Introduction: In family businesses, previous literature does not discuss about the connection between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities and Socio-Emotional Wealth (SEW). Therefore, this research provides the role of SEW on CSR activities in family businesses. This study is unique and also significant for future researchers and policymakers of family firms to understand the role of SEW of family firms on CSR activities. Respectively, this paper targets only family businesses as the subject of research meanwhile they are distinctive in nature and make up a large component of the global economy. The topic of SEW in family businesses is a fascinating aspect of this subject that warrants further investigation.Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to develop a comprehensive grasp by observing how SEW plays a major role on CSR activities on family firms and explore the family involvement in the execution of the activities.Methodology: This study conducts a single case study, followed by semi-structured interviews. Further this study adapts qualitative research method and exploratory research design in nature, aiming to provide a greater understanding of a well-known occurrence by relating and analysis present literature, such as the FIBER Model, to a specific firm. The study in this research is based on an organizational/case analysis method.Findings: This research found that family involvement in CSR execution of chosen firm is efficient. It is concluded that the chosen firm implement different CSR activities include support poor children’s education, charity activities for Syrian war affected families, health support for poor people, environment and ethical policies was implemented in all the process of organization to ensure CSR activities and job opportunities for poor educated students. Study finding further concludes that the role of SEW play a major role in CSR implementation especially on enhancing brand image and firm’s reputation.Abbreviations: SEW (Social-Emotional Wealth), CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility)

Although understudied in emerging markets, in modern globalised economies, family business internationalization is becoming an increasingly more relevant topic. Consequently, our research focuses on investigating the listed family firms in Chinese Mainland in order to fill the research gap. Specifically, we studied the influence of family involvement in ownership and management of companies on their degree of internationalization. Existing theories on internationalization mainly focused on economic aspects, while we adopt the perspective of socio-emotional wealth (SEW) which refers to non economic aspects to investigate this subject. We take listed family firms in Chinese Mainland as our sample. The results show that family involvement in ownership is positively associated with the degree of internationalization and family involvement in management has no certain relation with the degree of internationalization. This is a different finding in this area since previous researches have not taken Chinese listed family firms as samples before. Future research can improve the SEW theory by testing wider samples.

Abstract Background & Problem: Many family firms face a change in ownership in the near future. Acquisitions of family firms can therefore be a solution for the change in ownership. Due to special family firm characteristics, acquisitions of such companies can be complicated. Previous research shows that accountants and CFOs have a positive effect on the firm’s survival and growth. However, the CFOs’ roles in family business acquisitions have not been studied before.    Purpose: The purpose of this research is to explore what roles accountants and CFOs have in acquisitions of family firms.   Method: The base of this study is an abductive research approach with a qualitative research strategy. The main method was semi-structured interviews that was complemented with a document study of official documents from websites.    Conclusion: The empirical findings and analysis revealed that the CFOs in family firm acquisitions are important, but the CFOs’ roles in acquirer and acquiree differ. The CFOs in the selling family business is more of a bean counter in the process and provide material. The CFOs in the acquiring group is more of a business partner, conducting analyses and are involved in strategic decisions. The process of acquiring family firms is a special situation for the CFOs in the acquiring group since they need to adapt to the family firms’ informal culture.

Purpose Various studies suggested that family ownership plays a significant role in R&D investment considering family-owned businesses. This thesis specifically explores sibling ownership and how it influences R&D Investment in their company. Moreover, various factors have been highlighted and explored extensively to understand what makes the difference between sibling owners and sole owners when it comes to their behaviors whether to pursue and invest in R&D for the betterment of the company. Method This paper adopted qualitative research as a method. Data was collected from 5 cases which consisted of sibling owners and sole owners to understand the differences between 2 types. In this multiple case study, two respondent took part in each case. Semi-structured interviews were carried out to have an in-depth understanding of the cases. Furthermore, the analysis of these data was done using the SEWi scale which provided us the three dimensions to scrutinize the impact on R&D investment by sibling owners and compare it with sole owners. Conclusion Using the theoretical lenses, the sibling ownership presents a unique attitude as of any other family ownership. To have a more broader approach, the comparison between a sole owner and sibling owner derived many different factors to take up R&D Investments. It shows that sibling owner does not always initiate investment for the company to prosper but they consider other family members involvement for investing. R&D investments are taking part in the sibling ownership by keeping the family wealth in mind. This tends to provide evidence that sibling owner is careful in investment for R&D. Family values and family unity in sibling owned business create an immense impact on the decision making for the investment. Considering the decision making regarding R&D investment, sibling owner believe that they have ease to make a decision when the family is involved whereas sole owner finds difficulty in taking such decisions, especially under uncertainty. The following observations from our research provided the idea that sibling owner initiative to invest in R&D is not only restricted to the company growth perspective but also the involvement of various family dimensions.

