Ownership, governance, and management issues in small and medium-size family businesses: A comparison of Italy and the United States

This research note reports survey results of 252 Italian family firms based on the MassMutual framework. The objectives of the survey were to analyze the structure and behavior of Italian small and medium-size family firms and compare them with those in the United States. The note focuses on these comparisons with regard to family involvement, ownership and governance structures, top management teams, decision-making processes, strategic goals, and succession perspectives. The paper goes on to explore the implications of survey results for family firms, researchers, and practitioners.