Succession Issues among Family Entrepreneurs in Countries of the Gulf

Abstract

Small family business succession is gaining increased prominence in Western societies.  In Arab societies, literature on family business succession is virtually nonexistent.  As Arab societies are embracing Western values, the issues of family business succession that are considered in the West will become major issues in Arab societies.  This empirical study explores the transferability of theoretical constructs developed in the West to the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council.  The findings suggest that a family enterprise that has decided to keep management control within the family cannot possibly hope to achieve this without family members who are trusted by the incumbent.