ABSTRACT
This chapter examines both family and corporate firms in the specific context of the tanning industry to see if there is a dominant pattern. It explores the work narratives of the bosses of family-based firms to see how they identify themselves in terms of modernity and tradition. Unlike tanners in other parts of Taiwan, Peikang tanners had been unable to generate the capital needed for overseas investments. In terms of ownership, the Yunlin tanneries were all family enterprises, and only one had a partner unrelated to the owner by kinship. In terms of management as well, Yunlin tanners kept business in the family. Only one tannery in the county has employed nonfamily members in management. The largest employer in the local tanning industry was a pigskin tannery that relocated to Yunlin from Kaohsiung because they thought that a rural workforce would be less prone to labor disputes.
