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52 MATERIALS MAY/JUN 2026 FDM ASIA | www.fdmasia.com

peopleimages.com Research Methodology
The research focused on businesses operating in the wood-
processing and furniture industry in Slovakia. The basic
population consisted of 2,722 businesses classified under
SK NACE divisions C16 (manufacture of wood and wood
products) and C31 (manufacture of furniture).

The minimum required sample size was calculated to
be 337 businesses at a 95 percent confidence level. Data
collection was conducted through an online survey between
August 2024 and May 2025, resulting in 507 valid responses.
Family businesses were identified according to the Slovak
Second, it indicates that non-economic goals, although legislative definition (Act No. 112/2018 Coll.).
relevant, do not represent the most dominant characteristic A business was considered a family business if family
of family businesses, as relational factors such as trust, members held majority voting rights, participated in statutory or
reputation, and long-term relationships play a more central managerial positions, or received economic benefit exceeding

role in managerial behaviour. 50 percent of after-tax profits.
Third, based on the empirical findings and relevant literature, Based on these criteria, 432 out of 507 businesses were
the study proposes a conceptual strategic framework for the classified as family businesses and included in the analysis.
sustainable development of family businesses in the forest- The sample was dominated by wood-processing businesses
based sector. (C16, about 95%) and furniture businesses (C31, about 5%),
Besides, this study also aims to contribute to the field of reflecting the structure of Slovakia’s forest-based sector.
forest economics, policy, and social science by examining how In terms of size, micro-enterprises (1-9 employees) formed

firm-level perceptions and managerial priorities in downstream 40 percent of the sample, small enterprises (10-49 employees)
wood-processing and furniture businesses influence wider 38 percent, medium-sized enterprises (50-249 employees) 19
forest-based value chains. percent, and large enterprises (250+ employees) only three
In this respect, family businesses are relevant not only percent.
as economic actors but also as decision-making units whose Most businesses (50%) have been operating for more than
market orientation, resource-use preferences, and long-term 25 years, indicating high stability and continuity. Limited liability
strategic behaviour may affect value creation, traceability, companies made up 88 percent of the sample, followed by
resource efficiency, and the sustainable management of forest- sole proprietors (7%) and joint-stock companies (5%).
based resources. Given the ordinal nature of the data (five-point Likert scales),

Two hypotheses were formulated: (H1) Significant differences non-parametric statistical methods were applied.
exist in the perceived importance of selected external determinants The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to identify differences in
of the microeconomic environment among family businesses in perceived importance of external determinants and entrepreneurial
the wood-processing and furniture industry. (H2) Non-economic characteristics, followed by post-hoc multiple comparisons.
goals, such as sustainability, long-term stable income, and The significance level was set at α = 0.05. Reliability of
intergenerational continuity, represent an important component the measurement scales was confirmed with Cronbach’s alpha
of the managerial orientation of these family businesses. ranging from 0.78 to 0.91.