782
AuthorsAndrea Colli (0000-0001-5273-7416, Bocconi University, corresponding author), Esteban García-Canal, Esteban García Canal (0000-0002-1436-9808, Universidad de Oviedo), Mauro F Guillén (0000-0003-3517-7319)
Year2013
Volume55
Issue1
Pages119-138
Publication date2013-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueBusiness History (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0007-6791 • E-ISSN: 1743-7938
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00076791.2012.687536
OpenAlexW2158951317
LanguageEN
Citations received12
References cited28

Although family firms are traditionally associated with low levels of internationalisation, this paper shows that family ownership can generate opportunities for international entrepreneurship related to the exploitation abroad of the expertise and social capital developed at home. Specifically, it argues that family character favours international expansion in at least three ways: (1) by granting more freedom to the managers of the company to develop their business model; (2) by facilitating the transfer to, and exploitation of, this model in foreign markets; and (3) by making the adoption of governance structures based upon trust easier. Drawing on a comparison between the business history of selected Spanish and Italian ‘new multinationals’, support is found for these hypotheses

Business · Business history · Character (mathematics · Corporate governance · Economic geography · Economics · Entrepreneurship · Family business · Industrial organization · International business · International trade · Internationalization · Management · Market economy · Social capital · Social science · Sociology · Corporate Finance and Governance · Family Business Performance and Succession · Finance · Marketing · Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy