Kuribachew Gizaw (Ph.D)Bethelhem Molla2026-11-062026-11-062026-11-02https://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/9376The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of digital technology adoption on succession planning effectiveness within family-owned coffee export companies in Ethiopia, focusing on the mediation of the governance structure variable. The current study employed quantitative research approach along with explanatory research design. Cross-sectional primary data was collected through standardized questionnaire from 184 respondents in 77 family-owned coffee export companies located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. To assure the representativeness of the data, a stratified random sampling has been conducted to select sample respondents among the targeted population. Structural equation modeling and mediation analysis (bootstrap approach with 5,000 resamples) were used to test the hypotheses. As a result, it has been proven that all four digital adoption dimensions have significant positive impact on succession planning effectiveness, management support and strategy (β = 0.363) and integration into operations (β = 0.337) being the strongest determinants. In turn, the governance structure partially mediates the link between the digital technology adoption and succession planning effectiveness (indirect effect = 0.110; 13.0% of total effect mediated). Hence, digital adoption affects succession planning not only directly but also indirectly via governance structures (total effect = 0.227; 97.0% of indirect effect; p<0.001). The overall model explains 62.5% of the variation in succession planning effectiveness. In conclusion, digital technology adoption enhances succession planning in Ethiopian family-owned coffee exporters, both directly and through governance structures, though weak infrastructure and limited training constrain outcomes. Owners should convert leadership support into digital budgets and integrate strategies across departments, while establishing governance mechanisms such as fam councils and advisory boarden-USDigital Technology AdoptionGovernance StructureSuccession Planning EffectivenessFamily-Owned BusinessesCoffee ExportThesis