Publications

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March 2009 (Revised April 2011)
Course Overview Note

Growing, Financing, and Managing Family and Closely Held Firms: Overview of the Course

By: Belen Villalonga

Most companies around the world are controlled by their founding families, including more than half of all public corporations in the U.S. and Europe and more than two thirds of those in Asia. These companies are the subject of the Financial Management of Family and... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Financial Management; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Family Ownership; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Valuation

24 Nov 2022
News

The term family office is confusing; it needs a new name, says Harvard academic

September 2023
Technical Note

Note on Difficult Conversations in the Family Enterprise

By: Christina R. Wing

The best time to have a difficult conversation is, ideally, as soon as possible. Engaging in challenging conversations early can produce beneficial results for several reasons, such as resolving issues, improving communication, preserving relationships, and increasing... View Details

Keywords: Conversation; Family Business; Interpersonal Communication; Conflict and Resolution

June 2012
Background Note

Note on Financing Growth in Family Firms

By: Belen Villalonga

Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Family Business; Private Equity; Joint Ventures; Initial Public Offering

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05 Jul 2014
News

The Power of the Pub

Keywords: family business; change management; innovation; Food and Beverage Stores; Retail Trade

20 May 2014
News

Managing the Family Business: Survival’s Secret Sauce

01 Oct 2000
News

Linda B. Kanner: All in the Family

some HBS classes, including those in which edu.com was developed as a business plan. After moving back home to launch his company, Adam didn't look far for his first partner. "I was doing some consulting work and considering opportunities... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna

July 2005 (Revised August 2005)
Case

Family Governance at the Cousin Consortium Stage (VHS)

By: Courtney Sampson and John A. Davis

Keywords: Governance; Family Business

October 2024 (Revised January 2025)
Case

Citizens of the World: The International Legacy of Gloria von Thurn und Taxis

By: Lauren Cohen, Maximilian Form and Sophia Pan

When her husband passed away and inheritance taxes struck, Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis took decisive action to preserve her family’s fortune and legacy. The Thurn und Taxis family, one of Europe’s oldest aristocratic dynasties, had built their wealth through... View Details

Keywords: Family Office; Real Estate; Legacy; International Business; Family Business; Economy; Macroeconomics; Financial Crisis; Financial Liquidity; Investment; Global Strategy; Reputation; Diversification; Wealth; Taxation; Germany

2010
Working Paper

The Role of Institutional Development in the Prevalence and Value of Family Firms

We investigate the role played by institutional development in the prevalence and value of family firms, while controlling for the potential effect of cultural norms. China provides a good research lab since it combines great heterogeneity in institutional development... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Data and Data Sets; Law; Management; Organizational Culture; Research; Value; China

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29 Nov 2021
News

How Bonuses Get Employees to Choose Work Over Family

February 2022
Teaching Note

Stoy Foods

By: John Beshears

Teaching Note for the "Stoy Foods" Exercise (Harvard Business School Exercise 918-044, 918-045, 918-046, and 918-047). View Details

Keywords: Motivation; Framing; Job Design; Family Business

Web

Bharti Kher The Intermediary Family 2018 | About

Bharti Kher The Intermediary Family , 2018 Bharti Kher (Indian, born 1969), The Intermediary Family , 2018, bronze, 189 × 61 in. Courtesy of the artist and Hauser & Wirth . Bharti Kher (Indian, born 1969),... View Details

February 2009 (Revised June 2010)
Background Note

Note on Valuing Control and Liquidity in Family and Closely Held Firms

Most companies around the world are family controlled and/or closely held. The need to value these companies routinely arises in practice for a variety of reasons, e.g., to buy out minority shareholders; for gift and estate tax purposes; to tie executive compensation... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Financial Liquidity; Governance Controls; Valuation

31 Oct 2014
News

Business in the blood

16 Jan 2019
News

Employers Are Clueless When It Comes To Family Caregiving

September 2000
Article

Challenges Facing Family Companies in the Gulf Region

By: John A. Davis

Keywords: Problems and Challenges; Family Business; Global Range

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19 Oct 1997 - 20 Oct 1997
Conference Presentation

Challenges Facing Family Companies in the Gulf Region

By: J. A. Davis, E. Pitts and K. Cormier

Keywords: Family Business; Local Range; Problems and Challenges; Mexico, Gulf of

November 2007 (Revised September 2010)
Background Note

The Rong Family: A Chinese Business History

By: Elisabeth Koll

Provides the complex historical background to understanding the development of family businesses in China from the late 19th century to the present. Using the example of the Rong family, China's most prominent industrialist family in pre-1949 China, analyzes the... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Business History; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Structure; Alliances; Business and Government Relations; Social and Collaborative Networks; China