Title: Contented family business: the case of 'soaked meatball' in Turkey

Authors: Erhan Atay; Serkan Bayraktaroglu; Mustafa Aras

Addresses: Newcastle School of Business, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK ' Sprott School of Business, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada ' Sakarya Business School, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey

Abstract: The case of 'soaked meatball' (Islama Köfte) is selected to represent the unique model of small business management focusing on the 'contented business model' or 'non-growth business model' where instead of growth and expansion, preservation of quality and values guide the business strategy. The dynamics and driving factors of small family businesses imbued with local, cultural characteristics are presented from oral history accounts obtained from conversations with early founders who are still alive and present owners. It has been revealed that these family businesses, which have been providing region-specific services for years and preferring not to grow, have followed specific business strategies. Contrary to the general belief that business nature is expanding, family firms in this study prefer not to grow and are content with their small business from generation to generation.

Keywords: family business; local food; non-growth strategy; contended family business; Turkey.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGSB.2023.136869

International Journal of Globalisation and Small Business, 2023 Vol.13 No.4, pp.347 - 368

Received: 09 Feb 2023
Accepted: 08 May 2023
Published online: 23 Feb 2024 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article