Founder Influence and Emotional Anchoring in the Strategic Sale of UAE Family Businesses

The strategic sale of family-owned businesses in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) presents a uniquely intricate challenge, shaped not only by financial considerations but by the powerful emotional and psychological bonds that founders develop with their enterprises. These businesses, often established through decades of personal effort and familial involvement, embody more than commercial assets—they represent legacy, identity, and generational aspirations. This study explores the multi-dimensional influence of founder-related emotional anchoring, strategic orientation, family governance dynamics, and market and external pressures on the decision to pursue a strategic sale. Drawing on a robust theoretical foundation that integrates Socioemotional Wealth Theory (SEW), Stewardship Theory, Agency Theory, Emotional Attachment Theory, and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), the research constructs a conceptual framework to explain how emotional, cognitive, structural, and contextual factors collectively impact sale readiness and decision-making in family firms.