Entrepreneurship in family firms: an updated bibliometric overview

Research on entrepreneurship in family firms has grown exponentially over the past two decades. Due to the various theoretical perspectives and contexts found here however, this body of research remains fragmented, with a unified understanding of the current state of knowledge and the opportunities for future research in the field continuing to lack. In this study, we address this gap by conducting an updated bibliometric analysis of the research on entrepreneurship in family firms. Here we integrate two different bibliometric methods to provide a more comprehensive picture of the field, unveiling its intellectual foundations and current research discourses and how these two are related. To do this, we first conduct a co-citation analysis clustering the intellectual foundations of the research on entrepreneurship in family firms. Second, a bibliographic coupling of recent publications from 2010 to 2021 provides a transparent structure of current research discourses. Third, analyzing which intellectual foundations are primarily cited in each current research stream unveils the dominant theoretical paradigms in the current state of research. Analyzing 570 published studies, we identified four intellectual foundations of entrepreneurship in family firms: socioemotional wealth (SEW), entrepreneurial orientation, family-embedded resources, and agency theory. The current research can be clustered into seven main discourses: entrepreneurial motivation, gender and success, entrepreneurial orientation, individual and firm-level characteristics, the family embedded network, family firm internationalization, and family heterogeneity. An integrative network diagram provides an overview of the research field’s development while also identifying the gaps to be addressed by future research.

Temporary business model innovation – SMEs’ innovation response to the Covid‐19 crisis

The Covid‐19 crisis has hit SMEs particularly hard. Numerous business models (BM) have been limited or rendered downright impossible due to decreased social contact. SMEs can respond to this exogenous crisis via temporary business model innovation (BMI). This empirical study investigates these temporary BMs using a multiple case study approach based on five SMEs in Austria, Germany, and Liechtenstein who within a short period of time applied their core competencies and networks to integrate new BMs, which were in some cases very different from existing ones. These had a positive effect on strategic flexibility, and if desired can also be incorporated into the firm long‐term. The paper contributes to SME crisis management during the Covid‐19 pandemic by pointing out and developing a successful management mechanism that allows to survive a crisis or even improve during this time. Moreover, we contribute to BMI literature by explaining temporary BMI as a new form of BMI. It also makes clear to managers that temporary BMs add value to firms and create new revenue streams.

Entrepreneurial orientation and new venture performance in emerging markets: the mediating role of opportunity recognition

How entrepreneurial orientation facilitates the identification of new opportunities in newly established ventures in emerging economies remains largely unexplored. Approaching entrepreneurial orientation as a second order latent construct, we examined the mediating role of opportunity recognition on new venture performance. Using a survey data from 316 SMEs, the results of the analysis in SmartPLS highlights that entrepreneurial orientation indirectly contributes to the performance of new ventures, where the relationship is partially mediated by opportunity recognition. The findings show that firms with high entrepreneurial orientation can identify and exploit new opportunities as well as enjoy superior performance.

The role of business model innovation in the hospitality industry during the COVID-19 crisis

The hospitality industry worldwide is among the hardest-hit industries from the COVID-19 lockdowns. Initial theoretical and practical observations in the hospitality industry indicate that business model innovation (BMI) might be a solution to recover from and successfully cope with the COVID-19 crisis. Interestingly, some firms in the hospitality industry already started to successfully adapt their business models. This study explores the why and how of these successful recovery attempts through BMI by conducting a multiple case study of six hospitality firms in Austria. We rely on interview data from managers together with one of their main stammgasts for each case, which we triangulate with secondary data for the analysis. Findings show that BMI is applied during and after the crisis to create new revenue streams and secure a higher level of liquidity, with an important role of stammgasts.

