Out of the Comfort Zone! Family Leaders’ Subsidiary Ownership Choices and the Role of Vulnerabilities

Based on the socioemotional wealth approach and a sample of 3,904 subsidiary ownership choices made by 586 family firms, this study shows that family-managed firms (i.e., those family firms with a family member in a leadership position) prefer wholly owned subsidies over joint ventures when entering foreign markets. Family-managed firms are also more likely to revise their subsidiary ownership choices and form joint ventures when in vulnerability conditions, that is, when they experience performance below aspirations and when entering a culturally distant market.

Strategic motives, institutional environments, and firm’s FDI ownership

Purpose The study conceptualizes how firms’ strategic motives interact with the heterogeneity of host country institutional environments in determining the subsidiary ownership. The author hypothesizes and tests two interaction effects. The study found that firms with market-seeking motives are more affected by the heterogeneity of host country institutional environments, while firms with resource-seeking motives are less affected by the heterogeneity. The empirical findings are based on a sample of overseas subsidiaries reported in the annual reports of listed firms in China. Design/methodology/approach In this study, an empirical investigation was conducted using a sample of subsidiaries of listed firms in China. The data were compiled from 2012 annual reports of listed firms in China. The sample consists of 2,270 subsidiaries of these firms. Findings The study conceptualizes that firms with market-seeking motives and resource-seeking motives are influenced differently by the heterogeneity of host country institutional environments in determining their subsidiary ownership. We hypothesize two interaction effects. Firms with market-seeking motives are more subject to the heterogeneity of host country institutional environments in determining their FDI ownership level. In contrast, firms with resource-seeking motives are less subject to this heterogeneity. The findings largely supported the study’s hypotheses. Originality/value This study fills an important gap in the literature by incorporating the interaction between strategic motives and host country environments in the analysis of subsidiary ownership. The findings of the study suggest that firms with a market-seeking motive are more particular about the host country institutional environments. They will acquire a high level of ownership in host countries with attractive institutional environments. In contrast, firms with resource-seeking motive are less concerned with the host country institutional environments. Their decision on subsidiary ownership is less affected by the variance in host country institutional environments. This study adds to the stream of studies that have examined outward investments of firms from emerging economies, particularly the outward expansion of Chinese firms with different strategic motives.