Succession and Nonsuccession Concerns of Family Firms and Agency Relationship with Nonfamily Managers
调查272家加拿大家族企业发现，继承问题是最主要关切，但与非家族经理的关系紧随其后；用代理理论解释其重要性，指出该领域研究不足。
This article consists of two parts. The first part reports findings from a survey of the issues facing top executives in 272 Canadian family firms. Results show that succession is their No. 1 concern, thus supporting the predominant focus of family business researchers on succession issues. Results also show that concern about relationships with nonfamily managers is a close second in importance. The second part of the article uses Agency Theory to explain why relationships with nonfamily managers are so important. Empirical results show that both the extent and the criticality of a firm's dependence on nonfamily managers are statistically significant determinants of the importance. This study implies that relationships with nonfamily managers is a neglected research topic and points to a new direction for research in family business management.