'Family-Owned' or 'Family-Run'? The Words You Use Can Affect Customer Trust

Family businesses often promote their ownership and heritage to build trust. Research suggests that “family-run” may send a stronger message than “family-owned” — and that adding more heritage claims can sometimes backfire.

Authors

Jan‐Philipp Ahrens (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1866-7068)
Michael Schade (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4608-6893)
Christoph Burmann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9536-420X)
Sabrina Finkbeiner

Publication Details

Published: 2026-08-24
DOI: https://doi.org/10.32617/1457-6a8c3eaf2dc6d
Primary Topic: Family Business Performance and Succession
Type: article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact: 0.00

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article

'Family-Owned' or 'Family-Run'? The Words You Use Can Affect Customer Trust

Jan‐Philipp Ahrens, Michael Schade, Christoph Burmann, Sabrina Finkbeiner

Aug 24, 2026

Family Business Performance and Succession

article

'Family-Owned' or 'Family-Run'? The Words You Use Can Affect Customer Trust

Jan‐Philipp Ahrens, Michael Schade, Christoph Burmann, Sabrina Finkbeiner

August 24, 2026article en

Abstract

Openalex Percentile: Top 4%

Family Business Performance and Succession

DOI Source OpenAlex

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'Family-Owned' or 'Family-Run'? The Words You Use Can Affect Customer Trust — Jan‐Philipp Ahrens, Michael Schade, et al. · (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS