Twin brothers in arms learn the family business

INTRODUCTION
In this case, Moores and Barrett’s (2002) family business learning and life cycle framework has been used as the foundation, along with entrepreneurial orientation (EO) (Lumpkin and Dess 1996; Miller 1983) and the resource-based view of the firm (RBV) (Mahoney and Pandian 1992; Peteraf 1993; Wernerfelt 1984), for a review of an intriguing Australian second generation migrant family business. In their book, Learning Family Business: Paradoxes and Pathways, Moores and Barrett present the findings of their research into how owners of successful family businesses learn to manage various transition phases in their businesses and in their lives. The two are closely entwined. Using a combination of qualitative and quantitative techniques, Moores and Barrett reveal how owners of a broad spectrum of family-owned businesses in Australia learn business, learn how to run their business, learn how to lead their business, and finally, how they learn to let go of their business. They use the organizational life cycle model to frame their discussion. The organizational life cycle framework is appropriate for understanding the uncertainties in the business environment and how organizations cope with them, because, as theorists and practitioners alike have found, there are no universal principles that will guarantee the survival and success of a firm. Moores and Barrett (2002) use this framework to argue that changes follow a predictable set of developmental stages.