Relación entre propiedad, gobierno y equipo gerencial en la internacionalización de la mediana empresa familiar

The growth of the global economy and the globalization of markets have stimulated companies of every size, ownership structure and business sector to make a strategic response by expanding their operations in foreign markets as a mechanism of growth and long-term survival. The family business constitutes a relatively new research topic and the literature emphasizes the need to study the role of the family in its internationalization, which has not been widely considered, constituting an area of growing interest. The family business traditionally has been classified as adverse to risk, oriented to its domestic market and less prone to develop external markets, where the family character of the company is challenged by internationalization. The written documentation affirms that research on the causal factors of the internationalization of the family business is insufficient. Based on this study need, the main research question and the secondary questions were raised, being these questions the basis for formulating the hypotheses that were established in the theoretical framework. The review of the literature allowed to understand each of the factors that correspond to the study and the variables that measure them, managing to conclude about their possible relation. In order to analyze the research problem, this cross-sectional study explored the relationship between ownership, government and management team as factors that describe the international business initiative of the median family business, analyzing aspects related to the organizational culture of the family business that influence the internationalization. The survey was used as a data collection tool, achieving a total of 117 valid cases corresponding to Ecuadorian family business enterprises in the floricultural and agro industrial sectors. To test the proposed relationships, a model of partial least squares (PLS-SEM) structural equations was used based on variance. The findings of this study show, as proposed, a negative influence on internationalization, when the orientation to the administration works coupled with the culture of family commitment. The management orientation coupled with the strategic flexibility of the management team shows a positive impact on internationalization. The management orientation presented a negative relation with the experience in the management team industry, obtaining an opposite result to the proposed one and the experience in the industry of the management team showed a positive relation with the degree of internationalization. This study seeks to contribute to the knowledge of the family business and the aspects of the organizational culture that influence its internationalization, to understand the factors that determine it and can describe it, contributing to the literature of strategic management and specifically to the theory based on means. It was developed in Ecuador, where no studies of this nature have been identified, so it is sought to contribute empirical evidence to the knowledge of the family business, helping to create capacities in them, increasing their chances of growth, survival and continuity. Finally, this study contributes from a theoretical and practical point of view, being relevant the findings for owners, administrators, consultants and academics who have professional activity or study the family business, its internationalization and the factors that motivate it