Evolution of Research into the Management of Family Businesses that are Part of the Instituto de la Empresa Familiar Network of Chairs (1992-2016)

Abstract

The family business field of study has grown considerably in recent years in Spain. In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that twenty years ago there was barely any research in this field. In 1992, exactly 25 years ago, a group of family entrepreneurs founded the Instituto de la Empresa Familiar (IEF). IEF created the Chair in Family Business at Spanish universities to foster its inclusion in Business Administration syllabuses and promote its research by Spanish academics. This paper analyses the evolution of research into family businesses carried out by academics who are part of the IEF Network of Chairs, both at international and management level. To do this, the ISI Web of Knowledge database and Scopus were used as sources of information.