Summary

Internationalisation is a key dimension of the firm’s strategy process. Yet, research on why and how family firms internationalise tends to be underdeveloped. In particular, as one of the most critical issues family firms face, why and how intergenerational succession can influence their internationalisation remains an important question. Given the extraordinary succession and internationalisation circumstances pertaining to China, we conducted a qualitative case study analysis of eleven newly internationalised Chinese small- and medium-sized family firms that had recently undergone a succession from the first to the second generation. Three distinct intergenerational succession patterns among our case data were identified, which revealed three underlying types of incumbent-successor relationships. Based on our findings, we put forth propositions on how these succession patterns influence the next-generation’s level of attitudinal commitment to internationalisation, the resources available for internationalisation, and the firm’s overall capabilities pertaining to the extent of international involvement. Our findings suggest that the connection between intergenerational succession and internationalisation strategy of family firms is significantly influenced by the nature of the underlying incumbent-successor relationship and therefore much more complex than previously considered.

About the Presenter

Dr Henry Shi is a Senior Lecturer in Family Business and Entrepreneurship at the University of Adelaide. He received his PhD in Management from the University of Auckland, Master of International Business from the University of Melbourne, Advanced Certificate in Teaching from the University of British Columbia, and Bachelor of Arts from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics where he also currently holds a visiting professorship.

Henry’s research contributes to the understanding of SMEs, particularly those owned and managed by families or family groups across generations. His research often takes an exploratory approach and investigates distinctive patterns in which private entrepreneurship sustains over time, and the effects of the evolving socio-economic contexts on SME strategy, ethics, entrepreneurship, innovation, and internationalisation. Both theoretical and empirical contributions are made to a wide range of organisation and management literature.

Henry is the author of Entrepreneurship in Family Business (Springer, 2014), and an editorial member of International Journal of Management Practice, as well as academic reviewer for multiple journals. His recent work has been published in International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Small Business Management, Long Range Planning, among others.

Contact Information

Should you have any enquiries, Please feel free to contact: cebp@hksyu.edu