Gershon Kumeto & Leif Melin 
Theoretical Perspectives on Family Businesses [PDF ebook] 

This is an excellent book that provides a much needed overview of theoretical frameworks that help us understand the behavior of family firms. This book will be invaluable as a resource to doctoral students and researchers who are trying to analyze decision making in family firms and the factors that shape management processes in these organizations. The book is very comprehensive in its coverage, addressing most major theoretical frameworks that have recently been applied to examine phenomena unique to family firms. These include, among others, organizational ecology, behavioral theory, agency theory, behavioral agency theory, and social identity theory. This book is a must read for family business scholars.‘- Luis Gomez-Mejia, University of Notre Dame, US’A common criticism of family business as a field of study is the lack of well-developed, theoretically grounded research. This important book edited by Nordqvist, Melin, Waldkirch and Kumeto promises to change this widely held view. The book brings into focus important theoretical perspectives that have rich implications for research on family firms. Well established and emerging perspectives are covered in the book, highlighting different debates that are likely to shape future scholarship in the field. Chapters are easy to read and concepts as well as theories are clearly explained and their usefulness is made evident. I compliment the editors on a job well done in recognizing the challenges of theorizing about family business and mapping out the territory of tomorrow’s research.‘- Shaker A. Zahra, University of Minnesota, USFamily business has become an increasingly studied field over the last decade and forms one of the fastest growing research areas today. The uniqueness of family business is the interaction between two systems: the family and the firm, leading to specific characteristics that we rarely see in other types of businesses. In order to understand the unique interaction between these two systems, researchers have adopted a diverse range of theories drawn from different fields.The contributors to this volume provide a thorough discussion of 13 theoretical perspectives that have been used in family business research. Each chapter introduces a theory, demonstrates its previous application in family business research and offers compelling ideas for future research that could contribute to both the family business field and the original theory behind it.This book aims to spark new insights for researchers and Ph D students in the field of family business, and is also a good introduction for researchers who are new to the field. Policymakers and practitioners will find this an enlightening resource.Contributors: R. Adiguna, N. Akhter, G. Criaco, P. Hansson, A. Kallmuenzer, A. Kuiken, G. Kumeto, A. Mazzelli, L. Melin, H. Nilson, M. Nordqvist, E. Rondi, K. Staffansson Pauli, M. Waldkirch, A. Wielsma