R.H. Flören

The Significance of Family Business in the Netherlands

Until recently, limited research existed on family business in the Netherlands. This article presents research results from four original studies by the Nijenrode Family Business Program. It quantifies the impact of family business on the Dutch economy, leaving no doubt as to the importance of family business to general commerce and the economy. These results are put in an international context. Differences between family businesses and nonfamily businesses are also presented.

Linking Bonding and Bridging Ownership Social Capital in Private Firms Moderating Effects of Ownership–Management Overlap and Family Firm Identity

This study examines the relationship between bonding and bridging ownership social capital (OSC) for a random sample of 679 privately held small and medium-sized firms. Results confirm the positive effects of bonding OSC (quality of relationships and shared vision) on bridging OSC (network mobilization) as well as two- and three-way moderator effects of family firm identity and ownership–management overlap. Moderator effects are more robust, however, for the shared vision indicator of bonding OSC. Implications for social capital theory, social and organizational identity theory, and family firm research and practice are discussed.

Successors in Dutch family businesses : Gender differences

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate gender differences among (potential) successors of Dutch family firms with respect to education, self-perceived capabilities and ownership ambition. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical analysis – which includes correlations, t-test and logistic regression analysis – is inspired by several theoretical perspectives used in previous studies and based on a sample of 232 (potential) successors who filled in a questionnaire. Findings – The results show that there is a clear gender difference regarding ownership; men strive more often for full ownership, whereas women opt for shared ownership, even when controlling for relevant variables such as the presence of children. Research limitations/implications – Future research should address the precise reasons why female successors prefer shared ownership. Particularly, it would be interesting to include the impact of the institutional environment, for example the specific Dutch working culture, where the...