Theses and Dissertations

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Vardaman, James M.

Committee Member

Chrisman, James J.

Committee Member

Singh, Kulraj

Committee Member

Templeton, Laura M.

Committee Member

Marett, Kent

Date of Degree

12-13-2019

Original embargo terms

Visible to MSU only for 3 Years

Document Type

Dissertation - Open Access

Major

Business Administration

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D)

College

College of Business

College

College of Business

Department

Department of Management and Information Systems

Department

Department of Management and Information Systems

Abstract

This study focuses on the hiring of nonfamily employees in family firms. Research to date has emphasized the challenges family firms confront in attracting and selecting quality nonfamily human capital. This literature has emphasized the limitations these firms face due to the information asymmetries common to the hiring process. However, this research has not considered the advantages available to family firms through their social network. Drawing on agency theory, I hypothesize that owner referral utilization mediates the relationship between family essence and firm performance because their use lessens the agency conflicts between owners and nonfamily members. Utilizing a sample of 194 family owners, my analysis shows that the utilization of owner referrals mediates the relationship between family essence and firm performance.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11668/16417

Share

COinS