Do Family-Owned Companies Achieve High or Low Performance? Evidence from Jordan

This paper examines the relationship between family ownership and corporate performance. The study uses ROA to measure the level of performance and employs random-effect and panel data regressions to examine the relationship. The sample consists of 495 firm-year observations over the study period 2014-2016. In general, this study introduces new empirical evidence suggesting that managers in family companies are more likely to achieve high performance than those managing non-family companies. The results of this study could be beneficial for several users of financial information, such as regulators, investors, auditors and lenders. These users might consider the findings of this study when using a company’s financial information, and consequently enable them to make better decisions. Thus, this study introduces new empirical evidence about the ownership structure in Jordan, since a large proportion of companies are family controlled.