How Managerial Discretion Influences Internationalization of Indian Family Managed Firms

We investigate the impact of family ownership and CEO attributes on internationalization strategy of family managed firms. Empirical results based on a unique panel dataset of large Indian firms for the period 2007 to 2013 indicate that while concentrated family owners create impediments in internationalization efforts, firms with either a first generation founder CEO or a family CEO with international exposure at the helm, are able to internationalize more effectively. We also theorize the moderating influence of different family CEOs on the relationship between family ownership and internationalization. Our results suggest that differential objectives of the CEOs derived from their idiosyncratic ownership and behavioural traits are responsible for heterogeneous risk behaviour of family managed firms. Our study has several implications for the theory of family firm internationalization.