Family Business in Oman

Abstract

Although the overwhelming majority of the privately owned businesses in Oman are family-owned businesses with an overall GDP contribution of over 60%, yet there appears to be a paucity of academic publications that elaborate on the overall scenario of family businesses in Oman. Other than some regional case studies about Omani family firms, there appears to be a dearth of sufficient finer-grained analysis of what makes Omani family businesses unique. Therefore, this study examines the existing academic literature as well as non-academic publications from dependable sources such as reports from international consulting firms, to compile a nuanced analysis of how Omani family-controlled enterprises are different in many ways because of the idiosyncratic cultural context of Oman. The narrative in this chapter begins with an overall introduction of how family firms differ from non-family ones. Particular focus is laid on the theory of socioemotional wealth, the ability and willingness paradox, and family commitment as a source of competitiveness and organisational resilience. Thereafter, an overview about the Sultanate of Oman and the business ecosystem is presented. The subsequent sections elaborate on the idiosyncrasies of Omani family firms along with anecdotal evidence through examples of a few Omani family-controlled business organisations both large and small. Finally, the chapter ends with concluding remarks that relate the previous discourse about family businesses with the context of Omani family businesses.