Family businesses are operating throughout the world and suggested to be the predominant way of doing business. This is also true in South Africa with its unique challenges and informal sector providing work to many South Africans not able to find work in the formal sector. Women operating in the corporate environment have traditionally encountered challenges in breaking through the glass ceiling in order to be counted as a successful person in her own right. The same scenario seems to be evident in the family Business environment. Women in family business might choose the family business career path as it allows them more flexibility and time to attend to the home and children, but they also face a glass ceiling of another nature and are there other challenges to overcome in order to make their mark in the family business world. This study’s primary objective was to investigate the literature pertaining to women in business and women in family business. Of great importance was to determine what contributions women make in the family business environment allowing them to be successful. In order to answer this question the secondary objectives supported the primary objective of this study and pertained to the difference between men and women in terms of leadership style and execution of their personalities in business. The inherent strengths and weaknesses displayed by both male and females in the family business environment are investigated in order to link this to their management execution. v A questionnaire was developed to do an empirical study on respondents as identified in the Nelson Mandela Metropole and greater Eastern Cape. The respondents were from varied industries and was selected and interviewed with the support of the questionnaire structure as guidance. The results were analysed and certain recommendations were made addressing the primary objective. Further recommendations were made relating to future potential research in this area. An important finding of the research is that women as identified in the Eastern Cape environment still have difficulty in reaching the top. This is true for the corporate world as well as the family business environment. The difficulty might be based in the traditional roles women assume, but in many cases it was found that women are responsible for their downfall or stagnation in the family business environment as women are satisfied to remain in the shadows and do not command their own space and right of existence. Recommendations were made based on the advice of some of the female respondents which can assist in women stepping up to the role they should take up. Some of the advice given can be used as a best practice in future research of this nature.

Every business organisation has a unique set of challenges and problems. The family business is mainly affected by personal factors and family political influences. Most family business political influences are based on succession. Many of these problems exist in corporate business environments, but can be exaggerated in a family business. Family businesses go through various stages of growth and development over time. Many of these challenges will be found once the second and subsequent generations enter the business. One of the key problems is succession planning. Most family organisations do not have a plan for handing the power to the next generation, leading to great political conflicts and divisions. Despite the foregoing problems, family business is the world’s dominant form of business organisation. Based on figures compiled by the Family Firm Institute (FFI), in the Barclays Wealth Insights 2009, family firms comprise 80% to 90% of all businesses in North America. In the United Kingdom 75% of all businesses are family businesses. Some of the world’s biggest and best-known companies are family-owned. In the United States, some 37% of Fortune 500 companies are family-owned. In the global beer industry there are two family owned businesses in the top five, namely the Anheuser Busch Inbev Brewing Company and Heineken Breweries. Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken, a Heineken family member is delegate member of the Board of directors of Heineken Holding N.V. (Heineken Annual Report, 2011).This research report investigated succession at Heineken (as a family business). The researcher employed a mixed methodology approach where both quantitative and qualitative data collection instruments were used to gather data from two different groups of respondents (Heineken Operational Company Executives and Heineken Expatriates). Numerous attempts were made to contact Mrs Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken as well as other members of the Heineken family, without success. None of the questionnaires were returned. The research concluded that despite the fact that Heineken management has been highly professionalised with the majority of senior management structures filled with non-family members; the company is still a family business because 50.005% of the shareholding is held by Mrs. de Carvalho Heineken who is a family member. The research also observed that Mrs. de Carvalho Heineken sits on the Heineken Board of Directors. There is also an interesting side to the family ownership of the Heineken business. According to the Heineken Group’s 2009 Annual Report, the Hoyer family and Heineken family own L’Arche Green, a company that holds 58.78% interest in Heineken Holdings. This scenario confirms earlier research findings that according to the Agency Theory, managers who are not owners will not watch over the affairs of a firm as diligently as owners managing the firm themselves. The placement of Mrs.de Carvalho Heineken and Mr. D.P. Hoyer on Board of Directors is therefore very strategic in terms of maintaining the “familiness” of the Heineken business. Although respondents were not as direct as to whether there was a succession plan at Heineken, available documents reveal that indeed there is a succession plan at the company. It is interesting to note that Mrs. de Carvalho Heineken has been a member of the Executive Board of Directors since the age of thirty-four (she was nominated in 1988). This type of exposure to the Heineken business would went a long way in preparing Mrs. de Carvalho-Heineken for future positions. Her experience as a member of the Executive Board of Directors therefore confirms results of studies that found that positive firm performance by family successors is associated with successor’s development and intergenerational relationships, succession planning, successor’s potential capability, commitment to the firm and successor’s business skills.

