CULTURAL COMPARISON OF INTENTIONS TO FAMILY BUSINESS SUCCESSION: THE CASE OF CHINESE-FILIPINO AND FILIPINO FAMILY BUSINESSES Safa D. Manala-O Ma. Theresa Concepcion A. Gerial INTRODUCTION The issue of succession is a complex challenge facing family businesses. Intergenerational succession is surely a priority for most family business owners who wish to see the longevity of the establishment and legacy passed on to their family members. Despite this, few family businesses appropriately plan for succession, putting more emphasis on planning for management and operations (Morris, Williams and Nel, 1996). Research reveals that the average lifespan of a family business is 24 years, with less than 30% of establishments being handed over to the second generation and only 10% handed over to the third generation (Lambrecht and Donckels, 2006). This setback in an otherwise economically significant type of business can be attributed to different factors. Studies uncover that most successions fail because of dubious succession plans, unequipped or unskilled successors and family rivalries. One of the distinguishing features of family business succession is that it is mainly anchored on blood relations. The responsibility is placed on the successor to continue the business sometimes even when the successor is immature or unprepared. Such action often results in negative outcomes that can be later observed in the company’s overall strategy, management, organizational structure or governance (Miller, Steier and Le Breton-Miller, 2006). On the opposite, transition can take place more smoothly when the successor is adequately trained and equipped and there is firm trust in the successor’s abilities (Morris, Williams and Nel, 1996). Strategic planning for succession can help attain such and is a crucial instrument for family businesses to ensure the development and readiness of the next-generation managers (Mazzola, Marchisio and Astrachan, 2006). Previous studies exploring family business dynamics have found that cultural background impacts firm growth, decision making and succession planning. Cultural processes determine roles and authority figures both in the family and family business (Hollander and Bukowitz, 1990). Certain cultural values such as high uncertainty avoidance and high power distance, both associated with collectivist cultures, can restrict family firm growth. This occurs when family businesses refuse to hire outside of the family, adhere to paternal leadership despite incompetence or practice inefficient autocratic decision making (Cater, Young and Alderson, 2019). Culture may also influence resilience. In the case of Swedish family businesses operating from home, their close affinity to regional culture has provided resilience to withstand economic structural crises (Ljungkvist and Boers, 2016). But perhaps one of the most affected aspects by cultural norms is gender. It is apparent that there are stereotypes, expectations and privilege that favor one gender over another. Norms can sometimes prejudice a female successor’s skills, discounting her from succession despite being qualified (Nelson and Constantinidis, 2017). As a research area, family business is growing and underexplored from certain perspectives. There is still much to be known about family business from an international