The challenge faced by family businesses and their stakeholders, is to recognise the issues that they face, understand how to develop strategies to address them and more importantly, to create narratives, or family stories that explain the emotional dimension of the issues to the family. The most intractable family business issues are not the business problems the organisation faces, but the emotional issues that compound them. Applying psychodynamic concepts will help to explain behaviour and will enable the family to prepare for life cycle transitions and other issues that may arise. Here is a new understanding and a broader perspective on the human dynamics of family firms with two complementary frameworks, psychodynamic and family systematic, to help make sense of family-run organisations. Although this book includes a conceptual section, it is first and foremost a practical book about the real world issues faced by business families. The book begins by demonstrating that many years of achievement through generations can be destroyed by the next, if the family fails to address the psychological issues they face. By exploring cases from famous and less well known family businesses across the world, the authors discuss entrepreneurs, the entrepreneurial family and the lifecycles of the individual and the organisation. They go on to show how companies going through change and transition can avoid the pitfalls that endanger both family and company. The authors then apply tools that will help family businesses in transition and offer their analyses and conclusions. Readers should draw their own conclusions from careful examination of the cases, identifying the problems or dilemmas faced and the options for improved business performance and family relationships. They should ask what they might have done in the given situation and what new insight into individual or family behaviour each case offers. The goal is to avoid a bitter ending.

From small start-ups to giant multinationals, from the Mom-and-Pop owned barber shop to Ford, family owned businesses continue to dominate the world economy. Regardless of size, running a successful family firm presents unique challenges, and many fail to survive the transition to the next generation. Here is a practical, comprehensive guide to ensuring success through effective strategic planning. The authors provide a wealth of tested, easy-to-follow tools and techniques for mastering strategic planning for family-owned firms. Filled with real world examples, case studies, checklists, and planning worksheets, the book shows how to deal with a host of emerging challenges--from new technologies and globalizing marketings--by integrating family values and dynamics into sound planning and management.

The authors explore how effective planning and communication helps business families around the world address growth challenges as they strive to become high performing multi-generation family enterprises. This book shows family businesses working together at their best.

'This is a very business-like book in its approach. It has an impressive global reach in its authorship, focal areas and use of evidence; it hits all the major practical challenges of family firms in a spirit that is fresh and current; and it deals with the cutting-edge themes and issues that are uppermost in the minds of owners, executives, advisors and researchers in the field.' – Nigel Nicholson, London Business School, author, Managing the Human Animal, Family Wars and The 'I' of Leadership Acclaim for the first edition: 'The authors have taken a lot of pain in putting this handbook together. As the name indicates, this is an excellent handbook for researchers.' – Global Business Review 'The Handbook of Research on Family Business has collected and synthesized a broad variety of topics by notable researchers who share a common dedication to family business research. This Handbook provides a comprehensive treatment that advances the frontiers of knowledge in family business, provoking valuable thoughts and discussion. The Handbook will serve as both an authoritative and comprehensive reference work for researchers investigating family enterprises.' – A. Bakr Ibrahim, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada 'Although family business research is a young discipline it is both necessary and important. For the wellbeing and future development of our society the survival of prosperous and passionate family business entrepreneurs is indispensable. In order to help the families in business to better understand how to succeed with their enterprises we need qualified and updated research. This book is the answer!' – Hans-Jacob Bonnier, Bonnier Business Press Group, Sweden and 6th Generation Chairman of the Family Business Network – International 'This Handbook is a unique compilation of the most important and the best recent family business research. The field has grown so rapidly that this effort will be a mark for the research to follow. The Handbook of Research on Family Business will be the reference for scholars in family business for many years to come. It will also stimulate new ideas in research.' – John L. Ward, IMD, Switzerland and Northwestern University, US During the previous decade, the multi-disciplinary field of family business has advanced significantly in terms of advances in theory, development of sophisticated empirical instruments, systematic measurement of family business activity, use of alternative research methodologies and deployment of robust tools of analysis. This second edition of the Handbook of Research on Family Business presents important research and conceptual developments across a broad range of topics. The contributors – notable researchers in the field – explore the frontiers of knowledge in family business entrepreneurship and stimulate critical thinking, enriching the repository of theoretical frameworks and methodologies. The Handbook takes a systematic and rigorous approach by providing in-depth insights into the dynamics of family business, its context and the significant role of stakeholders. Ultimately, this scholarly compendium of extant family business papers is an invaluable resource for researchers, educators, family business consultants, family business owner-managers and students.

