ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN FAMILY BUSINESSES: CURRENT RESEARCH AND FUTURE CHALLENGES

ABSTRACT Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on entrepreneurship in family businesses. Originality/gap/relevance/implications: Despite the fact that other literature reviews show the existence of papers that explore entrepreneurship in the context of family-owned businesses, there are no systematic reviews about the idiosyncrasies of the relation between these fields. Key methodological aspects: We reviewed the scientific production published in journals relevant to the family businesses field. Seventy-three articles published about entrepreneurship in family businesses were categorized through the scope literature review technique, according to variables such as journal of publication, research topic addressed, and methodological procedures adopted. Summary of key results: The integrated reading of articles categorized in this review allowed us to identify the exploration of different research topics and methodological approaches in the attempts to comprehend entrepreneurial phenomena in family businesses. Key considerations/conclusions: We conclude that the potential of this approach will be achieved by the construction of a theoretical framework able to contribute to the understanding of intrinsic aspects of family-owned businesses. This approach, by involving phenomena that are complementary in the light of the interaction between family and business, may contribute for the generation of further knowledge about this type of organization, and for the opening of new research avenues on entrepreneurship and family businesses.