Family capital influence on the internationalisation on family firms : A multiple case study of Swedish family firms

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this research is to increase understanding about the influence of the family on internationalisation of family firms in the Swedish context, in terms of family human, social and financial capital. Multiple cases of four Swedish manufacturing family firms were studied by conducting interviews with the family members working in the family firm. A perspective of family capital and its three components of human, social and financial capital, was adopted to analyse the empirical findings. The findings identify several positive and negative influences of the family on internationalisation of the firm. Positive factors include: family members’ deep knowledge about the firm, commitment, long-term perspective, family values like honesty, trust. Negative factors include: family firms are slow-to-change, family’s strong commitment to local society and family’s goal of slow and steady growth. Most factors confirm existing theory, on other theories these findings shed critical lights and some new insights were made. Based on the findings, future research suggestions are made.