Dilemma in Family-Owned Businesses: Business Commitment vs. Family Commitment. Is Success Changing the Balance?

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ABSTRACT

The paper examines the commitment relationship that exists between families and the businesses they own. The study builds on previous research on family attitudes and family involvement, and it identifies two types of family commitment: family-centered commitment and the family's commitment toward the business they own, called business-centered commitment. The relationship between the two types of commitment and the performance of the family business is scrutinized. Results show that family-centered commitment is higher when businesses are not performing well and business-centered commitment tends to be higher when businesses are high …