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This study aims to identify the mediating role of cooperation agreements in the relationship between family involvement in international firms and their level of international commitment.

The study focuses on Spanish international wine and olive oil companies that have varying levels of family involvement. The final sample consists of 263 companies. SmartPLS was used to perform the analysis.

A higher level of family involvement in business implies greater difficulties with cooperation agreements. Additionally, family involvement is negatively associated with the firm’s level of international commitment, and the perceived difficulties of cooperation agreements mediate this relationship.

This study is of interest to business managers with different levels of family involvement. The study clarifies their perceptions of cooperation agreements and international business commitment. Managers of firms with a high level of family involvement should emphasize the multiple benefits of cooperation agreements for international strategy performance rather than the drawbacks of cooperation. Additionally, through cooperation, companies can learn about destination markets, which may help them to focus their resources effectively in those markets.

This study contributes to the literature on the internationalization strategies of family businesses. This study is the first to address the mediating role of cooperation agreements in the relationship between family involvement and international commitment.

By investigating the reactions of family businesses to COVID-19 pandemic this article aims to explaining how family firms are capable to preserve employment during hardship.

Stemming from resource-based-view, we theorise that familiness is not directly associated with new hiring but instead fully mediated by pivoting strategic decisions (the propensity to transform the business).

Our findings show that familiness triggers pivoting strategic decisions and consequently increases the likelihood of new hiring. Additionally, we found that the involvement of multiple generations strengthens this relationship.

Family firms must consolidate their family human and social resources (familiness) and assure the presence of multiple generations in the firm because they can leverage their entrepreneurial disposition and increase the need to preserve employment and new hires during crises.

The main contribution lies in the explanation of the mechanisms that family firms deploy to overcome a crisis and thus explains why some family firms are more resilient than others in relation to firm’s employment during hardship.