A critical Analysis of the current state of research on the topic of business succession Considering the company analysis, as well as the need to consider a successor

Abstract

In the next few years, many companies in the field of small and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) in Germany are about to change the generation of entrepreneurs. This article deals
with the reasons and strategies for regulated succession of entrepreneurs in these SMEs.
The following research question is at the heart of the present study: 'What are the reasons
and strategies for finding a business successor considering the company analysis for small
and medium-sized enterprises in Germany?'. Within the scope of an extensive literature
analysis, the current state of research on the topic of business succession is analysed by a
qualitative content analysis according to Mayring and the most important reasons and
strategies are identified. For this purpose, 4 main codes and 14 subcodes were defined
inductively and deductively, and the present literature was encoded according to the
method of structured content analysis. 673 codings were carried out and then analysed
in the context of the research questions.
The main reasons and strategies were identified, and the research question was fully
answered. In addition to answering the central research question, the article also makes
recommendations for the planning and complete implementation of a regulated business
succession within the framework of the article conclusion. This article is the author's
second article on the topic of Business Succession and is complementary to the author's
first article.