Factors affecting internationalization decision making in family businesses: An integrated literature review

Abstract

International expansion represents an important strategic decision that family firms must make to expand and diversify. Different factors, both internal and external, influence the decision to internationalize. The purpose of this study is to review extant literature to examine the major factors affecting decision making with respect to the internationalization of family businesses and to identify the direction of the relations among the factors affecting such decision making. This paper looks at the constraining and driving factors that steer family business decisions toward internationalization and global success. The paper also discusses the reasons why inconsistencies exist in the research findings and how to eliminate them in future studies.