The COVID-19 Crisis and the Financial Impact on Family Firms

This paper analyses literature related to the impact of COVID-19 on family firms’ financial decisions. Presenting their distinctive characteristics and their responses to both past crises and the current one, the aim is to single out the key factors that ensure these firms’ economic continuity. The analysis of the key factors shown in the studies makes it possible to identify and understand behavioural aspects, such as those relating to business resilience, employed by owners of family firms, which take precedence over traditional financial management decisions. The analysis of the financial impact of the current crisis on family firms will help improve their resilience to future exogenous impacts.