Abstract:

Family-owned businesses constitute a significant proportion of enterprises globally and play a critical role in economic development, particularly in emerging economies. However, sustaining these businesses across generations remains a major challenge, with many failing to survive beyond the founding generation. Despite growing scholarship on family business sustainability, limited empirical research has examined how generational maturity influences the adoption of strategic practices that enhance long-term sustainability in developing economies. This study investigates the interplay between generational stages and strategic practices in shaping sustainability outcomes among Nigerian family-owned businesses. Drawing on the Resource-Based View and the Dynamic Capabilities framework, the study explores how generational maturity affects the adoption of strategic practices such as innovation, business agility, competitive intelligence, and strategic planning, and how these practices contribute to organisational sustainability. Using a quantitative research design, data were collected through structured questionnaires administered to family-owned businesses across key sectors in Nigeria. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, regression, and ANOVA. The findings indicate that later-generation family businesses demonstrate stronger engagement in strategic practices, particularly innovation and strategic planning, compared to founder-led firms. Among the strategic practices examined, strategic planning emerged as the most significant predictor of sustainability. The results suggest that generational maturity plays an important role in shaping strategic orientation and organisational resilience. This study contributes to family business and strategic management literature by providing empirical evidence from an emerging economy and by highlighting the importance of strategic capability development across generations in sustaining family-owned enterprises. The study also offers practical insights for family business leaders seeking to strengthen intergenerational continuity and long-term competitiveness.Top of Form

Please choose your submission type: Full Paper

Primary Track: Entrepreneurship

Keywords: Entrepreneurship Theories;International Entrepreneurship;International entrepreneurship;Indigenous entrepreneurship;Female entrepreneurs

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Dr. Adudu Adudu