This paper aims to discuss and synthesize existing research on entrepreneurial behavior (EB) within family businesses, drawing from several prominent research publishers, and provide a comprehensive view of how EB develops and operates in this context.
A bibliometric analysis coupled with a systematic literature review using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) protocol was used to analyze the data. The analysis focused on publications indexed in the Scopus database, including Emerald, Taylor & Francis, Elsevier and Springer. PRISMA is a widely accepted guideline for performing a systematic review to improve reporting and achieve reproducibility in research.
It was found that 11 articles and 7 book series adopted both qualitative and quantitative research approaches. The findings highlight a growing body of knowledge on EB in family businesses, covering themes such as entrepreneurial intention, orientation, education, innovation, women entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial skills. Contributions have come from various countries, with notable research outputs from leading universities and scholars. Various propositions have been found on EB in family businesses that indicate the development of EB continuously progressing (theoretically and practically). There are important keywords related to EB, such as entrepreneurial intention, entrepreneurial orientation, entrepreneurship education, women entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs’ skills and innovation. Each country has the potential to develop research on EB in family business. It follows with the impressive outcome by reputable universities in each country, as well as respective authors that have contributed tremendously to publications of EB in family business.
With that, the roots and pictures of research on EB are exposed. These results give valuable information and insights for future research in mapping out a more comprehensive framework, mainly on EB in family business. This study provides a valuable foundation for future research by mapping the key trends and gaps in the literature on EB in family businesses. It contributes to building a more structured and comprehensive research framework in this field.
