Purpose

The authors develop a systematic literature review of research on family multinationals, i.e. firms owned by one or more families that engage in foreign direct investments (FDIs). Building on the examination of past and current research, the authors develop an integrative framework and identify directions to advance this area of research.

Design/methodology/approach

Coherently with recommendations for systematic literature reviews, the authors developed and followed a systematic search protocol, selecting and reviewing 92 articles on family multinationals published from 1991 to 2021. The authors then identified the most recurrent and emerging themes in these studies to build an integrative framework.

Findings

In recent years, the literature on family firm internationalization has grown exponentially, and with it the focus on family multinationals. However, the study of family multinationals has many theoretical and methodological shortcomings that have only allowed marginally appreciating their entrepreneurial aspects. In this study, the authors take stock to identify the critical knowledge gaps and motivate future researchers to fill this breach.

Originality/value

In conducting the first systematic literature review of family multinationals, the authors provide an integrative account of current knowledge, develop a reconciling framework and identify directions for future research.

中文翻译：

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家族跨国公司：系统性文献回顾以评估和展望未来

目的

作者对家族跨国公司（即由一个或多个家族拥有的从事外国直接投资（FDI）的公司）的研究进行了系统的文献综述。在审查过去和当前研究的基础上，作者开发了一个综合框架并确定了推进这一研究领域的方向。

设计/方法/方法

与系统文献综述的建议相一致，作者制定并遵循了系统搜索协议，选择和审查了 1991 年至 2021 年发表的 92 篇关于家族跨国公司的文章。然后，作者确定了这些研究中最常见和新兴的主题，以建立一个综合框架.

发现

近年来，关于家族企业国际化的文献呈指数级增长，随之而来的是对家族跨国公司的关注。然而，对家族跨国公司的研究存在许多理论和方法上的缺陷，只能勉强了解其创业方面。在这项研究中，作者进行评估以确定关键的知识空白并激励未来的研究人员填补这一空白。

原创性/价值

在对家族跨国公司进行第一次系统文献回顾时，作者提供了对当前知识的综合说明，制定了一个协调框架并确定了未来研究的方向。