The South African wine industry is polarised into the quantity-producing majority and the quality-conscious minority [Hughes, 2003]. The qualityproducing sector of the South African wine industry is dominated by family businesses. Research shows that there are approximately ninety familyowned wineries in South Africa. By international standards, South Africa is viewed as a quantity, not quality producing wine country, which will make it difficult to survive in an industry where quality is paramount for recognition. The ‘trailblazers’ of the international wine industry are family owned wineries [Robinson, 2000]. Twenty five percent of the 2003 five star South African wines were made by individuals or family wineries [Hughes, 2003], emphasising the growing importance of family wineries in the production of quality wines. It is important now, more than ever, with the industry opening up internationally, that survival of the family-owned wineries and their production of icon wines are promoted so that they can become flagship producers of the industry. The achievement of international status as a quality producing country, as well as building an industry based on the longevity of wine producing families, as well as a nation of wine lovers in South Africa should result.

A significant number of businesses operating in South Africa can be categorised as familyowned businesses and contribute substantially to employment creation, poverty eradication and wealth creation. Nonetheless, their longevity through generations remains a major cause for concern for all stakeholders. South African economy is characterised by a history of apartheid, where prior to 1994, the black majority only owned less than 5 percent of the businesses active in the economy. Since then, black majority participation in the economy has increased driven by the Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) legislation. Therefore, the aim of this study is to understand the influence of the incumbent, the successor, the family and the business, on management succession within black family-owned businesses in South Africa. The study followed an exploratory qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews. Thirteen black family-owned business incumbents were interviewed with a view to answer the research questions. From the literature, 17 of the most widespread factors that influence management succession in family businesses were derived and formed the basis of the constructs or themes adopted during data analysis. All the interviews were recorded and then transcribed into text. A directed content analysis using ATLAS-ti was used to analyse the data, while constant comparative analysis using a meta-matrix was used to establish common themes to specific groups of respondents. The key findings showed that incumbent of black family-owned business regard the successor and incumbent-related factors as the predominant drivers of management succession. Commitment and interest of the successor towards the business and the quality of the relationship between the incumbent and the successor have a strong influence on decisions and criteria design across all the stages of the management succession process. From the family perspective, natural succession based on birth order and gender was considered to be the key determinant of the succession pool composition. Support of the successor by the family members through acceptance of the choice and not passing judgement when mistakes are made emerged as the critical family dimension that will influence the overall management succession process. In terms of the business itself, the size and nature of the business and change in market conditions were established to have a major influence on the succession process. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lmgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / unrestricted

To date various studies have been conducted on family business behaviour and how they survive around the world. This is owning to the high prevalence of family businesses in countries around the world and as a result the contribution family businesses make to factors such as GDP and employment. Sustainable family businesses that experience growth and diversification are therefore important in the economies that they operate in. Family businesses are however said to be risk averse when diversification opportunities arise, favouring to forgo growth in favour of the safe keeping of the families’ wealth, known as Socio-Emotional Wealth. This study seeks to discover how family businesses grow by way of diversification and given the dynamics of families and the businesses they run, how do different generations perceive such growth. Thirteen successful family businesses took part in this study, which was exploratory and qualitative in design. Using Socio-Emotional Wealth as a lens for understanding family business decision-making we are able to discover how this framework influences the preservation mind-set. Five themes emerged from the interview data indicating the importance families place on these themes, which included growth; diversification; autonomy; environmental constructs and generational perceptions. The themes that emerged influence the way in which the family business sees growth and ultimately decisions relating to Socio-Emotional Wealth. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lmgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

