Familiebedrijven, familisme en individualisering Nederland, ca. 1880-1990. Een bijdrage aan de theorievorming

Samenvatting

Family Firms, Familism and Individualization. The Netherlands, c. 1880-1990. A Contribution to the Development of Theory. Explores the paradoxical relationship between family companies and individualization in the Netherlands. While family-owned and/or -run companies continue to be of great importance to the Dutch economy, the institutions that support them, ie, marriage and the family, have been seriously weakened by an ongoing process of individualization since the 1960s. Examination of recent case studies and literature on medium- and large-size family firms suggests that, in larger Dutch family companies (ie, 10+ employees), the primacy of family interests in the definition of business policy or "familism" have declined since the end of WWII, resulting in family-run companies in which the principles of familism have been abandoned. The decline of familism does not reflect an inherent weakness in the notion of family companies, but rather, external circumstances, eg, changes in the legal and fiscal systems, economic growth, and European integration. Adapted from the source document.