Leading and Owning a Family Enterprise 7.5 credits

This course will give you insight in common characteristics and challenges of leading and owning family enterprises and give you insight in analyze problems in leading and owning family enterprises by applying appropriate knowledge resources.

Course Contents

Family enterprises is the most common type of private companies in most countries in the world. A clear majority of small and medium-sized businesses are family enterprises as well as important large listed companies. Leading and Owning a Family Enterprise is an introduction to family businesses. The course is structured in 5 modules. Each module is case based and offers a balanced combination of academic knowledge and a strong connection to practice.
The topic covered in the modules are:

  1. Introduction to family enterprises. This module introduces the main characteristics of family enterprises and depict how and why they are different to other type of enterprises.
  2. Succession. This module presents succession issues and describe the most common choices and decisions that family business owners and managers face?
  3. Leadership. This module discusses the importance of leadership for how to deal with both the family ownership group and the enterprise development.
  4. Emotions, relationships and conflicts. This module focuses on the importance of dealing with the emotional side of family business, how to deal with possible conflicts between key actors and how to face multi-generational issues.
  5. Sustainability. This module reflects on the relationship between ethics and behaviors of family enterprises, and a diverse set of business outcomes, such as growth orientation, economic and non-economic goal structure, CSR and philanthropy

Connection to Research and Practice
This is a theoretically as well as practically oriented course in Family business and ownership context. The course provides students with an opportunity to deepen their knowledge and abilities in working strategically in a specified contextual setting. This course opens students to the multiplicity of views on leading and owning family enterprises and its application in actual scenarios. It is based on real case studies and interaction with the industry (family owned businesses) is a vital part of the course.

Prerequisites

General entry requirements and 60 credits in Business Administration and/or Economics or the equivalent. Proof of English proficiency is required.

Level of Education: First cycle

Coursecode/Ladok code: JLFN10

The course is conducted at: Jönköping International Business School

Label Value
Type of course Programme instance course
Study type Normal teaching
Semester Spring 2025: week 3 – week 12
Rate of study 50%
Language English
Location Jönköping
Time Day-time
Places 0.0
Tuition fees do NOT apply for EU/EEA citizens or exchange students 12500 SEK
Syllabus (PDF)
Application code HJ-J5036