Lorsque l’on évoque les entreprises familiales et leurs transmissions, une série d’images viennent à l’esprit, qui mêlent famille, patrimoine et dynastie. Suivant cette "mythologie" de sagas familiales et suivant cette idée que l’entreprise est, pour la famille qui la possède et la gère, à la fois un moyen de production et un moyen d’existence matérielle et symbolique, on en vient à nourrir l’idée que dans la "famille en entreprise" la fusion entre celle-là et celle-ci est telle que ses membres doivent avoir à cœur de transmettre l’entreprise, de la faire durer et d’ainsi faire durer la famille. Or, il s’avère que c’est loin d’être le cas: la transmission de l’entreprise au sein de la famille est une possibilité qui suscite peu d’adhésion. <p>Ce constat soulève de nombreuses questions, que nous avons plus spécifiquement posées aux petites PME. Comment les parents sont-ils "disposés" face à cette possibilité de transmettre l’entreprise à leurs enfants? Quelle place ceux-ci donnent-ils à l’entreprise dans leurs projets? Quel regard les familles en PME portent-elles sur le futur de leur entreprise? Comment, par les idiosyncrasies familiales, l'environnement économique et le contexte social, expliquer les faveurs et défaveurs que reçoit l’idée de transmission? C’est à ces interrogations que cette thèse entend répondre, en explorant le passé et le présent de douze PME et des familles qui les portent, douze "cas" nourris par une approche qualitative, triangulaire, transfamiliale et multigénérationnelle. / Doctorat en sciences sociales, Orientation sociologie / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Magister Commercii - MCom / China is a country built on traditions and one of its most respected traditions is a preference for the family unit. The closeness of the family unit is carried over into the economic life of the country. Family members not only live together, but also work together in the fields or in enterprises. The advantage of this is that families have a guaranteed labour force that is not only loyal and can also be trusted. The disadvantage however is that positioning within the business is not always based on merit and competence, or trustworthiness which can ultimately impede growth. This research was an examination of Chinese family-owned businesses that focused on their management practices. The purpose of the study was to explore the management characteristics of Chinese family-owned businesses by means of interview data collected from five Chinese businesses in the Cape Metropolitan area. The emphasis of the project concentrated on the establishment, expansion and growth, ownership and leadership, management structure, the impact of cultural factors and the strategy for the future as well as challenges in terms of competitors and environments. / South Africa

In the 21st century, family businesses around the world face significant challenges and plentiful opportunities. The growth and survival of family firms depends on their ability to address these challenges, capitalise on their strengths, and take advantage of the opportunities facing them. The family business literature is rich in the experiences of Americans, Koreans, Swedes and many other nationalities, cultures and religions around the world, but there is a paucity of documented evidence that relates to the Arab world. This study adds a new and important specific contribution to the literature by addressing the field of family businesses in the Arab world, and Abu Dhabi in particular. The thesis concentrates on large family firms which have their headquarters in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The main reason for this choice is pragmatic; the researcher has far greater access to the principals (CEO’s and Chairmen in particular) of Abu Dhabi based family firms than those headquartered elsewhere. This thesis identifies major themes which will influence the future development of family firms in Abu Dhabi in the medium term (taken to mean up to 2030, the period covered by the Abu Dhabi Vision). The research design chosen is an exploratory one. It does not seek to make predictions concerning the future of family firms in Abu Dhabi but attempts to explain the phenomenon of family firms in Abu Dhabi to the extent that explanation helps shed light on possible alternative strategies which such firms might need to adopt if they are to continue to prosper. The research relies heavily on expert interviews. Such a strategy is warranted by the dearth of published data of any sort. This research also makes a useful contribution to our understanding of family firms in general. By concentrating on a hitherto under-researched context, the study adds to our overall understanding by broadening the range of comparative studies of family firms which are available to other researchers.

published_or_final_version / Business / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Modern Languages and Cultures / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

