Embeddedness Perspectives of Economic Action within Family Firms

Family firms are embedded in social structures that differ substantially from those of nonfamily firms. While these social structures can be sources of strength, they can also lead to dysfunctional consequences. The four papers and three commentaries contained in this special issue on theories of family enterprise deal with the various positive and negative aspects of family involvement in a firm. The purpose of this introduction is to attempt to establish linkages between these papers and to provide further insights on their contributions to knowledge and the directions that future research might take to build upon them.