In the Surface Development Test, self-perceived Sewing Expertise was significant in predicting participants' test scores. For the Paper Folding Test, Knitting and Crocheting Expertise were significant, suggesting expertise may mitigate age effects.; Spatial ability has been a topic of much research and debate over the past few decades. Yet, there are gaps in the current literature. Spatial ability refers to the aptitude of an individual to mentally rotate objects, visualize spaces, and recognize patterns (Linn & Petersen, 1985). A highly spatial task that is not addressed in research literature is crafting. Crafting may refer to knitting, crocheting, sewing, and other hobbies that include manipulations of materials. These crafts are spatially oriented, because they necessitate mental rotation, pattern recognition, and 3-D visualization to create an object. While research tends to favor males on certain spatial tests (Voyer, Voyer, & Bryden, 1995), research on the relationship between expertise and spatial ability has concentrated on traditionally male dominated domains, such as architecture and video games (Salthouse & Mitchell, 1990; Sims & Mayer, 2002). The traditionally female domain of needlework crafting expertise has not been studied empirically. First, a literature review is presented to give an overview of previous spatial ability research. The paper then describes the needlework crafts of sewing, knitting, and crocheting, including their historical significance and the spatial processes involved. A study was conducted to test the hypothesis that more expertise in needlework crafts will correlate with better performance on spatial ability tests. Three hundred and four adult women (ages 18-77) completed the study. Participant experience level was determined by self-perceived level of crafting expertise. Participants performed three spatial ability tests from the ETS Factor Reference Kit (Ekstrom et al., 1976): Paper Folding, Surface Development, and Card Rotations. Results indicated that age was correlated negatively with performance in all spatial tests. Only age was significant in the Card Rotations Test.

My quilts serve as a visual journal of some of my travels and experiences. Through my quilts, I remember the rich colors and memories of my European adventures. The methodical process of stitching quilts line by line is an important process for my recollection of the many steps taken during my trip abroad. Stitching fabric is the method that communicates the opportunities and experiences of my travel that I want to share with others.

SEW refers to the stock of affect-related values that an owning family derives from its family business. As a promising theoretical concept, the SEW has been used widely to explain the diverse strategic choices of family firms compared to non-family firms. However, little study has been done to measure SEW directly and to measure the effect of SEW on family firms’ strategic choices.     Within the context of family-owned Hidden Champions, this thesis study replicates the five-dimension model proposed by Berrone et al. in an empirical study to verify the psychometric measurement on the degree of SEW. Furthermore, internationalization has been chosen as an example to demonstrate the effects of SEW on family firms’ strategic choices and outcomes.   This study has verified the reliability and validity of the SEW scale and SEW’s five subscales constructed. Furthermore, the measurement on SEW and its five dimensions has been applied to examine the effects of SEW and its five dimensions on the internationalization of family firms. The findings reveal that SEW has a negative effect on the internationalization of family firms, which is mainly due to the negative effect of Family Control and Influence.

In the past thirty years, HIV/AIDS (Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) transformed from a mysteriously lethal disease affecting limited portions of the population to a true global pandemic. Although HIV/AIDS is responsible for the deaths of approximately 30 million people worldwide, prevalence rates are now increasing significantly due to increasing survival rates. However, overall increasing incidence rates now serve as a primary concern for researchers. Avert (2011) suggests that there is a lack of behavioral interventions and prevention programs aimed at decreasing the number of newly affected individuals. This is problematic as it may create not only physical and mental stress upon patients but also a source of financial and resource stress upon service organizations. In Asia, HIV/AIDS is primarily apparent in three high-risk groups: sex workers, men who have sex with men, and intravenous drug users (Avert, 2011). Service organizations target these high-risk groups with prevention programs in order to decrease infection rates and raise general awareness of the disease. This study aims to evaluate two HIV/AIDS prevention program theories(the Sonagachi Project and the 100% Condom Use Program) and the studies that implement them. This proposed evaluation assesses the effectiveness of these HIV/AIDS prevention programs in reducing infection rates and raising awareness of the disease. Due to the widespread use and apparent effectiveness of the 100% Condom Use Program and The Sonagachi Project, this study aims to assess the interventions in lessening HIV infection rates and critique the methods outlined by both. This thesis also employs a systemic review of the literature by using the program theories of The 100% Condom Use Program and The Sonagachi Project.

