Purpose Family firms possess dual identities, being the family and the business, which can be segmented and integrated to various degrees. This study examines whether and how management control technologies are calibrated to fit into the dual identities of family firms. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative study of 20 family firms was conducted using semi-structured, in-depth interviews with owner-managers, drawings of mental maps and publicly available information. The notion of calibration was developed and used, with its three components of graduation, purpose and reference, as an organizing device for the interpretive understanding of the management control usage and its relation to family firms’ dual identities. Findings The study finds that the use of calculative, family-centric and procedural management controls – in sum the pervasive use of management control technologies – are associated with a professionalization of the family firm, a foregrounding of the business identity and a reduction of the disadvantageous side of familiness. In comparison, the pragmatic and minimal use of management control technologies are found to be associated with an emphasis on family identity. It transpires as liberating, engendering trust and unfolding a familial environment. Research limitations/implications Because results are derived from a qualitative approach, they are not generalizable at an empirical level. By showing how the use of management control technologies is calibrated with reference to family firms’ dual identities, the paper reveals the perceived potency of control technologies to affect the identity of firms. Practical implications The study reveals how family firms perceive management control technologies as strengthening their business identity while weakening their family identity. Thereby, this study provides an account of how management control technologies are expected to change the identity of firms. Originality/value This paper contributes to the management control and family business literatures because it uncovers how management control technologies are calibrated in reference to family firms’ dual identities. It shows that calculative, family-centric and procedural management controls are used to professionalize the firm and strengthen its business identity as well as to reduce the negative effects of the family identity. The paper also illustrates how the liberating force of using pragmatic and minimal control technologies can serve to give prominence to the family identity.

No abstract

Curcumin was shown to exert beneficial effects on nerve function in peripheral neuropathies. Despite its prominent biological activities, curcumin presents with unfavorable pharmacokinetics. For this purpose, we have developed curcumin-loaded cyclodextrin/cellulose nanocrystals (NanoCur) to bypass this limitation. The current study aims to assess the potency of NanoCur in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A (CMT1A) rodent models and compare its efficacy to Theracurmin® (Thera), a commercially available curcumin formulation, while elaborating on its mechanism of action. For that, a low dose of NanoCur was chronically administered for rodents and CMT1A neuropathology was assessed through a battery of functional, histological and biochemical tests. Toxicity and mechanism of action of NanoCur were evaluated both in-vivo & in-vitro. The overall study supports an improved motor function, associated with an amelioration in peripheral myelination in the NanoCur, but not Thera-treated CMT1A animals, combined to a high margin of safety. Furthermore, NanoCur appears to perform its effect through an alleviation of inflammatory pathways, involving macrophage recruitment to the diseased nerve. This study shows that NanoCur associates with therapeutic benefits at the cellular and functional levels in CMT1A with minimal systemic toxicity, promoting it as a potential therapeutic candidate for CMT1A disease and, possibly, other forms of neuropathy.