On completion of the course the students will be able to:

1. Describe common characteristics and challenges of family businesses.
2. Explain the common theories and concepts in family business research and practice.

3. Analyze common issues in family business by applying appropriate knowledge resources.
4. Design sustainable solutions for common situations in family businesses.

5. Evaluate common concepts and models used to understand family businesses.
6. Reflect upon common challenges faced by family businesses in practice.

The course on Family Business Management, is based on more than 20 years of research and practical experience from family enterprises developed by the Centre for Family Entrepreneurship and Ownership (CeFEO) at Jönköping International Business School. Thanks to a large network of international collaborators and partners, CeFEO offers to the course a unique regional, national and international perspective in discussing Family Business dynamics.
The purpose of this course is to enhance participants’ awareness and comprehension of how family businesses can approach common issues and challenges related to their specific structure and goals. The broader aim of the course is to support the development of family firms and facilitate the process of succession and ownership transition in family businesses by sharing knowledge and tools for how this can be done in effective ways.

The 15 credits course on Family Business Management is composed by 5 parts of 3 credits each:
1. Family Business, introduction and characteristics
2. Family Business Strategy
3. Family Business Governance
4. Family Business Ownership
5. Family Business Emotions

Five teaching cases developed by CeFEO researchers specifically for each part of the course allow a deeper understanding of the topics addressed in the lectures and discussions, bridging theory and practice.

Family Business, introduction and characteristics – 3 credits
Introduces the main characteristics of family businesses and depict how and why they are different to other type of businesses. It also covers the economic and social importance of family businesses worldwide. The most common challenges, including strengths and weaknesses of family businesses will be discussed.

Family Business Strategy – 3 credits
Focuses on the importance of developing a strategy for how to deal with both the family ownership group and the business development. The impact of owners on strategy and firm performance will be discussed; as will different type of strategic choices for business growth, innovation and internationalization.

Family Business Governance – 3 credits
Focuses on the importance of designing a well-adapted corporate and family governance structure. Corporate governance mechanisms considered are board of directors and advisors, and top management team. Family governance mechanisms considered are family meetings, family councils and family constitution. The module will embrace the importance of clarifying differences in roles between owners, managers and family members, as well as how to develop an owners’ plan and vision.

Family Business Ownership – 3 credits
Introduces a process perspective on ownership transition and succession. It will describe the most common choices and decisions that family business owners and managers face when approaching time of succession. Issues like when it is time to start thinking about succession, as well as how to develop a plan for the process of succession will be discussed in depth. The typical factors driving internal vs external ownership transition will be covered, as well as why it is important to differ between management and ownership succession.

Family Business Emotions – 3 credits
Focuses on the importance of dealing with the emotional side of family business, how to deal with possible conflicts between key actors including how to design a succession and transition process perceived as fair and effective. Ownership transition and succession in family businesses is an emotional issue and the success or failure of the process depends largely on how relationships between people, often with different goals, are handled.

Connection to research and practice
This course builds on the research excellence and practical relevance of the Centre for Family Entrepreneurship and Ownership, bridging the core competences of JIBS faculty on family business and ownership. The participants will have a unique opportunity for applying the most relevant theoretical concepts to examples, cases and experiences from family businesses. The course is tailor-made for business owners, professionals and practitioners, working in or with family businesses, as well as for next-generation family business members and successors.

This is an online course. All activities will be web-based, and consist of video-lectures, readings, teaching case, assignments, group discussions and feedback sessions. Students are expected to prepare for and actively participate in group discussions. Optional campus meetings might be arranged. The teaching is conducted in English.

The teaching is conducted in English.

General entry requirements, and English proficiency is required, and evidence of at least three years of professional work experience.
Application letter (min 300, max 500 words) written in English. This letter clearly describes the motivations for taking a family business course.

The course is graded Fail (U) or Pass (G).

All parts of compulsory examination in the course must be passed with a passing grade (G) before a final grade can be set. The final grade of the course is determined by the sum total of points for all parts of examination in the course (0-100 points). Grade is set in accordance to JIBS grading policy.

Name of the Test	Value	Grading
Family Business, introduction and characteristics - Individual quizzes1	1 credit	U/G
Family Business, introduction and characteristics - Written reflections2	2 credits	U/G
Family Business Strategy - Individual quizzes1	1 credit	U/G
Family Business Strategy - Written reflections2	2 credits	U/G
Family Business Governance - Individual quizzes1	1 credit	U/G
Family Business Governance - Written reflections2	2 credits	U/G
Family Business Ownership - Individual quizzes1	1 credit	U/G
Family Business Ownership - Written reflections2	2 credits	U/G
Family Business Emotions - Individual quizzes1	1 credit	U/G
Family Business Emotions - Written reflections2	2 credits	U/G

¹ ILOs: 1, 2
² ILOs: 3, 4, 5, 6

It is the responsibility of the examiner to ensure that each course is evaluated. At the outset of the course, the programme evaluators in the course must be contacted. In the middle of the course, the examiner should meet the programme evaluators to identify strengths/weaknesses in the first half of the course.
At the end of the course, the examiner should remind students to fill in the survey. The examiner should also call a meeting with the programme evaluators to debrief the course, based on course evaluation data and comments. The next time the course runs, students should be informed of any measures taken to improve the course based on the previous course evaluations.
At the end of each study period, JIBS’ Director of Quality and Accreditation crafts a “Course Evaluation Quarter Report”, presenting the quantitative results from course evaluation surveys. The Associate Dean of Education, The Associate Deans of Faculty, Programme Directors, and JSA President and Quality receive the report.

The course is web based and structured with the intention to allow participants to maintain their daily job simultaneously.

Academic integrity
JIBS students are expected to maintain a strong academic integrity. This implies to behave within the boundaries of academic rules and expectations relating to all types of teaching and examination.

Copying someone else’s work is a particularly serious offence and can lead to disciplinary action. When you copy someone else’s work, you are plagiarising. You must not copy sections of work (such as paragraphs, diagrams, tables and words) from any other person, including another student or any other author. Cutting and pasting is a clear example of plagiarism. There is a workshop and online resources to assist you in not plagiarising called the Interactive Anti-Plagiarism Guide.

Other forms of breaking academic integrity include (but are not limited to) adding your name to a project you did not work on (or allowing someone to add their name), cheating on an examination, helping other students to cheat and submitting other students work as your own, and using non-allowed electronic equipment during an examination. All of these make you liable to disciplinary action.

Compulsory Literature:
Selected academic articles.

Recommended Literature:
The following book is a companion for the entire course:
Zellweger, T. (2017), Managing the family business: theory and practice. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Each sub-course corresponds to the following chapters:
- Family Business, introduction and characteristics - Chapters 2, 3 & 4
- Family Business Strategy - Chapter 6
- Family Business Governance - Chapter 5
- Family Business Ownership - Chapter 7 & 8
- Family Business Emotions - Chapter 10