This study examines change in the family farming sector through the lens of succession. It explores empirically the succession expectations and intentions of farmers and their children in a changing contextual landscape. The research is underpinned by two theoretical concepts: the ‘farm adjustment strategy’ facilitated the development of structural reference points in respect of the family farm business and household; and application of tenets of van der Ploeg’s (1994) ‘styles’ work enabled analysis of structural change in the farm business to be viewed through a qualitative succession lens. A ‘pragmatist’ mixed-methods approach comprised a farmer survey and next generation in-depth interviews. The analytical approach accommodated issues of temporality and facilitated the linkage and study of multiple components of change. It was found that immense variability exists in terms of how succession is managed in practice. The structural characteristics and capacity of the farm business clearly impact upon succession choices and positions, but intrinsic drivers also have a very significant bearing on succession and its potential outcome. The research revealed three broad outcomes of next generation succession intention, each forming the basis of a succession style: a desire and intention to succeed to the family farm, reflected in more traditional succession modes; an intention to leave the family farm, thus opting out of farming per se; and part-time succession, characterised by off-farm professional work, flexibility and a lifestyle preference that encompasses aspects of farming and non-farming worlds. The findings presented in this thesis suggest that, through succession, forms of farm management and operation are evolving. Family farming entities are adapting and becoming increasingly heterogeneous. Through a contemporary succession lens, the notion of the family farm now comprises an assortment of family-owned and family-managed businesses with an array of diversified business, amenity and farming interests.

This study is a reflective analysis of the perceptions of senior executives in family businesses that relate to their personal experiences of having been mentored. The study presents an overview of the topic of mentoring, defines key terms, and identifies questions addressed in the research. The rationale for this study rested on two facts. First, mentoring in non-family businesses constitutes the majority of the literature. That literature supports the importance of mentoring. Secondly, mentoring in family businesses has not been researched.

When the owners of family-owned businesses leave the workplace, they can transfer ownership to the next generation; however, their knowledge of the business goes with them. There is a gap in the literature regarding effective ways to transfer family business resources and knowledge to subsequent generations. The problem was some small and family-owned businesses do not have detailed plans in place based on the needs of owners and the successor generation, with cross-project knowledge as part of the succession plan. The purpose of this nonexperimental study was to examine the relationships between the subscales of cross-project tacit knowledge transfer and to examine the generational differences in cross-project tacit knowledge transfer among small and family-owned businesses. The theoretical underpinning of the study was Argyris and Schön's organizational learning theory. Data from family business owners were collected through an online survey administered by SurveyMonkey, using purposeful sampling. Data (n = 233) were analyzed using a Spearman correlation matrix and Kruskal-Wallis tests. The findings indicated there were significant associations for seven of the 10 correlations between the subscales of cross-project knowledge transfer with each relationship being positive. In addition, the findings suggested that there were significant differences in cross-project knowledge transfer by age cohort. These findings may assist informed family-owned business owners with the complexities of succession planning, which may lead to the business being successful over more generations. This may allow the business to sustain its contribution to the local economy and help the community to prosper, leading to positive social change.

Standard indicators of slow growth among small businesses are negative job creation and lower tax revenue. Small business success and growth is necessary for increasing productivity, profitability, and job creation. The purpose of this single case study was to explore growth strategies leaders of a mature small information technology (IT) business in the midwestern United States used to grow their organization beyond existing capacity. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and review of organizational documentation. The conceptual framework for the study was general systems theory. The study included a purposeful sample of 2 senior leaders of a mature small IT business. Data gathered from interviews were manually coded and thematically organized. Through thematic analysis that included color coding themes from document review and interview responses, a storyline was developed showing 4 themes: Leadership development, standard operating procedures, succession planning, and long-term growth strategy. Identifying growth strategies may assist leaders of mature small IT businesses to grow beyond existing capacity. The findings of this study have implications for positive social change for leaders of mature small IT businesses and the local community because the information may help leaders of such businesses influence growth and expansion, decrease unemployment, and increase local tax revenue.