Chan, Eunice Shan. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 108-119). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / ABSTRACT --- p.i / CHINESE ABSTRACT --- p.ii / ACKNOWLEDGMENTS --- p.iii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iv / LIST OF TABLES --- p.v / LIST OF FIGURES --- p.vi / CHAPTERS / Chapter 1. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter 2. --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.5 / Definitions of Turnaround --- p.5 / Causes of Firm Decline --- p.6 / Severity of the Situation --- p.8 / A Western Perspective on Turnaround Responses --- p.10 / Turnaround Success --- p.20 / Turnaround in the Non-U. S. Contexts --- p.21 / Chapter 3. --- THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND HYPOTHESES --- p.23 / Organizing Framework --- p.23 / Institutions and Their Impact on Turnaround --- p.26 / Institutional Environment in East Asia and the West --- p.32 / Hypotheses --- p.44 / Chapter 4. --- METHODOLOGY --- p.54 / Research Design --- p.54 / Quantitative Methods --- p.55 / Qualitative Methods --- p.62 / Chapter 5. --- RESULTS --- p.65 / Quantitative Results --- p.65 / Qualitative Evidence --- p.79 / Chapter 6. --- DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION --- p.97 / Implications --- p.98 / Limitations and Future Research --- p.102 / Conclusion --- p.104 / REFERENCES --- p.108 / APPENDIX 1: INTERVIEW PROTOCOL --- p.120 / APPENDIX 2: ANALYSIS OF FIRMS WITH NON-ETHNIC CHINESE PRINCIPALS REMOVED --- p.121 / APPENDIX 3: ANALYSIS OF FIRMS WITH LOW Z-SCORES --- p.123 / APPENDIX 4: ANALYSIS OF FIRM SIZE --- p.126

Thesis (MTech (Business Administration (Entrepreneurship))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017. / Family-owned businesses have long played a significant role in the economies of the developed countries and are rapidly becoming an equally dominant force in those of developing countries. Family businesses are also recognised as a potential driver of economic growth and the creation of wealth throughout the world. The significant contribution which family businesses have been making to the South African economy over the last 300 years is made evident by the fact that approximately 80% of businesses in South Africa could be classified as family businesses and the equally compelling fact that they comprised of the order of 60% of the companies which were listed on the (JSE) Johannesburg Stock Exchange during its infancy. The main objective of the study was to determine the drivers of planning for succession in family-owned businesses in the township of Gugulethu in Cape Town in South Africa. The study also undertook to investigate the challenges which family-owned businesses encounter as they endeavour to transfer ownership and control from one generation to the next. The fact that although family-owned businesses contribute significantly to the economy, very often they do not survive a generational transition provides ample justification for undertaking to determine the factors which contribute to successful successions. This research study took the form of a real-time, longitudinal study in which the researcher could experience how the succession process unfolds in the family-owned businesses of the respondents and participants who made up the research sample. The study made use of a mixed methods approach to collect and analyse the data. In the quantitative study, questionnaires were administered to 120 owners and managers of family-owned businesses, while the qualitative data were obtained from in-depth interviews with owners and managers. The quantitative data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software, while the data which were obtained from the face-to-face interviews were analysed by means of thematic analysis.

Given the predicted increase in the number of family businesses owned and/or managed by siblings (Sibling Partnerships), as well as the lack of understanding and research attention given to such sibling teams, the purpose of this study was to contribute to the more effective functioning of such family businesses in South Africa by identifying the factors that impact on their success. With this purpose in mind, the primary objective was to identify, investigate and empirically test the possible influences of, and relationships between, various factors and the Perceived success of Sibling Partnerships. This study sets out to integrate prior findings and theories on team effectiveness and family relationships, to find support for these theories in the family business literature, and to incorporate these findings into a comprehensive model. The literature study revealed 5 main categories (context, composition, structure, processes, and people) of constructs influencing the Perceived success of sibling teams. Within these 5 main constructs, 13 underlying independent variables were identified and hypothesised to influence measures of effectiveness of sibling teams, namely the dependent variable Perceived success, and the 2 intermediate variables Financial performance and Family harmony. Of the 13 underlying independent variables, 6 were categorised as task-based and 7 as relational-based factors. In addition, hypotheses were formulated for possible relationships between the various task-based constructs (context, composition and structure) and the processes and people constructs. Each construct was clearly defined and then operationalised. Operationalisation was done by using reliable and valid items sourced from tested measuring instruments used in previous studies, as well as several self-generated items based on secondary sources. A structured questionnaire was made available to respondents identified by means of the convenience snowball sampling technique, and the data collected from 371 usable questionnaires was subjected to various statistical analyses. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted, and Cronbach-alpha coefficients were calculated to confirm the validity and reliability of the measuring instrument. The 6 task-based latent variables were confirmed by the exploratory factor analysis. However, all the other latent variables, as originally intended in the theoretical model, could not be confirmed. Instead, 3 dependent variables were identified, namely Financial performance, Growth performance and Satisfaction with work and family relationships, and 6 relational-based constructs, with some changes, did emerge. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was the main statistical procedure used to test the significance of the relationships hypothesised between the various independent and dependent variables. Because of sample size restrictions the conceptual model could not be subjected to SEM as a whole; consequently 10 submodels were identified and subjected to further analysis. The following independent variables were identified as influencing the dependent variables in this study: • Internal context • Complementary skills • Leadership • Shared dream • Fairness • Sibling relationship • Non-family members • No other family members (spouses and non-active siblings) In addition, the factors Complementary skills, Leadership, Past parent involvement, No present parent involvement, and No other family members, were identified as significantly influencing the relationship between the siblings involved in the Sibling Partnership. Furthermore, an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Multiple Linear Regression analysis and t-tests were undertaken to determine the influence of demographic variables on the dependent variables. How ownership is shared in a family business involving siblings, the shareholding between the siblings themselves, and the nature of leadership between the siblings, has been found to influence the iv dependent variables in the present study. In addition, a Sibling Partnership is likely to perform most effectively when it is composed of a relatively young sibling team that has a small age gap between the members, and business performance will improve as the siblings gain work experience together, and as the number of employees increase. This study has added to the empirical body of family business research by investigating a particularly limited segment of the literature, namely Sibling Partnerships in family businesses. By identifying and developing various models that outline the most significant factors that influence the success of such family business partnerships, this study offers recommendations and suggestions for managing family businesses involving siblings, in such a way as to enrich their family relationships and to improve the financial performance of their businesses.

