Accounting for family and business overlaps
ISSN: 1751-1348
Article publication date: 9 December 2019
Issue publication date: 18 March 2020
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to draw on a family business perspective to explore the historic accounting records of an Italian liquorice juice business. The applicability of the three-circle model of family business systems to such an historic context is examined.
Design/methodology/approach
Using archival records, the Cassa accounting book of the business is studied. Its transactions are examined to distinguish family and business items over the period from 1875 to 1920.
Findings
Through an analysis of the accounting records, the family, ownership and business systems are shown to overlap more than typically expected in a contemporary setting.
Originality/value
Contemporary literature suggests the three-circle model of a family business is relatively static, but it has not been applied to an historic context. This study suggests that the model can be applied in historic studies, but it is not static over time with its elements needing refinement.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Fortunato Amarelli, CEO and owner of Amarelli, for his support. Thanks also to two anonymous reviewers and delegates at the “XXIII Memorial Raymond Konopka”, 0020 Badajoz, Spain, Jan 25 and 26, 2018 for comments on earlier drafts of this paper. All authors contributed equally to this paper.
Citation
Quinn, M., Hiebl, M., Mazzotta, R. and Veltri, S. (2020), "Accounting for family and business overlaps", Journal of Management History, Vol. 26 No. 2, pp. 249-276. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMH-04-2019-0032
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited