DOI
10.1016/j.jfbs.2018.03.005
Author ORCID Identifier
Ileana Maldonado-Bautista: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3444-7690
Abstract
A considerable amount of research focuses on how divorce in enterprising families influences family business outcomes. Yet, the impact that family businesses have on the divorce of enterprising families remains relatively under-researched. We contribute to the emerging enterprising family heterogeneity literature by building upon the Vulnerability-Stress-Adaptation (VSA) model and explore two questions regarding the influence of family businesses on divorce: Do family business-related stressors influence divorce? And, if so, what adaptive processes help enterprising families to cope with family business-related stressors? We hypothesize that high levels of debt and high sales revenue levels (as stressors) positively and significantly affect the rate of divorce in family businesses. In addition, we contend that a strong identity alignment between family and business moderates the stressors-divorce relationship, reducing the divorce rate. Our empirical assessment of divorce in family businesses employs two large cross-sectional data sets—the 1997 (N = 2495) and 2002 (N = 583) American Family Business Surveys.1 Overall, we find that our stressors do increase the rate of divorce, but this can be mitigated by identity alignment.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2018
Publisher Statement
© 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Recommended Citation
Paul Sanchez-Ruiz, Ileana Maldonado-Bautista, Matthew Rutherford, Business stressors, family-business identity, and divorce in family business: A vulnerability-stress-adaptation (VSA) model, Journal of Family Business Strategy, Volume 9, Issue 3, 2018, Pages 167-179, ISSN 1877-8585, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfbs.2018.03.005.
Included in
Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons, Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations Commons
