Title: Unpacking socio-emotional wealth: exploring the origins of affective endowment in founder firms

Authors: Jana Bövers; Christina Hoon

Addresses: Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Bielefeld University, Germany ' Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Bielefeld University, Germany

Abstract: This article aims to further clarify the socio-emotional wealth (SEW) construct. By conducting a qualitative study, we examine the roots of emotional endowment and personal SEW. The results of the case study involving 13 founding firms indicate that SEW develops in the early stages of a business' life cycle. The study revealed two types of personal SEW priorities, namely achievement-related priorities and ties-related priorities. We propose that these different types of SEW priorities constitute a good predictor for explaining the transition of a founder firm into a family firm. This article contributes both to the research on SEW and on intergenerational intention by combining them in a unique way.

Keywords: socio-emotional wealth; SEW; intergenerational intention; founder firms; family business development.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2020.106945

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2020 Vol.40 No.1, pp.32 - 53

Received: 01 Feb 2018
Accepted: 26 Apr 2019
Published online: 28 Apr 2020 *

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