Abstract:

This research aims to put across the important factors in the sustainability of longlasting Turkish family businesses. According to the literature review; generation conflicts in the management levels and disapproval of management styles affect the sustainability of businesses negatively . Factors positively influencing the sustainability of family businesses include: trust in the family circle, relations formed with sharing, fairness, loyalty and tradition in mind, giving weight to education, putting strict boundaries between work and family life Başer ve Erdem, 2008: 1/177-1/179 , providing workers with long, reliable work, qualified relations within the family, handing over the management position while the family elder is still alive , founding the company with own capital, honesty and discipline, creating quality goods, economizing, customer satisfaction, collective working, mastering in profession, mutual agreement, devotion in work Özler ve Şahin, 2010 , future planning of sustainability, having an established board of directors, and institutionalization . The method of research is multi-case study. Using the multi-case study method, six cases of long-lasting family businesses were investigated on the sustainability of their businesses. The conclusion this research has come to is that creating qualified relations between family members in the management positions, having been founded on own capital or having enough funds, mastering in profession, creating honest and fair relations among the employees, putting strict boundaries between work and family life, providing employees with reliable work, the existence of a board of directors, institutionalization, and pre-planning of handing over the management positions in the company have positive influences on the sustainability of businesses

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