The European Academy of Management with an ad-hoc Strategic Interest Group on “Family Business Research” aims to be the ideal opportunity to assess the conceptual development, empirical research, and future directions of the family business field within a broader community of European scholars of management. We envision this SIG as an international arena to attract contributions of both new scholars of the field and scholars from the established community in family business, that will provide new insights on topics that have received significant attention in the past, as well as we especially encourage scholars to undertake innovative papers and discussions of topics that have not received much attention but are important in the field.
SIG OFFICERS (2026-2027):
SIG Programme Chair, Sandra Fiedler, University of Cooperative Education DHSN sandra.fiedler@wiwi.tu-chemnitz.de
SIG Programme Chair-Elect, Samuel Appleton, University of Bergamo samuel.appleton@unibg.it
SIG Communications Officer, Emmadonata Carbone, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II emmadonata.carbone@unina.it
FAMILY BUSINESS RESEARCH SIG STANDING TRACKS
GT04_00 – Family Business Research General Track
Short description:
Family-owned firms are one of the foundations of the world’s business community. Their creation, growth, and longevity are critical to the success of the global economy. Driven by unique goals that interact at multiple levels, they continue to stimulate research which is progressing in terms of theory building. However, the systematic adoption of comprehensive and theoretically grounded frameworks that effectively capture the peculiarities of family businesses is still lacking. To advance our field, we welcome papers investigating one or several dimensions of family businesses, with multitheoretical and multi-level approaches, and cross-cultural research. We are particularly interested in contributing to the
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG):
Goal 4: Quality education;Goal 5: Gender equality;Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth;Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure;Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities;Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production
For more information contact:
Samuel Appleton, University of Bergamo, samuel.appleton@unibg.it
ST04_01 – Behavior, Performance, and Sustainability in Family Firms
Short description:
The Track “Behavior, Performance, and Sustainability in Family Firms” focuses on family firms’ governance, strategies and policies and their influence on sustainable practices and financial performance. In the Twin Transition era, the Track also explores how family firms manage digital technologies for enhancing family firms sustainable performance. Consistently with EURAM 2027 theme “Rising Above Embracing Resilience, Reimagining History, and Rethinking Management for a Sustainable Future”, the Track welcomes theoretical and empirical, quantitative and qualitative papers that highlight how family firms’ traits (e.g.: longevity and altruism) affect their environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices and, in turn, their financial performance
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG):
Goal 1: No poverty;Goal 2: Zero hunger;Goal 3: Good health and well-being for people;Goal 4: Quality education;Goal 5: Gender equality;Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation;Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy;Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth;Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure;Goal 10: Reducing inequalities;Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities;Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production;Goal 13: Climate action;Goal 14: Life below water;Goal 15: Life on land;Goal 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions;Goal 17: Partnerships for the goals
For more information contact:
Mario Ossorio, Università degli Studi della Campania – mario.ossorio@unicampania.it
ST04_02 – Family Business in Emerging, Developing, and Transitional Economies
Short description:
The “Family Business in Emerging, Developing, and Transition Economies” track aims to contribute to conversations in the family business research field in three ways. First, by encouraging researchers to replicate established research designs and approaches, we seek to assess the generalizability of existing findings and test mainstream theories across different contexts. Second, by encouraging researchers to extend existing research approaches, we invite scholars to incorporate the specificities of the relationship between family businesses and their environments, thereby developing more context-sensitive explanations of the family business phenomenon. Finally, we encourage the development of new research designs and theoretical perspectives that examine.
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG):
Goal 1: No poverty;Goal 2: Zero hunger;Goal 3: Good health and well-being for people;Goal 4: Quality education;Goal 5: Gender equality;Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation;Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy;Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth;Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure;Goal 10: Reducing inequalities;Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities;Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production;Goal 13: Climate action;Goal 14: Life below water;Goal 15: Life on land;Goal 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions;Goal 17: Partnerships for the goals
For more information contact:
Rodrigo Basco, Sheikh Saoud bin Khalid bin Khalid Al-Qassimi Chair in Family Business, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates – rbasco@aus.edu
FAMILY BUSINESS RESEARCH SIG TRACKS
T04_03 Reimagining Heritage in Family Firms. Brand Continuity and Identity Renewal
Short description:
Family firms preserve, reinterpret and mobilize heritage as a strategic resource for renewal. Family names, founders, places, rituals, products, values and intergenerational stories can strengthen authenticity, trust and continuity, while also generating tensions around succession, digital transformation and social expectations. This track invites conceptual, qualitative, quantitative, experimental, historical and mixed-method studies on brand heritage, organizational heritage, family business branding, identity, tradition, memory and transgenerational entrepreneurship. It explores how heritage can help family firms rise above disruption by connecting continuity with renewal and transforming the past into a source of resilience and future value.
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG):
Goal 4: Quality education;Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure;Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities;Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production
For more information contact:
Ilenia Bua , LIUC – University Cattaneo, ibua@liuc.it
T04_04 Innovation and Internationalization in Family Firms (IIFF)
Short description:
Family firms are key actors in global value chains and important drivers of innovation. Their pursuit of both economic and socioemotional wealth goals, together with their global prevalence, makes them a particularly relevant context for studying innovation (including the balance between exploration and exploitation) and internationalization. This track invites theoretical, empirical, and methodological contributions on how values, governance systems, and family dynamics shape internationalization and/or innovation in family firms.
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG):
Goal 4: Quality education
For more information contact:
Emmadonata Carbone , Family Business Lab on Accounting and Governance (FLAG) – University of Naples “Federico II”, emmadonata.carbone@unina.it
T04_05 Rethinking Leadership and Succession Transitions in Family Enterprises
Short description:
Leadership and succession transitions are defining processes in the evolution of family enterprises. This Topic explores how leadership and ownership transitions unfold across generations, organisational levels, and different successor constellations. We welcome research on intra-family, external, and hybrid succession, founder exit, successor emergence, next-generation involvement, and transitions beyond the CEO level. Particular attention is given to succession as a dynamic, multilevel process rather than a discrete transfer event. Conceptual and empirical contributions from diverse theoretical, methodological, and geographical perspectives are invited to advance our understanding of how family enterprises prepare for, navigate, and complete leadership and succession transitions.
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG):
Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth;Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure;Goal 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions
For more information contact:
Christian Neusser , Faculty III, University of Siegen, christian.neusser@uni-siegen.de