Introduction - Sustainability reporting is becoming more and more important for businesses all around the world. Extant empirical literature investigating the relationship between family status and sustainability reporting provides inconclusive results. No previous studies investigated this association in the Swedish setting. Purpose - The purpose of this study is to investigate how family control and influence affects sustainability reporting behavior of Swedish listed firms. Theoretical framework – Sustainability disclosures are considered as effective means for companies to communicate with their stakeholders. Family firms are more concerned about their internal and external stakeholders in order to protect family’s socioemotional endowments. Methodology design – We use panel data on Swedish listed firms over the period of 2008-2015. We analyze data with random-effects ordered probit regression for panel data. Empirical findings - When we treat all family firms as homogenous, there are no statistically significant differences in the levels of reports of family and non-family firms. However, when we take into account internal contexts of family firms, we find that a family member(s) in top management or a family CEO make family firms more transparent about their sustainability performance. Conclusion – We document that presence of a family top manager(s) or of a family CEO is associated with higher level of details of sustainability reports. Family top managers are more likely to be concerned about internal and external stakeholders to preserve the family’s SEW.

O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar os condicionantes das decisões de investimento das empresas familiares. Para tanto, utilizou-se de um referencial teórico baseado em conceitos como estrutura de propriedade e controle familiar, heterogeneidade das empresas familiares, choques exógenos causados por crises econômicas e situação de restrição financeira. Esses conceitos foram empregues com o propósito de dimensionar seus impactos nas decisões de investimento das empresas familiares listadas em bolsa nos períodos entre 2006-2016. Em termos teóricos, os investimentos foram separados em dois tipos: investimentos em CAPEX e capital circulante líquido. Embora nem todos tenham sido utilizados em todas as fases da pesquisa, esses dois tipos de investimento foram o cerne e a variável dependente da pesquisa. Outras variáveis importantes foram Empresa Familiar, bem como suas outras sete configurações, e as variáveis de interação como idade, grau de maturidade, tamanho, tangibilidade e situação financeira. Outro ponto considerado pela pesquisa foi o impacto do cenário macroeconômico sobre as decisões de investimento. Os resultados encontrados mostraram que as empresas familiares investem menos do que as empresas não familiares em CAPEX, ocorrendo o inverso para o capital circulante líquido. Isso corrobora com as análises teóricas promovidas por Anderson, Duru e Reeb (2012) e Chrisman e Patel (2012) sobre os ideais de autopreservação e aversão ao risco aos quais as empresas familiares estão sujeitas. Quanto aos períodos de choques de liquidez, as empresas familiares apresentaram quedas severas para investimentos em CAPEX e quedas menos acentuadas para o capital circulante líquido. Por fim, em relação à situação de restrição financeira e os resultados financeiros passados evidenciou-se que empresas familiares com maior tangibilidade e com resultados passados positivos investem mais do que as empresas não familiares, o que também está de acordo com a teoria sobre autoconfiança e busca pela perenidade em empresas de controle familiar. / The objective of this study was to answer the following research problem: what are the determinants of the investment decisions of family companies? To do so, the research used a theoretical framework based on concepts such as family ownership and control, the heterogeneity found in the various types of family businesses, exogenous shocks caused by economic crises and the situation of financial constraint of the companies. These concepts were used to understand how each of them impacted the investment decisions of listed companies in the period between 2006-2016. In conceptual terms, the investments were divided into two types: investments in CAPEX and working capital ratios. Although not all were used at all stages of the research, these three types of investment were at the heart and the research-dependent variable. In addition to this variable, other important variables were both the Family Enterprise variable (as well as its other seven configurations) and the variables of interaction with age, maturity level, size, tangibility and financial situation. Another point considered by the research consisted in analyzing how the macroeconomic scenario impacted investment decisions. The results found that family firms invest less than non-family firms (in all configurations) in CAPEX. However, the opposite occurs for the working capital ratios. This corroborates theoretical analyzes promoted by Anderson, Duru and Reeb (2012) and Chrisman and Patel (2012) on the ideals of self-preservation and risk aversion to which family firms are subject to making decisions involving risks and uncertainties. Comparing the results in periods of liquidity shocks, the results of the family companies showed severe declines for investments in CAPEX and less declines in working capital index. Finally, the results found when considering the situation of financial constraint and the past results provided that family companies with greater tangibility and with positive past results invest more than non-family companies, which is also in accordance with the theory on self-preservation and search for perpetuity in family businesses.