​This book presents the reader a comprehensive understanding of the development of family business in transitional economies. Throughout eastern Europe, post-Communist countries transitioning to market-based economies are obtaining a variety of results due to diverse policy approaches. Expert contributions in this book draw from a wealth of information in this context and include thought-provoking policy prescriptions for the future. This book concentrates on the challenges to predict the direction emerging markets will take, particularly when dealing with the wide-ranging social and economic situations taking place in post-Communist Eastern Europe. This reference volume for policymakers, educators, investors, and researchers also provides a much-needed and timely survey of family firms in the transitioning markets of post-Communist Europe.

Provides real world studies of the family in business, by observing typical firms rather than dynasties. It looks at how the nature of family business is changing in our times and provides insight into the lessons we can learn from this. The book focuses on the impact for the professional non-family manager.

Many of the challenges faced by family-owned businesses develop after the firm has reached a stage of maturity, when the first generation is faced with issues concerning the role of their children in the business and the long-term future of the enterprise. This collection of case studies from around the world demonstrates how governance of both the business and the family (or lack thereof) impacts succession of leadership in the firm and the inheritance of ownership and wealth. It is the role of governance and how it impacts both family and firm that link these family business cases together with succession and inheritance. These topics have been clustered together because the social systems of the family and the management system of the firm have significant impacts on the success, or failure, of succession plans. All the planning in the world for succession and inheritance will not succeed if the firm does not have a well established and functional governance system. Likewise, if the family does not understand its role in the governance of the firm and the mechanisms for making sound decisions, succession choices may not be accepted by family members. Most family firms fail because of succession issues, not economic ones. This volume features nine in-depth cases of family-owned business from a variety of industries to illuminate the dynamics of governance, succession, and inheritance. Each case illustrates the complexity of issues and, through interactive exercises and questions, offers readers approaches to solutions, which may include less-than-optimal compromises or even selling the business as the only viable option. The examples and insights will prove valuable for students and members of entrepreneurial and family-owned firms, as well as consultants, investors, and other professional advisors.

This book explores the relationship between families, firms, and regions and the extent to which these relationships contribute to regional economic and social development. Although family business participation in economic activities has been a common phenomenon since pre-industrial societies, and its importance has evolved throughout time and across spatial contexts, the book suggests that these factors have often been neglected in family business and regional studies. Taking this research gap into account, the book aims to deepen our understanding of the role family firms play in the regional economy. In particular, it explores two seldom studied questions. Firstly, what role do family firms play in regional development? Secondly, how do different spatial regional contexts shape family firm operations and performance? Family Business and Regional Development presents a model of "spatial familiness" and uses themes such as productivity, networks and competitiveness to shed new light on family businesses. Moreover, it approaches the juxtaposition between family business and regional studies to encourage the cross-fertilisation of ideas, theories, and research methods between the two fields. Bringing together leading experts in entrepreneurship, regional economics, and economic geography, this book will be a valuable reading for advanced students, researchers and policymakers interested in family firms, regional studies and economic geography.

Navigate the complex decisions and critical relationships necessary to create and sustain a healthy family business—and business family. Though "family business" may sound like it refers only to mom-and-pop shops, businesses owned by families are among the most significant and numerous in the world. But surprisingly few resources exist to help navigate the unique challenges you face when you share the executive suite, financial statements, and holidays. How do you make the right decisions, critical to the long-term survival of any business, with the added challenge of having to do so within the context of a family? The HBR Family Business Handbook brings you sophisticated guidance and practical advice from family business experts Josh Baron and Rob Lachenauer. Drawing on their decades-long experience working closely with a wide range of family businesses of all sizes around the world, the authors present proven methods and approaches for communicating effectively, managing conflict, building the right governance structures, and more. In the HBR Family Business Handbook you'll find: A new perspective on what makes family businesses succeed and fail A framework to help you make good decisions together Step-by-step guidance on managing change within your business family Key questions about wealth, unique to family businesses, that you can't afford to ignore Assessments to help you determine where you are—and where you want to go Stories of real companies, from Marchesi Antinori to Radio Flyer Chapter summaries you can use to reinforce what you've learned Keep this comprehensive guide with you to help you build, grow, and position your family business to thrive across generations. HBR Handbooks provide ambitious professionals with the frameworks, advice, and tools they need to excel in their careers. With step-by-step guidance, time-honed best practices, and real-life stories, each comprehensive volume helps you to stand out from the pack—whatever your role.

This companion provides broad and in-depth insights into family business in Asia and how Asian family firms navigate in the digital economy. The first part of the book looks at key concepts of family business while the second part presents Asian family firms’ cases from Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia and other Asian economies. This comprehensive reference will help readers understand how family firms in Asia compete and survive in the world market especially in the digital age and why and how Asian economies can emerge as one of the most dynamic regions in the world.

Family business is one of the earliest forms of economic organisation and is still the most common form of commercial entity in the world, fulfilling roles across the spectrum of business and organisational activities, ranging from craft specialists, to local mobile food outlets, to online traders, to corner shops, to market sector suppliers, to internationally branded multinationals. Starting up, developing and maintaining such initiatives requires a dedicated entrepreneurial spirit and a range of management skills, as well as periodic episodes of good timing and targeting. Since the advent of mechanisation and industrialisation, larger organisations and publicly-listed companies have often been viewed as the measure of economic sustainability, in part because collecting information on such groups is relatively more straightforward than doing the same for the many hundreds of thousands of smaller family firms, sole traders and entrepreneurs. This book aims to reinforce the importance of family businesses and to highlight the challenges they face as they evolve.