Abstract
Globalization, digital technologies, societal and environmental concerns influence the way family firms operate locally and internationally. Family firms are often torn between their local and global environments, simultaneously visible and embedded in their local environment while marketing their products and services abroad. Unlike large multinationals that have often lost their roots, family firms manifest an active interest in maintaining their local roots and traditions. Moreover, increasing concerns with sustainable development call for continuity through sustainability aimed at improving local and global socioeconomic conditions. This editorial of the special issue on ‘Locality and Internationalization of Family Firms’ discusses this tension that family firms face and how they can build bridges between communities increasingly drifting apart. By bridging local and global environments, family firms can contribute to the sustainable development of society. We present a research agenda addressing this particular bridging function of family firms and propose several avenues for future research.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 477-492 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Entrepreneurship and Regional Development |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue number | 7-8 |
| Early online date | 8 Jul 2021 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 8 Jul 2021 |
Bibliographical note
AcknowledgmentThe guest editors of this special issue are extremely grateful for the generous support received by Professor Alistair Anderson, former Editor-in-Chief of the Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, and we honour his memory. We are also truly indebted to Professor Sarah Jack for her guidance in the process. Finally, we acknowledge the support received by the International Family Enterprise Research Academy (IFERA) and the president of the association, Professor Torsten Pieper. This special issue is based on the conference theme “Locality and Internationalization of Family Firms” of the IFERA Conference hold in Zadar (Croatia) in 2017, and continues the conversation indicating new directions for future research.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.