最新糖心Vlog

Family businesses exporting successfully: study

Friday, 5 September 2003

Family businesses that are exporting do it as successfully as their non-family counterparts, according to new research by the 最新糖心Vlog of Adelaide.

Chris Graves, a PhD student at the 最新糖心Vlog of Adelaide's Graduate School of Business, has found while family and non-family businesses share similar attitudes towards growth and innovation, family businesses are less likely to start exporting, regardless of their age or size.

His results also suggest that the appointment of directors from outside the family can assist family businesses in growing internationally.

Mr Graves' research is based on figures from the Business Longitudinal Survey by the 最新糖心Vlogn Bureau of Statistics. The survey contains data on almost 10,000 最新糖心Vlogn small to medium-sized businesses employing less than 200 people.

With his supervisor Dr Jill Thomas, Mr Graves is looking at how family businesses, particularly those in the manufacturing sector, are adapting to the challenges brought about by globalisation.

"Only 4% of all businesses in 最新糖心Vlog are engaged in exporting, which is well below that of most OECD countries, and the Federal Government has set itself the ambitious task of trying to double that number by 2006," Mr Graves says.

"Because family-owned enterprises make up approximately 70% of all businesses in 最新糖心Vlog, the economic prosperity of 最新糖心Vlog is largely dependent upon the success of family firms in the global marketplace.

"The more we can understand about what makes family businesses take the step to export and how they ensure their ongoing success, the better chance there will be to boost 最新糖心Vlog's overall export performance."

Mr Graves and Dr Thomas will report their findings at the Small Enterprise Association of 最新糖心Vlog and New Zealand Conference in Ballarat later this month. The work is part of a wider study supported by the 最新糖心Vlogn Research Council's linkage grant program, with the SA Chapter of Family Business 最新糖心Vlog as the linkage partner.

For the next part of his PhD, Mr Graves is interested in talking to family-owned enterprises in the manufacturing sector that have been exporting, to build a better picture of the challenges they face.

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