Coworking-Space Business Models: Micro-Ecosystems and Platforms — Insights from China

The sharing economy gives rise to numerous new business models. A prominent novel one relates to coworking-spaces, where independent individuals and teams share spaces and amenities and engage in social interaction and information exchange. Yet the business models of such spaces are not well known. Our qualitative study identifies four types of business models design of coworking-spaces in China, where coworking-spaces have sharply increased in number and importance. We find four types of coworking-space business model configurations: efficiency-centered business model, user-centered business model, development-centered business model, and platform-centered business model, which exceed the prior conceptualization of business model themes. Especially, the platform-centered business model relates to innovation policy in China, facilitating mini-spatial innovation ecosystems.

Governance of open innovation networks with national vs international scope

Purpose

The realisation of joint innovation outcomes in open innovation networks is closely related to an efficient utilisation of governance mechanisms, which coordinate joint processes (e.g. knowledge sharing) and eliminate undesired behaviours (e.g. opportunism). Hence, the purpose of this paper is to analyse the complex effects of multiple governance approaches on outcomes of open innovation networks with a national and an international scope.

Design/methodology/approach

The study draws on a large-scale survey-based study of 100 mechanical engineering firms involved in open innovation networks. Hypotheses are tested by means of PLS structural equation modelling.

Findings

The evidence shows that the three governance mechanisms: transactional governance, relational governance and institutionalised governance significantly foster innovation outcomes of open innovation networks. In national open innovation networks, only relational governance exerts positive effects, internationally transactional and institutionalised governance is necessary.

Research limitations/implications

The study contributes to research in multiple ways. First, it shows that governance of open innovation networks is crucial for their innovation performance, thereby providing some explanations for the performance differences between certain networks. Second, the results indicate that the effects of governance mechanisms depend on the scope of the network. By showing that the effect of governance mechanisms varies under different contextual conditions the study also contributes to the ongoing debate on combined effects of governance mechanisms.

Originality/value

The paper fills important gaps in the existing research on the link between governance and performance in open innovation networks and delineates interesting areas for further research.

[Quantitative assessment of therapy related effects after breast conserving therapy with dynamic MRI of the breast]

PURPOSE

To quantify therapy related effects after breast conservation therapy (BCT) with dynamic MRI of the breast.

METHODS

Twenty patients (median age 51 years) with breast conserving tumor excision were included. Contrast enhanced dynamic MRI was performed before and 3, 6 and 12 months after adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) with a total dose of 50.0 to 50.4 Gy. The following sequences were applied: axial fat-suppressed T(2)-weighted; coronal contrast enhanced 3D spoiled gradient-echo (first measurement prior to the administration of 0.16 mmol/kg Gd-DTPA, six repetitive measurements); sagittal T(1)-weighted Flash3D. Enhancement data were obtained using a computer software with automated segmentation of regions of interest (ROIs). After defining ROIs for skin, parenchyma and pectoral muscle of each breast the early enhancement after the first post contrast measurement (E(1)) and the slope of enhancement between the second and last postcontrast measurement (SE(2-L)) were calculated. The edema was quantified by assessing the signal intensities (SI) in the T(2)-weighted images. The thickness of the skin was measured in the sagittal T(1)-weighted images.

RESULTS

Three months after RT statistically significant increases between 51 and 179 % of the SI and E(1) quotients were detected for all tissues compared to the examinations prior to RT. Six months after RT the skin still presented a by 102 % significantly higher E(1) quotient, and a by 140 % significantly increased SI quotient. No significant differences for SI and E(1) quotients could be observed 12 months after RT compared to the examinations prior to RT. A significant increase of the SE(2-L) difference for the skin from 0.0225 to 0.0691 and 0.0665 was found 3 and 6 months after RT, respectively. No significant differences between the initial MR examination and the follow-up examinations 3, 6 and 12 months could be detected for the SE(2-L) differences of the parenchyma.

CONCLUSION

Early therapy related effects after BCT can be exactly quantified with dynamic MRI using an automated ROI-segmentation and whole breast analysis software. Both edema formation and early enhancement show peaks 3 months after RT, and after 12 months there is no statistically significant difference compared with baseline.