Dynamic capabilities in a sixth-generation family firm: Entrepreneurship and the Bibby Line

Oswald Jones, Abby Ghobadian, Nicholas O'Regan and Valerie Antcliff

Business History, 2013, vol. 55, issue 6, 910-941

Abstract: In this paper we draw on the theory of dynamic capabilities to examine development of the only surviving family-owned Liverpool shipping company. The Bibby Line was founded in 1807 to take advantage of the growing sea-trade based in Liverpool. The company remained in shipping until the mid-1960s, when a series of external crises led the owner, Derek Bibby, to begin a process of diversification. In the last 50 years, the Bibby Line has grown into a £1bn business with interests in retail, distribution and financial services as well as a continuing commitment to shipping. Our intention is to demonstrate how multigenerational ownership contributes to the creation of dynamic capabilities in family firms. The distinctive nature of Bibby as a long-standing family business is related to unique assets such as patient capital, flexible governance structures as well as the ability to mobilise social and human capital.

Date: 2013
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DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2012.744590

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