Identity of the Family Business Company. How Do the Most Valuable Polish Family-Owned Companies Use Family Identity in Building the Image of a Family-Owned Company?

Katarzyna Barcińska, Ewa Więcek-Janka

Abstract


Theoretical background: In Poland, family-owned companies have been actively developing since the democratic transformation. Some of them have used market conditions, being mature and large entities, consciously building their corporate brand identities, and communicating their messages on their websites. A lot of them are faced with a strategic decision whether to build a brand based on the family-owned type of brand, as encouraged by associations, foundations as well, and the media, whose goal is to support and integrate family-owned companies.

Purpose of the article: This article aims to explore the way in which the most valuable Polish family-owned companies that decided to be presented in the Forbes ranking in September 2023 communicate the identity of the family firm on their website and to fid out if there is any pattern or model of communication.

Research methods: Fifty websites from 100 family businesses classifid in the Forbes magazine ranking of the most valuable Polish family-owned companies with revenues exceeding PLN 100 million, published in September 2023, were examined, diagnosing elements indicating the adoption of the brand identity of a family business. The criteria for building the family business brand for Polish companies were developed with the participation of 12 experts in the field of family business.

Main findings: A model was constructed to identify the family identity of the brand of the family-owned company using family-owned websites. The results of the research indicate that the percentage of family-owned companies among the most precious family owned companies which are defied as family owned companies is higher than that indicated in the reports as of 2009 and 2017 for small and medium companies in Poland.


Keywords


family-owned company; brand identity; behaviour and communication of the richest Polish family-owned firms

Full Text:

PDF

References


Andreini, D., Bettinelli, C., Pedeliento, G., & Apa, R. (2020). How do consumers see firms’ family nature? a review of the literature. Family Business Review, 33(1), 18–37. https://doi.org/10.1177/08944865198902

Beszczyńska, M. (2022). Pamiętacie „polskie Kardashianki”? Grycanki szybko zniknęły z show-biznesu. Co u nich słychać? https://buzz.gazeta.pl/buzz/7,156947,29099767,pamietacie-polskie-kardashianki-siostry-grycan-zniknely-z.html

Bettinelli, C., Lissana, E., Bergamaschi, M., & De Massis, A. (2022). Identity in family firms: Toward an integrative understanding. Family Business Review, 35(4), 383–414. https://doi.org/10.1177/08944865221113675

Binz Astrachan, C., & Botero, I. (2017). ‘We are a family company’. An exploration of the motives for communicating the family business brand. Journal of Family Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFBM-01-2017-0002

Blombäck, A. (2011). Realising the value of family business identity as corporate brand element – a research model. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254419731_Realizing_the_value_of_family_business_identity_as_Corporate_Brand_Element_-_A_Research_Model

Blombäck, A., & Ramírez Pasillas, M. (2012). Exploring the logic of corporate brand identity formation. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 17(1), 7–28. https://doi.org/10.1108/13563281211196335

Craig, J., Dibrell, C., & Davis, P. (2008). Leveraging family-based brand identity to enhance firm competitiveness and performance in family businesses. Journal of Small Business Management, 46(3). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-627X.2008.00248.x

Jeżak, J. (2014). Przedsiębiorczość rodzinna na świecie – rola i znaczenie oraz cechy specyficzne. In J. Jeżak (Ed.), Przedsiębiorstwa rodzinne w Polsce. Znaczenie ekonomiczne oraz strategiczne problemy rozwoju (pp. 13–25). Wyd. UŁ

Gioia, D.A., Schultz, M., & Corley, K.G. (2000). Organizational identity, image, and adaptive instability. The Academy of Management Review, 25(1), 63–81. https://doi.org/10.2307/259263

Greyser, S., & Urde, M. (2019). What does your corporate brand stand for? Harvard Business Review, 194, 93–102.

Kendall, M.G., & Babington-Smith, B. (1939). The problem of m rankings. The Annals of Mathematical Statistics, 10, 275–287. https://doi.org/10.1214/aoms/1177732186

Kotler P. (2005). Marketing. Dom Wydawniczy Rebis.

Kowalska-Jarnot, K. (2019). Istota i funkcje tożsamości organizacji. Zeszyty Naukowe Wyższej Szkoły Ekonomii i Informatyki w Krakowie, 15.

Leszczewska, K. (2016). Przedsiębiorstwa rodzinne. Specyfika modeli biznesu. Difin.

Lewandowska, A., & Lipiec, J. (2015). Konstytucje firm rodzinnych. Oficyna Wolter Kluwer Business.

Lewandowska, A., Więcek-Janka, E., & Hadryś-Nowak, A. (2017). Niewykorzystany potencjał „czynnika rodzinności” w budowaniu marki – główne wnioski z ogólnokrajowego badania statystycznego firm rodzinnych w Polsce. Przedsiębiorczość i Zarządzanie, 18(6/2), 437–447.

Mahto, R., Chen, J.-S., McDowell, W., & Ahluwalia, S. (2019). Shared identity, family influence, and the transgenerational intentions in family firms. Sustainability, 11(4), 1130. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11041130

PARP. (2009). Firmy rodzinne w polskiej gospodarce – szanse i wyzwania. https://www.parp.gov.pl/storage/publications/pdf/2009_firmy_rodzinne_szanse.pdf

Najcenniejsze polskie firmy rodzinne z przychodami powyżej 100 mln zł. (September 2023). Forbes.

Sułkowski, Ł. (2005). Organizacja w poszukiwaniu tożsamości. Przegląd Organizacji, 3(782), 7–10. https://doi.org/10.33141/po.2005.03.01

Tagiuri, R., & Davis, J. (1996). Bivalent Attributes of the Family firms. Family Business Review, 9(2), 199–208. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-6248.1996.00199.x

Trembaczowski, Ł. (2020). Międzygeneracyjna transmisja wartości w firmach rodzinnych w kontekście sukcesji. Zeszyty Naukowe KUL, 63(4). https://doi.org/10.31743/znkul.13147

Wallis, W.A. (1939). The correlation ratio for ranked data. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 34, 533–538.

Więcek-Janka, E., & Lewandowska, A. (2017). Model pięciu poziomów definiowania przedsiębiorstw rodzinnych. Przedsiębiorczość i Zarządzanie, 18(6/2), 159–176.

Zarębska, A. (2009). Identyfikacja tożsamości organizacyjnej w zarządzaniu przedsiębiorstwem. Difin.

www1: https://ffr.pl/pl/drzewko/

www2: https://ffr.pl/pl/

www3: https://firmyrodzinne.pl/

www4: https://www.fbnpoland.org/

www5: https://www.forbes.pl/forum-firm-rodzinnych/2018

www6: https://www.ibrpolska.pl/




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17951/h.2024.58.3.249-274
Date of publication: 2024-07-12 06:50:19
Date of submission: 2024-04-28 17:50:20


Statistics


Total abstract view - 274
Downloads (from 2020-06-17) - PDF - 0

Indicators



Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2024 Katarzyna Barcińska, Ewa Więcek-Janka

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.