published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

This study examines change in the family farming sector through the lens of succession. It explores empirically the succession expectations and intentions of farmers and their children in a changing contextual landscape. The research is underpinned by two theoretical concepts: the ‘farm adjustment strategy’ facilitated the development of structural reference points in respect of the family farm business and household; and application of tenets of van der Ploeg’s (1994) ‘styles’ work enabled analysis of structural change in the farm business to be viewed through a qualitative succession lens. A ‘pragmatist’ mixed-methods approach comprised a farmer survey and next generation in-depth interviews. The analytical approach accommodated issues of temporality and facilitated the linkage and study of multiple components of change. It was found that immense variability exists in terms of how succession is managed in practice. The structural characteristics and capacity of the farm business clearly impact upon succession choices and positions, but intrinsic drivers also have a very significant bearing on succession and its potential outcome. The research revealed three broad outcomes of next generation succession intention, each forming the basis of a succession style: a desire and intention to succeed to the family farm, reflected in more traditional succession modes; an intention to leave the family farm, thus opting out of farming per se; and part-time succession, characterised by off-farm professional work, flexibility and a lifestyle preference that encompasses aspects of farming and non-farming worlds. The findings presented in this thesis suggest that, through succession, forms of farm management and operation are evolving. Family farming entities are adapting and becoming increasingly heterogeneous. Through a contemporary succession lens, the notion of the family farm now comprises an assortment of family-owned and family-managed businesses with an array of diversified business, amenity and farming interests.

This study is a reflective analysis of the perceptions of senior executives in family businesses that relate to their personal experiences of having been mentored. The study presents an overview of the topic of mentoring, defines key terms, and identifies questions addressed in the research. The rationale for this study rested on two facts. First, mentoring in non-family businesses constitutes the majority of the literature. That literature supports the importance of mentoring. Secondly, mentoring in family businesses has not been researched.

When the owners of family-owned businesses leave the workplace, they can transfer ownership to the next generation; however, their knowledge of the business goes with them. There is a gap in the literature regarding effective ways to transfer family business resources and knowledge to subsequent generations. The problem was some small and family-owned businesses do not have detailed plans in place based on the needs of owners and the successor generation, with cross-project knowledge as part of the succession plan. The purpose of this nonexperimental study was to examine the relationships between the subscales of cross-project tacit knowledge transfer and to examine the generational differences in cross-project tacit knowledge transfer among small and family-owned businesses. The theoretical underpinning of the study was Argyris and Schön's organizational learning theory. Data from family business owners were collected through an online survey administered by SurveyMonkey, using purposeful sampling. Data (n = 233) were analyzed using a Spearman correlation matrix and Kruskal-Wallis tests. The findings indicated there were significant associations for seven of the 10 correlations between the subscales of cross-project knowledge transfer with each relationship being positive. In addition, the findings suggested that there were significant differences in cross-project knowledge transfer by age cohort. These findings may assist informed family-owned business owners with the complexities of succession planning, which may lead to the business being successful over more generations. This may allow the business to sustain its contribution to the local economy and help the community to prosper, leading to positive social change.

