Karen A. Duncan

The impact of the family and the business on family business sustainability

Identifies strategies that would help familiesincrease both business and family success. Data from the 1997 National FamilyBusiness Survey were used to gather a nationally representative sample offamily businesses. Using this sample, three types of interviews were conducted:a screen interview to establish eligibility, a household manager interview, anda business manager interview. Findings indicate that, contrary to business theory assumptions, the effectof the family on business ventures is large. The most important finding is thatthe success of the business depended on family processes and how the familyresponded to disruptions rather than simply how the owner managed the businessalone. Key factors that lead to increased revenue include: reducing familytension, hiring temporary help during hectic periods, reallocating sleep timerather than family time to the business, and living in a two- orthree-generation family. This study is one of the first empirical studies to utilize the sustainablefamily business (SFB) model as its guide—a brief review of previous research onthe SFB model is also presented.(SFL)

A research model of sustainable family businesses

This paper proposes a research model that outlines the determinants of functional families and profitable businesses—requisites for family business sustainability. Two features distinguish the model from previous models: inclusion of the family in the same detail as the business and emphasis on the key features of family and business. Delineation of the interface between the family and the business permits the use of research methods that allow for variable degrees of overlap of family and business rather than assuming that family businesses constitute either a single system or two separate systems. The research model is also compatible with a variety of theoretical perspectives.

Advanced maternal age and risk perception: A qualitative study

BackgroundAdvanced maternal age (AMA) is associated with several adverse pregnancy outcomes, hence these pregnancies are considered to be “high risk.” A review of the empirical literature suggests that it is not clear how women of AMA evaluate their pregnancy risk. This study aimed to address this gap by exploring the risk perception of pregnant women of AMA.MethodsA qualitative descriptive study was undertaken to obtain a rich and detailed source of explanatory data regarding perceived pregnancy risk of 15 women of AMA. The sample was recruited from a variety of settings in Winnipeg, Canada. In-depth interviews were conducted with nulliparous women aged 35 years or older, in their third trimester, and with singleton pregnancies. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim, and content analysis was used to identify themes and categories.ResultsFour main themes emerged: definition of pregnancy risk, factors influencing risk perception, risk alleviation strategies, and risk communication with health professionals.ConclusionsSeveral factors may influence womens perception of pregnancy risk including medical risk, psychological elements, characteristics of the risk, stage of pregnancy, and health care provider’s opinion. Understanding these influential factors may help health professionals who care for pregnant women of AMA to gain insight into their perspectives on pregnancy risk and improve the effectiveness of risk communication strategies with this group.

The Effects of Children, Dual Earner Status, Sex Role Traditionalism, and Marital Structure on Marital Happiness Over Time

In this study, the link between marital happiness and the advent of children is demonstrated, accounting for dual earner status, sex role traditionalism, and marital structure. A subset of 1,275 respondents from a longitudinal data set (Marital Instability Over the Life Course: A Three Wave Panel Study, 1980–1988) whom remained married through the 3 waves was used to compare the level of marital happiness of respondents who added children between waves to those who did not. Although the addition of children negatively affected marital structure and thus indirectly lowered marital happiness, results showed children also had positive counterbalancing direct effects. Dual-earner status, income, and sex role nontraditionalism were shown to mitigate the negative effects of children on marital happiness.

The Financial Abuse of Mentally Incompetent Older Adults: A Canadian Study

ABSTRACT This article reports the results of a pilot study on the financial abuse of mentally incompetent seniors. The objectives of the study were to: (1) establish the incidence of suspected financial abuse among the clientele of the Office of Public Trustee, Province of Manitoba, (2) identify the characteristics of mentally incompetent older adults most at risk, and (3) identify indicators of financial abuse. Approximately 20% of the cases opened in a one year period were under suspicion of abuse. Findings were consistent with those of other research projects on elder abuse, in general, showing an over-representation of women over the age of eighty as victims of financial abuse. Unpaid personal care home bills when money should have been available was the most common indicator. In addition to providing a list of indicators of financial abuse that are of potential use to professionals, devising prevention programs, practical implications for service providers are presented.

The importance of household management for the business-owning family

The household managerial behavior of 673 business-owning families from the 1997 National Family Business Survey was examined using a scale adapted from Heck, Winter, and Stafford (1992). The scale was reliable and used to compare the managerial behavior of solo- and dual-role holders in the sample. Although t-tests revealed few significant differences between solo- and dual-role holders, factor analyses showed that the two groups differed noticeably in management style. The differences were not in the frequency of use of managerial activities but in which activities were viewed as related by the two groups.

Poking a sleeping bear: the challenge of organizational recruitment for controversial topics

ABSTRACT Researchers often approach employers to investigate employees’ work and family experiences. Organizational willingness to grant access to employees can vary, especially when the research topic is seen as controversial or contentious for the employer. This paper explores this methodological challenge using a research example from Manitoba, Canada, which explored the use of parental leave by male employees and the impact of managerial attitudes and corporate culture on usage. Sixty large employers were recruited with only seven of those organizations agreeing to participate. In this paper, the reasons organizations gave for declining to participate and the implications of their decisions for the research are examined. Although the final sample included 905 managers and employees, participating organizations tended to be employee-focused and family-friendly employers. Organizations declined participation for a variety of reasons: avoiding raising the issue with unions, awareness that their policies unfairly benefited female leave takers, and simply not seeing the relevance of a topic relating to men’s work–family experiences. A dialogue often absent from the literature, it is important to understand how employers can limit researchers’ access to employees on controversial topics. The existence of such barriers suggests alternative avenues to recruit participants directly when topics are contentious for employers.