Family Business Management

Knowledge-based competences:
- To acquire an in-depth knowledge of family-owned or controlled firms, with special emphasis on their idiosyncrasies.
- To provide appropriate tools to exploit the specific competitive advantages of family firms
- To resolve the challenges inherent in family firms.
- To become acquainted with the specific characteristics of family firm management bodies and the use of the family agreement.
Skills:
- Capacity to advise and manage family firms.
- Ability to tackle family firms specific subjects, such as succession, professionalization, financing, etc.
- To develop managerial and leadership skills in organisations where both family and business interests may be involved.
Attitudes:
- To understand and be able to take decisions when faced with situations that are specific to family firms.
- To awaken an interest in developing a career path in a family firm, bearing in mind the importance that these companies have in the industrial fabric of today¿s economies.

CONTENTS:

1. Family firms. Concept and typology
2. Idiosyncracy of family firms: competitive advantages and specific problems.
3. Corporate governance in family firms.
4. Family firms as going concerns. generational renewal.
5. Family contractual agreements.
6. Organiztional structures and human resource management of family firms.
7. Growth of family firms.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND METHODOLOGY:

Students who will be tomorrow company managers or even owners of family firms, must understand the idiosyncrasies of these organisations. To achieve this, the course will be based on the following methodology:
- Classes and lectures explaining the course contents and assignments.
- Practical classes based on the case study method and discussions
- Final project, devoted to the analysis of a specific family firm or a family firms subject put forward by the lecturer.

ASSESSMENT SYSTEM:

At the end of the semester, students will be tested by means of a final exam. The exam will account for 60% of the final grade.
The developing, solving and discussing the case studies on the practical classes will account for 20% of the final grade.
The team project will account for 20% of the final grade.

% end-of-term-examination:60

% of continuous assessment (assigments, laboratory, practicals...): 40

BASIC BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Melin, L., Nordqvist, M y Sharma, P.. The SAGE Handbook of Family Business. SAGE. 2014

Zellwegwer, T.. Managing the family business. Theory and practice. Edward Elgar Pu.. 2017

ADDITIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Kets de Vries, M.. Family Business. Thompson. 1996

Miller, D.y Le Breton-Miller, I.. Managing for the long run: Lessons in competitive advantage from great family business. Harvard Business School Press. 2005