Marie Mikušová

This study develops and empirically validates an integrated framework explaining how intergenerational dynamics shape the sustainability of family businesses in Pakistan. Drawing on socioemotional wealth, stewardship, generational, institutional, and dynamic capabilities theories, the framework captures the interplay between family values, innovation, technology adoption, and succession planning. Using an exploratory qualitative design, the research used semi-structured interviews with 18 family business owners from Generation X and Generation Y, complemented by secondary data from industry and policy sources. Thematic analysis, supported by NVivo, was used to identify recurring patterns and generational contrasts. The findings reveal that while both generations emphasise family cohesion and long-term control, they diverge sharply in their orientation towards innovation, technology, and formalisation of governance. The framework advances academic research by providing a testable structure that can guide future empirical studies. Rather than examining theories in isolation, it encourages a system-level approach that reflects the complexity of real-world family businesses. This approach not only deepens theoretical understanding but also enhances the explanatory power of research in diverse cultural and economic contexts. Testing the framework in the context of emerging markets characterised by weak institutions and strong cultural norms allows an empirical assessment of the applicability of theories in developed economies and strengthens the theoretical robustness of the framework. The framework thus contributes to a more nuanced understanding of how family businesses in developing contexts balance tradition and innovation to achieve long-term sustainability.

The paper presents the results of strategies and objectives research on family entrepreneurship in two very different countries. Based on study strategies of sustainability, competitiveness, growth, and human resources care were identified. In addition, financial and non-financial objectives were defined, which included family beliefs, family and business interaction, business and community interaction, and succession. A research question has been formulated: do the strategies and key objectives of family business owners in the Czech Republic and Pakistan differ? About 400 responses from family business owners in each country were statistically evaluated. The dependence of strategies and objectives on the generations of owners and their education, control bodies, managers, age and size of the business, and the industry in which it operates were examined. The research results show that despite major economic, cultural and historical differences between the two countries, no significant differences were defined in used strategies and key objectives. This advancing cross-cultural family business research reveals universal characteristics of family business strategy which unite entrepreneurial families across different countries, and provide valuable insights that can guide the development of specialized programs and resources.

Purpose: The interconnection of three phenomena of family businesses is the subject of the presented research. It seeks an answer to the question of whether socioemotional wealth affects the multigenerational FB’s approach to technological advancement in a different way than the single-generational one. Design/methodology/approach: Respondents are surveyed in the four groups according to the combination of ownership and management by family members. The research was carried out in the fall of 2024, and 600 valid responses were obtained. The research question will need to focus on the existence of a link between the number of generations in a family business and its access to technological progress and socioemotional wealth as well as the relationship between SEW values and access to new technologies. Findings: The presence of multiple generations in a company positively influences the propensity for technological innovation; technological innovation is not the main factor in motivating family members to protect the family legacy; in family businesses where several generations are involved in ownership and management, socioemotional wealth plays a greater role in relation to new technologies; the adoption of new technologies is more influenced by the effort to preserve family values. Originality/value: There is research that focuses on family businesses’ access to technology or the impact of socioemotional wealth on the performance of family businesses. The presented research connected three phenomena – family business – new technology – the influence of socio-emotional wealth on attitudes toward new technology. In addition, it reflects the different approaches of the individual generations involved in family business.

Purpose: Family business in the Czech Republic has a very short history, which creates inequalities in the conditions of family business compared to other countries. The aim is to find out whether, despite the disadvantages resulting from historical development, the approach of Czech family business owners to digitization differs from that of business owners existing in an environment with a long history of family business. Design/methodology/approach: The respondents of the online questionnaire survey conducted in spring 2024 are family business owners from the Czech Republic. About 500 valid responses were obtained, mainly from small manufacturing businesses. The hypotheses were statistically verified. To analyse the relationships between variables, coefficients were used (Pearson’s, Spearman’s, Gamma, Kendall’s or Kruskal–Wallis test). Factor analysis was used to identify hidden variables that may explain the relationships between the observed variables. Findings: Key findings related to the approaches of generations owned and managed to the implementation of digitization, the influence of non-family managers and owners, the main barriers to implementation or the expected benefits. The finding that, despite the large historical distance, the attitudes of historically young family businesses do not differ much from those of owners in countries with a long history of family businesses can be considered novelties. It demonstrates that family businesses are mainly influenced by their specific characteristics brought about by the intermingling of family and business, regardless of the history of the development of the business environment. Originality/value: This research highlights a key insight into family business dynamics: the cultural and historical context appears to have a less significant impact on owners’ attitudes than the inherent characteristics shared across family businesses. In essence, the unique blend of family and business interests creates commonalities that transcend geographical or historical differences. Comparing family business owners from the former “Eastern Bloc” and those from countries that have not been hampered by this social scrutiny provides a new perspective in the discipline of family business. Groups of barriers to the introduction of digitization were identified, namely resources, changes, data security and employees.

In this paper, we observe how effective the use of strategies is in relation to the objectives of family businesses. Data collected in spring 2024 by interviews were processed using DEA. Respondents were owners of small family businesses; 169 valid responses were obtained from each country. The assessment reflected the differences between the countries. For Pakistani companies, the human resources management strategy and the growth and expansion strategy were found to be the most valuable and yielded high production. The most frequent outputs were the relationship between the family and their business, as well as family beliefs and religion. In the case of the Czech owner, there is only a strategy of competitiveness that provides equal output. The results here were related to economic performance. An innovative approach is the use of the DEA method, which sets the production‐possibility frontier and thus determines which strategies are currently inefficient.

In family businesses, as in other organizations, an informal organizational culture is formed. The purpose of the research was to determine if there is a relationship between intra-family relationship and the type of organizational culture. Quantitative research has been conducted. The OCAI questionnaire was used as well as a set of questions from the authors who called it the Family Involvement Model. Data were obtained from 860 respondents, family business owners. Key findings that the values of family members are not consistent with the organizational culture in their business have been statistically confirmed. Only the hypothesis of the consistency of family values and clan organizational culture was confirmed. The study contributes to the study of family involvement in family business. Practical implications for family business owners can be seen in the building of positive influence on the creation of the organizational culture in their business. The study addresses the nature of organizational culture and the values of the family what is the originality of the research.

Organisational culture stands as a fundamental prerequisite for the efficacious operation of any given organisation. The primary aim of this study is to discern potential alterations within the dimensions of organisational culture across the pre-COVID-19, contemporary, and favoured paradigms within the realm of public administration. The data set was obtained from a cohort of 1189 officials in the Czech Republic. The Organisational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) was deployed for the purposes of conducting an online survey. The dominance of the clan archetype across all examined time frames has been corroborated. In addition, a statistically significant manifestation of these dimensions has been determined. In relation to pertinent variables, specifically gender, age, tenure, manager gender, and the dimensions typifying organisational culture, no statistically significant correlations have emerged. Respondents have not reported a sense of work-life imbalance in the aftermath of the pandemic. In summary, it is deduced that the pandemic has not exerted a drastic influence on the metamorphosis of organisational culture within the ambit of public administration. This study provides invaluable information on the repercussions of the pandemic within a sphere that, as an intangible constituent, often goes under-recognised. Mastery of the positioning of dimensions across diverse archetypes is of paramount significance for managers, as it can provide guidance in the cultivation of an apt organisational culture.