A Study of the Factors Influencing Successors’ Choices in Indian Family-Managed Businesses

Abstract

Succession is a key to ensuring longevity of firms hence is important in family business research. The factors that influence successors’ decisions to join family businesses in India are studied. A list of 21 factors from the literature is tested on 351 students. Multivariate discriminant analysis is used. The results show that self-efficacy and external opportunities have a negative effect and parental preparation has a positive effect on the decision to join a family firm. External opportunity is further examined by a regression analysis and is found to be correlated to the perception of the father’s success in the family firm.