Title: The transfer of knowledge within the succession process of family businesses: results from a quantitative study in Western-Austria

Authors: Stefan Märk

Addresses: Department for Strategic Management, Marketing and Tourism, University of Innsbruck, Universitätsstrasse 15, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria

Abstract: This paper tackles the question: 'What are the variables that have an impact on the knowledge transfer process within the succession phase of a family business?' Many studies display numerous possible hurdles in the course of a successful succession, but within this process, one resource seems to be the most important: 'knowledge' and its transfer. Numerous studies have been made since the importance of knowledge was first stressed. This paper tries to unite a number of the qualitative studies already made, by way of demonstrating that there is a lack of quantitative studies. It can be anticipated that the successor and the predecessor play the most central roles in the knowledge-transfer process, but the author found out that the conditions in which this process takes place are just as important as the two main actors.

Keywords: family business; succession process; knowledge-based view; KBV; quantitative studies; entrepreneurship; knowledge transfer; Austria; small firms.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2012.048846

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2012 Vol.17 No.2, pp.176 - 198

Published online: 16 Aug 2014 *

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