Intention to Succeed the Family Firm: A Study on Cognitive and Affective Motivational Antecedents

• Main Authors: JoyceAng, 洪麗玉
• Other Authors: Prof. Don Jyh-Fu Jeng
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2014
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/31282946494809094685

碩士 === 國立成功大學 === 國際經營管理研究所 === 102 === Family firms are arguably one of the biggest contributors to the economy of many nations. In every list of the top performing firms each year, family firms never fail to fall out of ranks. Sustaining these firms are generations of family firm successors. But because of the private nature of family firms, little is known about their internal operations. This is the reason why pinpointing the reasons behind the success and failure of family firms remains very speculative. This research aimed to study family business succession using successors as the vantage point. A context based cognitive antecedents (attitude toward succession and subjective norms) from the theory of planned behavior including a separate measure for perceived control (self-efficacy and locus of control) were employed as predictor variables. These cognitive variables are tested for a statistical relationship with intention, however, working through the affective domain, successor’s desires. Furthermore, variables deemed to be influential to the process in which successors may gain more intention are extended into this research. These variables include the Big-five personality factors, family cohesion, risk-taking propensity, and several other control variables. Research findings showed that all cognitive antecedents except locus of control significantly influenced the successor’s desire to succeed. This desire, consequently, affected succession intention. Interestingly, the other variables claimed to have had an influence did not explain any variance neither to a successor’s desire nor to one’s intention to succeed. These findings are intriguing to real practice as it is universally understood that these factors could have contributed to intention; however, research proves otherwise. These results give light to family business studies in such a way that studies on intention cannot fully adapt arguments from entrepreneurial research. It is acknowledged that limitations may have caused varying results with previous research. Nevertheless, these findings can also help provide light on what is necessarily required to help mitigate issues related to succession.