Publications
Publications
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- Faculty Publications (589)
- April 10, 2014
- Article
Generation to Generation: How to Save the Family Business
By: Boris Groysberg and Deborah Bell
Most family-owned businesses—approximately 70%—last just one generation. Because an estimated 80% of businesses across the globe are family-owned, the low survival rate has alarming consequences. Consider this: In the United States alone, family-owned businesses (FOBs)... View Details
- March 18, 2014
- Article
Family Businesses Must Set the Agenda (Without Micromanaging)
By: Josh Baron and Rob Lachenauer
This article discusses the role of owners in family businesses, using the story of Charles, who transformed his family's shipping business by taking ownership decisions. The article highlights that owners have the power to set goals, define performance metrics, hire... View Details
- March 2014 (Revised January 2017)
- Case
From Beijing Jeep to ASC Fine Wines: The Story of an American Family Business in China
By: William C. Kirby and Erica M. Zendell
In 1985, Don St. Pierre Sr. became President of Beijing Jeep, the troubled joint venture between American Motor Corporation and the Chinese government to build Jeep Cherokees in China. Just over a decade later in 1996, leveraging contacts from his time in the... View Details
Keywords: Entrepreneurship In Emerging Markets; China; Joint Ventures; Wine Industry; International Entrepreneurship; International Business; Exports; Chinese Manufacturing; Business And Government Relations; Ownership Stake; Strategy; Operations; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; China
- March 2014
- Article
Manage Your Work, Manage Your Life
By: Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams
Work/life balance is at best an elusive ideal and at worst a complete myth, today's senior executives will tell you. But by making deliberate choices about which opportunities they'll pursue and which they'll decline, rather than simply reacting to emergencies, leaders... View Details
- February 20, 2014
- Article
How to Thrive While Leading a Family Business
By: Josh Baron and Rob Lachenauer
This article explores the differences between family business executives who thrive and those who struggle. It discusses how family business environments are inherently complex due to the intertwinement of work and life. Thriving leaders exhibit four key behaviors:... View Details
- February 18, 2014
- Article
Keep Your Kids out of the Entitlement Trap
By: Josh Baron and Rob Lachenauer
This article discusses the concern among wealthy family business owners that their children may become entitled and fail to contribute to society. The fear is grounded in reality, as studies show that a significant portion of inherited wealth is squandered. The article... View Details
- February 2014 (Revised August 2015)
- Case
The Estate Tax Debate
By: Matthew Weinzierl, Katrina Flanagan and Valerie Galinskaya
Per dollar of revenue, no tax policy generates more sound and fury than the taxation of estates. To supporters, the tax is a break on the concentration of wealth and power and an easy way to fund redistribution. To opponents, the tax is an unjust punishment of the... View Details
- February 2014
- Article
Toward a Model of Work Redesign for Better Work and Better Life
By: Leslie A. Perlow and Erin L. Kelly
Flexible work accommodations provided by employers purport to help individuals struggling to manage work and family demands. The underlying model for change is accommodation—helping individuals accommodate their work demands with no changes in the structure of work or... View Details
- December 6, 2013
- Article
Family Businesses Shouldn't Hunt for Superstar CEOs
By: Josh Baron and Rob Lachenauer
This article discusses the challenges faced by family businesses when it comes to succession planning, particularly in selecting an outside CEO. It presents a case study of a third-generation family business looking for an external CEO, named "Mr. Wonderful," to manage... View Details
- November 2013 (Revised February 2016)
- Case
A Long, Bumpy and Unfinished Road: Education Reform in Memphis, Tennessee
By: Allen Grossman, J. Puckett and Nithya Vaduganathan
In 2010 the Memphis City School District merged with the neighboring Shelby County School system under the supervision of a single board of education and superintendent. It promised much more than just administrative synergies—it was an opportunity to change a... View Details
- October 2013 (Revised August 2016)
- Case
NOWaccount
By: Ramana Nanda, William A. Sahlman and Lauren Barley
It was September 2013, and NOWaccount Network Corporation (NOW®) co-founders John Hayes and Lara Hodgson were putting the final touches on the presentation deck for their annual shareholders' meeting. Along with co-founder Stacey Abrams, the pair had designed NOW's... View Details
- October 23, 2013
- Article
Banyan Family Business Advisors On The Keys to Long-Term Resilience
By: Josh Baron and Rob Lachenauer
Family businesses have been found to excel in resilience during economic downturns compared to publicly-traded ones. This is attributed to their focus on resilience over performance. Key qualities of resilient family firms include managing low debt, practicing... View Details
- October 2013 (Revised January 2014)
- Supplement
Fred Khosravi and AccessClosure (B)
By: Richard G. Hamermesh and Lauren Barley
It was January 2013, and Fred Khosravi, chairman of the board of AccessClosure Inc., wondered what the new year had in store for him and AccessClosure, the company he founded in late 2002. Khosravi was cautiously optimistic—the Mountain View, California-based medical... View Details
- September 2013
- Teaching Note
Gary Hirshberg and Stonyfield Farm
By: Nancy F. Koehn and Nora N. Khan
Gary Hirshberg and Stonyfield Farm is the story of one entrepreneur's vision and journey to create a market-leading, environmentally responsible business founded on the principles of product quality, organizational alignment and sustainability. A former... View Details
- August 2013 (Revised October 2013)
- Case
Modern Family Planning: The Business of Circle Surrogacy
By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Blake Landro
The business of surrogacy, a boutique practice with client costs upwards of $100,000, allowed couples and individuals from a variety of backgrounds, ages, and sexual orientations to build families. This case examines Circle Surrogacy (CS), one of the premier surrogacy... View Details
- August 19, 2013
- Article
Coddled Relatives Can Kill a Family Business
By: Josh Baron and Rob Lachenauer
Keywords: Family Business
- 2013
- Article
Matching with Couples: Stability and Incentives in Large Markets
By: Fuhito Kojima, Parag A. Pathak and Alvin E. Roth
Accommodating couples has been a long-standing issue in the design of centralized labor market clearinghouses for doctors and psychologists, because couples view pairs of jobs as complements. A stable matching may not exist when couples are present. This article's main... View Details
- July 9, 2013
- Article
Why Fights Erupt in Family Businesses
By: Josh Baron and Rob Lachenauer
Lack of boundaries and formal structure create potential for nasty (and lasting) disagreements. View Details
- July 24, 2013
- Article
Family Business: How to Spot a Patriarch Problem
By: Josh Baron and Rob Lachenauer
In this article, the authors discuss the concept of a "problem patriarch" in family businesses, using the example of Carl, a successful leader who undermined the talent he hired. Carl started a struggling $10 million automotive parts distributor and turned it into a $2... View Details
- June 2013
- Case
Hess Corporation
By: Jay W. Lorsch and Kathleen Durante
On January 29, 2013, Elliott Management, a hedge fund run by Paul E. Singer, which owned 4.5% of Hess Corporation stock, put forward a slate of five independent directors it wanted elected to improve the company's performance. Elliott argued that Hess lacked focus and... View Details