Employment of professional managers in local Chinese family businesses : issues and problems.

Abstract

With professionalisation mooted as the key for survival and growth of family businesses, this study examined the motivations for nine professional mangers to join local Chinese family businesses, through the use of a short closed-ended questionnaire and in-depth interviews. The managers revealed that they accepted the job offers mainly because of the expected job nature, control and autonomy at work, career prospects and attractive compensation packages. These motivations were traced to the information that they received about the firms and jobs at the onset of the offer and to their personal aspirations and motives.