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In recent years, the Australian government has opened the Australian economy to the global marketplace through tariff reductions and the establishment of free trade agreements with other countries. The ability of the Australian economy to benefit from these agreements is dependent on Australian businesses identifying international opportunities and exploiting their competitive advantage in the international marketplace. However, the family business literature suggests that complexities unique to family firms limit their ability take advantage of such opportunities and grow internationally. To date, the limited empirical testing of such claims has produced conflicting results. As a consequence, little is known about the international behaviour of family firms, what influences such behaviour and what effect internationalisation has on the owning family and the business. This study addresses this gap in the literature by using a mixed research method design. Using the quantitative analysis of small - to - medium - sized family - owned enterprises ( SMFEs ) contained within the most recently available longitudinal database of Australian businesses and the qualitative analysis of eight SMFEs, the internationalisation process of SMFEs in the manufacturing sector was examined. The findings of this study suggest that, compared to their non - family counterparts, Australian SMFEs are less likely to venture into the international marketplace. Furthermore, those that do, do so to a lesser degree when compared to non - SMFEs. Although the internationalisation behaviour of most SMFEs was similar to that of traditional international firms, some exhibited ?born-again? global internationalisation behaviour as a result of critical events within the firm. These included succession to the next generation and the appointment of non - family managers with the requisite expertise. The internationalisation of SMFEs was dependent on their ability to configure their resources to create globally relevant capabilities, and their willingness to exploit those capabilities in the international marketplace. In addition to the family ' s commitment to internationalisation, the production capabilities, international network relationships and overcoming a ' production mindset ' to build the requisite managerial and marketing capabilities were all found to be critical to the international growth of SMFEs. An SMFE ' s financial and human resources were found to have a substantial influence over their ability to build the organisational capabilities and international network relationships required for internationalisation. Compared to solely focusing on the domestic marketplace, there were some financial benefits to be gained by SMFEs in venturing overseas. However the extent to which they did so had no observable effect on financial performance. Overall, the financial benefits gained from internationalisation were dependent on having a long - term commitment to, and possessing the managerial capabilities required for, internationalisation. The changes brought about by internationalisation improved the overall competitiveness of SMFEs, enabling them to successfully compete with their domestic and international competitors. However, internationalisation was found to place substantial strain on the family unit, particularly when the firm had limited managerial capabilities, and was often a trigger for conflict within the family and the business. The implications of this study ' s findings for SMFEs, policy and future research are explored in the thesis. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Adelaide Graduate School of Business, 2006.

This study has sought to probe the origin of Korean chaebols by employing theories that have been developed to account for the rise of American business organizations. By examining the top four chaebols qualitatively through detailed case analyses and 143 business groups quantitatively through statistical analyses, this study tests hypotheses raised by the three theoretical perspectives. The major findings of this study indicate that the political economy has been the dominant factor that contributed to transforming mediocre business groups into large chaebol groups. In particular, an organization's relationship with the state was of utmost significance. This study also indicates that the institutional isomorphism approach can complement politically motivated or efficiency-oriented theories. One of the major findings of this study is that Chandler's theory accounting for the rise of Korean chaebols is weak. However, its weakness does not stem from its main proposition that strategy calls for structural reform, but from its premise that growth strategy and structure presuppose economic and technological development. Williamson's transaction cost economics has a limited capability to account for the rise of the Korean chaebol. It is argued that the relative weakness of this theory may be inherent in its "universal" nature, which makes little provision for societal and cultural differences between the United States and Korea.

A study of the Taiwanese leather tanning industry is the basis of a critical reflection on the anthropological literature surrounding Chinese enterprises and a familistic "Chinese entrepreneurial ethic" which supposedly constrains their growth. Data gathered through historical research and in-depth interviews show that the growth of firms in the industry has not been inhibited by a familistic "entrepreneurial ethic." The structure of the industry has been far more influenced by Taiwan's history of incorporation into the world economy and the policies of modernizing governments, both under Japanese (1895--1945) and GMD rule (1945--present). The establishment of a market-friendly institutional context on Taiwan, including private property rights and contract law, has made it possible for some firms to grow from small family enterprises into relatively large corporations. At the firm level, organization of production into family or corporate firms is less influenced by a Chinese cultural essence than by the degree of capitalization available to firms and the type of product they produce. / The "entrepreneurial ethic" thesis not only fails to account for the empirical reality of the Taiwanese tanning industry. In the Taiwanese context, the discourse on Chinese family firms has political implications in terms of class, gender and nation on Taiwan. First of all, focus on the family has overlooked class- and gender-based inequalities in such enterprises. in chapters five through seven, therefore, this thesis draws attention to the roles of workers and women in the contemporary Taiwanese economy. Secondly, studies. of Taiwanese society as a reflection of Chinese culture neglect controversies within Taiwan about "Taiwanese identity" and national sovereignty. Chapter eight is thus an discussion of the competing nationalist discourses employed by the state and Taiwanese entrepreneurs. In conclusion, it is argued that cultural explanations of economic behavior have political implications which should be rendered transparent in the social scientific literature.