We decided to apply a qualitative research approach that is significant for family business research 1. The nature of our research and research questions addressed are the reason for the use of the case study method as it has been shown to be well-suited methodology, especially in those studies “in which there are manifold variables of interest that are embedded in the context of investigation” [ 2, p. 16]. It is of particular importance for and the most adopted qualitative method in organizational studies 3 as well as in family business research studies. For example, 4 viewed “case studies as a powerful methodology that can be used in a rigorous, creative and wide-ranging variety of ways to advance family business research” 5, 6. We applied an exploratory case study as the main aim is “to understand how phenomenon takes place” [ 7, p. 16], and the research question addresses how entrepreneurialism and the transfer of tacit knowledge between a founder and a successor contribute to effective succession in family SMEs.
We applied a multiple-case study approach 8 due to its acceptance in the family business research 9, 10 as this allows us to analyse within each setting and across settings 11. There are different opinions regarding the number of cases; for example, 12 suggests that between four and ten cases are best for increasing rigor. We selected twenty cases from the family business database, where data on Slovenian family businesses have been collected by the authors of this contribution for many years. In addition, we explore two cases of institutional support in entrepreneurship education.
- 1128 reads
