Family Business in Oman

Mohammad Rezaur Razzak*, Ramo Palalić, Said Al-Riyami

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Although the overwhelming majority of the privately owned businesses in Oman are family-owned businesses with an overall GDP contribution of over 60%, yet there appears to be a paucity of academic publications that elaborate on the overall scenario of family businesses in Oman. Other than some regional case studies about Omani family firms, there appears to be a dearth of sufficient finer-grained analysis of what makes Omani family businesses unique. Therefore, this study examines the existing academic literature as well as non-academic publications from dependable sources such as reports from international consulting firms, to compile a nuanced analysis of how Omani family-controlled enterprises are different in many ways because of the idiosyncratic cultural context of Oman. The narrative in this chapter begins with an overall introduction of how family firms differ from non-family ones. Particular focus is laid on the theory of socioemotional wealth, the ability and willingness paradox, and family commitment as a source of competitiveness and organisational resilience. Thereafter, an overview about the Sultanate of Oman and the business ecosystem is presented. The subsequent sections elaborate on the idiosyncrasies of Omani family firms along with anecdotal evidence through examples of a few Omani family-controlled business organisations both large and small. Finally, the chapter ends with concluding remarks that relate the previous discourse about family businesses with the context of Omani family businesses.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationContributions to Management Science
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Pages67-90
Number of pages24
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023

Publication series

NameContributions to Management Science
ISSN (Print)1431-1941
ISSN (Electronic)2197-716X

Keywords

  • Family business
  • Family firms
  • Oman
  • Omani family businesses
  • Socioemotional wealth

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Business and International Management
  • Strategy and Management
  • Management Science and Operations Research
  • Marketing
  • Management of Technology and Innovation

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