Financial performance between family and non-family Mexican businesses

Abstract

Despite the importance of family businesses (FB) in the Mexican economy, their study is limited due to the number and jobs generated, especially for companies not listed on the stock market. Intending to contribute to their understanding, the objective of this study is to compare financial performance variables between FB and private non-family companies (NFB) in Mexico. The
research method uses non-parametric contrast tests to analyze the information of 3,170 companies, based on the National Survey of Business Financing (ENAFIN). With the support of the agency theory, the results show
statistically significant differences in income, expenses, net profits, assets, and financial expenses. The findings indicate that medium-sized FIs exceed NFE in income, assets, and cost of financing. The originality of the analysis resides in the most significant sample used, as far as we are aware, in this type of study in Mexico. The lack of consensus to identify the EFs and their degree of heterogeneity may be important limitations of the study. Given the lack of official statistics on the characteristics of the FE, the results offered can be used by different economic agents interested in their behavior.