It's all in the family Family businesses are the backbone of any economy, but they can present a host of challenges that can affect their chances of success. The Complete Idiot's Guide® to a Successful Family Business is the most current and comprehensive book that tells the proprietors of family concerns how to deal with such unique issues, including expansion beyond the original family business, and family versus hired management. • 80 percent of all businesses in America are family-run • Written by a nationally known author team • Instructive anecdotes about successful businesses provide practical, hands-on-advice

The authors explore how effective planning and communication helps business families around the world address growth challenges as they strive to become high performing multi-generation family enterprises. This book shows family businesses working together at their best.

The SAGE Handbook of Family Business captures the conceptual map and state-of-the-art thinking on family business - an area experiencing rapid global growth in research and education since the last three decades. Edited by the leading figures in family business studies, with contributions and editorial board support from the most prominent scholars in the field, this Handbook reflects on the development and current status of family enterprise research in terms of applied theories, methods, topics investigated, and perspectives on the field′s future. The SAGE Handbook of Family Business is divided into following six sections, allowing for ease of navigation while gaining a multi-dimensional perspective and understanding of the field. Part I: Theoretical perspectives in family business studies Part II: Major issues in family business studies Part III: Entrepreneurial and managerial aspects in family business studies Part IV: Behavioral and organizational aspects in family business studies Part V: Methods in use in family business studies Part VI: The future of the field of family business studies By including critical reflections and presenting possible alternative perspectives and theories, this Handbook contributes to the framing of future research on family enterprises around the world. It is an invaluable resource for current and future scholars interested in understanding the unique dynamics of family enterprises under the rubric of entrepreneurship, strategic management, organization theory, accounting, marketing or other related areas.

This book shows evidence-based discussion on appropriate coaching skills for family business. The book is expected to meet the demand for this knowledge base, and to achieve a practical solution-focused approach to applying specific coaching skills to family business. The need to generate ideas to develop modern, reliable and appropriate coaching application tools for family businesses is highlighted using experiential and reflective learning approach. The book is focused on understanding the economic growth of family business from a coaching perspective, and provides a critical narrative of selected failures as well as success stories. It has thus a far-reaching goal: to demonstrate the critical connection between coaching skills, family business functions, experiential and reflective learning.

Businesses owned and operated by families constitute the vast majority of firms around the world. These firms are found in all industrial segments, from retail and service establishments to heavy manufacturers. Their sizes and revenues range from the smallest venture of a husband and wife roadside food stall in rural India to the largest multinational, highly diversified corporations in the United States and Europe. Many challenges, such as competition, regulation, environmental concerns, access to capital, and macroeconomic factors confront family and nonfamily firms alike. In addition, family and closely-held firms grapple with such issues of succession, continuity, conflict resolution, identity and organizational roles, estate and financial planning that are idiosyncratic to them; when psychological, social, and emotional factors are in play, constantly changing familial relationships influence the strategic and financial choices they make. Yet, there has been comparatively little theoretical or empirical research undertaken on family firms, relative to entrepreneurship and strategic management. This book addresses gaps in the literature by presenting a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to the study and practice of family business that draws from such fields as psychology, anthropology, sociology, strategy, family therapy, family studies, wealth management, and international business. An international array of experts addresses both macro issues (including the role of family businesses in new business creation and economic development, influences of culture on family business, public policies that can encourage or threaten family business) and firm management (strategic and financial decision making, governance, entering and exiting). Featuring case studies from firms in a variety of industries, Understanding Family Businesses not only offers provocative new insights on family business dynamics, but outlines an agenda for future research.

The bestselling classic is now in paperback! When Sophie's family purchases a new couch, they get something they never expected. An original adventure that's both zany and tender, He Came with The Couch is silly, sweet, and hilarious good fun! GOOD FUN: This is a simple, fun story that is a silly read for the whole family! A CLASSIC BOOK: For fans of classic picture books as well as modern tales of fun, this book has humor for everyone. A FRIEND FOR THE AGES: Every child will want a friend and protector like the one Sophie has, instilling and cementing the power of friendship and good surprises. You never know what you’ll get when you get a new couch! Perfect for: parents and grandparents, educators, librarians