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In die navorsingsverslag het ons geleer dat dit belangrik is om kennis te dra van menslike gedrag. As ‘n mens ‘n goeie idee het hoe mense funksioneer en dinge doen, sal dit makliker wees om saam te werk en om mekaar beter te verstaan. Die skrywer het in hoofstuk twee gevind dat konflik ‘n positiewe invloed kan hê op die transformasie van ‘n seun/dogter in ‘n familiebesigheid. In Hoofstuk 2 word die belangrikheid van kommunikasie in enige besigheid, en veral in ‘n familiebesigheid, beklemtoon. Die skrywer het gevind dat daar nie ‘n groot verskil tussen De Villiers (1985) se studie en dié studie is nie. Hier is ‘n paar verskille wat in Hoofstuk 5 uitgelig is. Seuns en vaders weet nie regtig wat die seun se rol in die familiebesigheid is nie. Hierdie probleem kan direk toegeskryf word aan swak kommunikasie. In Hoofstuk 2 kan ons lees hoe belangrik kommunikasie is. Daar is geen strategie hoe die vader die besigheid gaan verlaat nie. Dit is belangrik om so ‘n verlatingsstrategie op papier vas te lê. Die rede vir so ‘n strategie is om ‘n doel te hê om na te streef en om daarna te werk. Dit kan as ‘n plan gesien word om vas te stel wanneer die vader kan aftree en die seun kan begin planne maak vir sy toekoms. Seuns en vaders het verskillende opinies. Marshack (2003) verwys in Hoofstuk 2 dat die jonger generasie deur konflik ‘n merk in die besigheid kan maak, maar dit hang af of hulle met ‘n doeltreffende oplossing vorendag kan kom vir die konflik of die probleem. In Hoofstuk 2 kan meer oor konflik gelees word. Die skrywer van hierdie navorsingsprojek hoop dat die lesers meer duidelikheid sal hê oor die onderwerp en die implikasies in bestuur en mensevehoudings as ‘n seun/dogter die familiebesigheid betree. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this research report we learned how important it is to have an understanding of human behaviour. If one has a good understanding on how people function and operate, it is easier to work with other people and it is easier to understand one another. The writer learned that there is not a big difference between the results of the study done by De Villiers (1985) and this study. There are a few differences that can be found in Chapter 5. Sons and fathers are often confused on what role the son plays in the family business. This problem is usually a direct consequence of bad communication. In Chapter 2 we can read how important good communication is. There is often no exit strategy for the father in the family business. It is important to have an exit strategy on paper. The reason for an exit strategy is to have a goal to work towards. This is just a plan to see when it will be possible for the father to retire, and for the son to make plans for his future. Sons and fathers usually have different opinions. Marshack (2003) says in Chapter 2 that through conflict the younger generation can make a mark in the business if they come up with a proper and different solution. In Chapter 2 you can read more about resolving conflict. The writer hopes that you will have more answers on the implications in management and human relations when a son/daughter enters a family business after studying this research project.

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration