Suchergebnisse

This research examines the effectiveness of Family Constitution or Family Protocol agreements in mitigating each type of agency conflict in family firms. We performed a qualitative analysis, through a case study, and found that the succession process is the main driver for implementing this family governance mechanism. Our findings also show that a family constitution is useful in reducing three of the four agency conflicts described in the literature, specifically between family owners and managers, between family shareholders, and with the family at large. Key agreements include training and experience terms for family members to join the firm, transfer clauses of shares inter-vivos and causa mortis, and the development of family governance bodies. However, creditors are generally unaware of the protocol's existence, hindering its potential positive effects, which has important implications for practitioners. Creditors point out its potential usefulness as a hint of orderly and structured continuity of the business. JEL CLASSIFICATION G32, G34, L21, M10

We theoretically identify two levels of agency conflicts related to foreign direct investment (FDI): within a parent firm and between parent(s) and an affiliated firm. For a sample of 182 firms that announced U.S.‐related FDIs in 1995, we examine the effects of agency conflicts on the choice between a wholly owned subsidiary (WOS) and a joint venture (JV), and the relative share ownership of a parent. Firms with higher management ownership, especially the firms that made related FDIs, and firms with higher foreign affiliate monitoring efficiency are more likely to choose a WOS. Differences between U.S. and non‐U.S. parents are also examined.