Spotlight highlights research-based findings only, authored by members of the Centre for Family Entrepreneurship and Ownership (CeFEO) at Jönköping International Business School. If you’re interested in knowing more about the studies presented in this platform or delving into the theoretical and methodological details, we encourage you to contact the authors or read the full article for a comprehensive understanding.

Kragl, J., Palermo, A., Xi, G., & Block, J. (2023). Hiring family or non-family managers when non-economic (sustainability) goals matter? A multitask agency model. Small Business Economics, 61(2), 675–700. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-022-00706-6

Kuiken, A., Naldi, L., & Genedy, M. (2024). Keeping one’s options open: Intermittent exporting, family control, and foreign background. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 48(5), 1160-1190.

Lampe, H. W., Block, J., Willeke, T., Clauss, T., & Steinmetz, H. (2024). Technological innovations of hidden champions: Evidence from patent data. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 1–26.

Lanz, S., Burke, G., Haag, K., & Omidvar, O. (2025). Family lives in motion: Toward a life course process theory of ownership transfer in business-owning families. Family Business Review, 38(3), 210–238.

Lauto, G., Pittino, D., & Visintin, F. (2020). Satisfaction of entrepreneurs: A comparison between founders and family business successors. Journal of Small Business Management, 58(3), 474–510.

Li, H., Terjesen, S., & Uman, T. (2020). Corporate governance in entrepreneurial firms: A systematic review and research agenda. Small Business Economics, 54(1), 43–74.

Lin, N., Wilden, R., Chirico, F., Ghasrodashti, E., & DeTienne, D. R. (2022). Persist or let it go: Do rational entrepreneurs make decisions rationally? Journal of Business Venturing, 37(4), 106210

Lorenzen, S., Gerken, M., Steinmetz, H., Block, J., Hülsbeck, M., & Lux, F. S. (2024). Environmental Sustainability of Family Firms: A Meta-Analysis of Handprint and Footprint. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 10422587231221799.

Lorenzo, D., Núñez-Cacho, P., Akhter, N., & Chirico, F. (2022). Why are some family firms not innovative? Innovation barriers and path dependence in family firms. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 38(1), 101182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scaman.2021.101182
Maggi, B., Gjergji, R., Vena, L., Sciascia, S., & Cortesi, A. (2023). Family firm status and environmental disclosure: The moderating effect of board gender diversity. Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, 32(4), 1334-1351. https://doi.org/10.1111/beer.12578

Maggi, B., Pongelli, C., & Sciascia, S. (2023). Family firms and international equity-based entry modes: A systematic literature review. Multinational Business Review, 31(1), 38-63.

Maine, J., Florin Samuelsson, E., & Uman, T. (2022). Ambidextrous sustainability, organisational structure and performance in hybrid organisations. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 35(3), 734–769

Malki, B. (2024). Financial ambidexterity of the immigrant family businesses: The role of boundary work and behavioral complexity. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 53(1), 21-41.

Malki, B., Uman, T., & Pittino, D. (2022). The entrepreneurial financing of the immigrant entrepreneurs: A literature review. Small Business Economics, 58, 1337–1365.

Manzi, M. A., Cirillo, A., Mussolino, D., & Uman, T. (2024). Early adoption of non‐financial disclosure in family firms. European Management Review.

Markowska, M., Ahl, H., & Naldi, L. (2023). Timeout: The role of family-friendly policies in business start-up among mothers. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 47(4), 1169–1199. https://doi.org/10.1177/10422587221126493

Markowska, M., Ahl, H., & Naldi, L. (2025). “My Child Has Two Parents”: Swedish Women Entrepreneurs Doing and Undoing Their Motherhood. Gender, Work & Organization.

Markowska, M., Grichnik, D., Brinckmann, J., & Kapsa, D. (2019). Strategic orientations of nascent entrepreneurs: Antecedents of prediction and risk orientation. Small Business Economics, 53(4), 859–878

Martínez-Alonso, R., Martínez-Romero, M. J., Rojo-Ramírez, A. A., Lazzarotti, V., & Sciascia, S. (2023). Process innovation in family firms: Family involvement in management, R&D collaboration with suppliers, and technology protection. Journal of Business Research, 157, 113581.
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Melander, A., Brunninge, O., Andersson, D., Elgh, F., & Löfving, M. (2024). Management innovation in SMEs – taking psychological ownership of Hoshin Kanri. Production Planning & Control, 35(14), 1687-1705.

Méndez, M. E., Vazquez, P., & Botero, I. C. (2026). Inside the boardroom: how family involvement imprints board meeting processes and outcomes in family firms. Journal of Family Business Management, 16(2), 540–571. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFBM-03-2025-0076

Michiels, A., & Binz-Astrachan, C. (2024). Money education in the business family: A perspective article. Journal of Family Business Management.

Michiels, A., & Binz Astrachan, C. (2025). It’s (not) all about the money: Financial decisions at the intersection of business and family. Journal of Family Business Management, 15(5), 1356–1368. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFBM-01-2025-0031

Minola, T., Baù, M., Brumana, M., & De Massis, A. (2022). Under which circumstances do family SMEs achieve high growth? A behavioural perspective. International Small Business Journal: Researching Entrepreneurship, 40(6), 768–798.

Minola, T., Criaco, G., & Obschonka, M. (2016). Age, culture, and self-employment motivation. Small Business Economics, 46(2), 187–213.

Minola, T., Sieger, P., Baù, M., Campopiano, G., De Massis, A., & Chirico, F. (2026). When does financial slack matter? Family ownership, CEO family status, and SME performance. Family Business Review, 39(2), 149–172. https://doi.org/10.1177/08944865261420231

Muñoz-Bullón, F., Sanchez-Bueno, M. J., & Nordqvist, M. (2020). Growth intentions in family-based new venture teams: The role of the nascent entrepreneur’s R&D behavior. Management Decision, 58(6), 1190–1209.

Nahum, N., Larsson-Olaison, U., Uman, T., & Achtenhagen, L. (2026). Corporate governance for digital transformation: The role of ownership and the board of directors. Technological Forecasting & Social Change, 223, 124453. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2025.124453

Naldi, L., Achtenhagen, L., & Davidsson, P. (2015). International Corporate Entrepreneurship among SMEs: A Test of Stevenson’s Notion of Entrepreneurial Management. Journal of Small Business Management, 53(3), 780–800.

Naldi, L., Baù, M., Ahl, H., & Markowska, M. (2021). Gender (in)equality within the household and business start-up among mothers. Small Business Economics, 56(3), 903–918
