Competitive Advantages of Family Firms: A Historical Management Perspective on a Spanish Chocolatier

At the turn of the 20th century, Barcelona's industrialist bourgeoisie showcased their wealth commissioning family residences from renowned architects embracing the modernist style. Within these families, a chocolatier emerged, expressing opulence through the iconic Casa Amatller, now a symbol of the city. How did a manufacturer of staple foodstuffs ascend to prominence alongside the foremost industrial figures of the nation?

This research unravels a success story in family business history, while engaging with debates in business and management research through the application of corporate strategy tool frameworks. The methodology incorporates a longitudinal approach of a company's practices, departing from traditional cross-sectional business analyses, transforming static models into dynamic ones. This case study focuses on the creation of competitive advantages within a business dynasty spanning from 1797 to 1936 across four generations. The analysis of competitive advantage adheres to Michael Porter's model within the Value Chain (1985), meticulously examining the emergence and sustaining of advantages through a detailed assessment of each corporate activity.

Frontiers of Management History combines the craft of the business historian with the methodology of the social scientist to offer interdisciplinary perspectives on the management history field alongside theories, frameworks, critiques and applications for practice. The main aim of the series is to create a new space in which to engage a new generation of historians and social scientists in order to contribute to the future direction of business organizational and management history.