Redefining copreneurs: a four decadal review adopting computer aided text analysis

The study defines copreneurs and presents a four decadal review on copreneurial literature. The purpose is to bring conceptualization and characterization of copreneurs, on surface from its fragmented literature. A structured literature review on copreneurship research published between 1984 and 2023 is conducted. The search is made adopting indexing (Scopus, Clarivate and ABDC), digital libraries including ProQuest and EBSCO, and research articles published in journals by renowned publishers namely Elsevier, Emerald, Inderscience, Sage, Springer, Taylor & Francis and Wiley. Inclusion/exclusion criteria was defined and duplicates were eliminated. Finally, using POWER review model, the existing literature is organized under six themes namely Gender Roles, Spousal Support & Relationship Satisfaction, Work Life Balance, Business Commitment & Motivation, Leadership & Decision Making and Division of Labour & Responsibilities in the Intertwined Worlds. Using Inter- Rater Reliability, five definitions of copreneurs were framed and rated by nine experts from academics and industry. Finally, the definition with highest score and acceptable I-CVI value for simplicity & clarity is proposed. The fragmented literature on copreneurs speaks volume about the need for more impactful research on them. By using the proposed definition of copreneurs, scholars can uniformly identify the copreneurs, with future opportunities for micro-level research on copreneurs. Policy makers can utilise the findings of these research and formulate schemes, policies & programmes for betterment of copreneurs. The study intends to bridge the disciplinary gaps existing for identifying copreneurs and serve as a foundation for information sharing, regarding copreneurs and their entrepreneurial practices.