• August 2019 (Revised July 2023)
• Module Note

Demystifying the Family Enterprise: Module 1 - The Family

By: Christina R. Wing, Madeline Keulen and Vicki Morton

Module 1 of Demystifying Families in Business focuses on the Family. The Family unit forms the bedrock of the organizations that comprise the collective Family organization, specifically, the virtues that define the Family members’ rules of engagement, and the... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Family and Family Relationships; Governance; Values and Beliefs; Business Organization

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Wing, Christina R., Madeline Keulen, and Vicki Morton. "Demystifying the Family Enterprise: Module 1 - The Family." Harvard Business School Module Note 620-031, August 2019. (Revised July 2023.)

• 07 May 2025
• News

How MBA Moms Balance Business and Family

• 19 Aug 2021
• News

A Letter to My White Friends and Colleagues

them, you may be missing an opportunity to do something that is extraordinarily impactful. So I refer to that experience in the book and say that that actually impacted the way that I felt about how Black people should respond to their... View Details

• 09 May 2025
• Video

How MBA Moms Balance Business and Family

• January 2001
• Background Note

Responsibilities & Rights of Family Shareholders of a Family Business

By: John A. Davis

Describes the major responsibilities and rights of family shareholders of a family owned business. View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Rights; Business and Shareholder Relations

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Davis, John A. "Responsibilities & Rights of Family Shareholders of a Family Business." Harvard Business School Background Note 801-264, January 2001.

• October 2024
• Case

Sacoor Brothers: From Co-Family CEOs to No Family CEOs?

By: Lauren Cohen, David Ager and Alpana Thapar

Sacoor Brothers, a luxury clothing retail company, was founded in 1989 in Lisbon, Portugal, by four brothers—Malik, Salim, Rahimo, and Moez. After establishing a strong presence in Portugal, the brothers were drawn to the rapidly growing retail markets in the Middle... View Details

Keywords: Growth; Geographic Mobility; Family Office; Professionalization; Institutional Development; Second-generation; Third-generation; Family Business; Private Equity; Investment; Governance; Transition; Business Model; Growth and Development Strategy; Management Succession; Market Entry and Exit; Family and Family Relationships; Expansion; Retail Industry; Fashion Industry; Middle East; United Arab Emirates; Saudi Arabia; Portugal; Jordan; Dubai

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Cohen, Lauren, David Ager, and Alpana Thapar. "Sacoor Brothers: From Co-Family CEOs to No Family CEOs?" Harvard Business School Case 225-008, October 2024.

• 09 Dec 2010
• Working Paper Summaries

Friends in High Places

Keywords: by Lauren Cohen & Christopher Malloy

• December 2019 (Revised March 2021)
• Case

Carroll Family Farms

By: Forest Reinhardt, Christian Godwin and James Weber

The Carroll Family, U.S. pig and grain farmers, needed to decide what to plant, whether to purchase land, emphasize pigs or grain, or other investments.

Seven family members across three generations owned and operated Carroll Family Farms (CFF). In... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Animal-Based Agribusiness; Plant-Based Agribusiness; Operations; Strategy; Family Business; Asset Management; Globalization; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; United States; Brazil; China

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Reinhardt, Forest, Christian Godwin, and James Weber. "Carroll Family Farms." Harvard Business School Case 720-005, December 2019. (Revised March 2021.)

• 01 Apr 1974
• Conference Presentation

Urban Communes and Family History

By: R. M. Kanter

Keywords: Family and Family Relationships; Civil Society or Community; Urban Scope

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Kanter, R. M. "Urban Communes and Family History." Paper presented at the Organization of American Historians Annual Meeting, Denver, April 01, 1974. (Published as "Roots versus Restlessness: Cooperative Households, The City, and Recurrent Issues in American Family Life." Massachusetts Review 17 (summer 1976):331-53.)

• February 2009 (Revised April 2011)
• Module Note

Financing Growth in Family and Closely Held Firms

By: Belen Villalonga

This note describes the second of four modules in Financial Management of Family and Closely Held Firms, an elective MBA course at Harvard Business School. The note analyzes the pros and cons of different equity financing options that are available to family firms such... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Finance; Business Growth and Maturation

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Villalonga, Belen. "Financing Growth in Family and Closely Held Firms." Harvard Business School Module Note 209-014, February 2009. (Revised April 2011.)

• August 2014
• Article

Friends in High Places

By: Lauren Cohen and Christopher Malloy

We demonstrate that personal connections amongst U.S. politicians have a significant impact on Senate voting behavior. Networks based on alumni connections between politicians are consistent predictors of voting behavior. We estimate sharp measures that control for... View Details

Keywords: Vote Trading; Networks; Legislation; Logrolling; Earmarks; Voting; Government Legislation; Social and Collaborative Networks; United States

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Cohen, Lauren, and Christopher Malloy. "Friends in High Places." American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 6, no. 3 (August 2014): 63–91.

• April 2002
• Case

The Cardon Family

By: William J. Poorvu and Melissa Yin-Yin Lam

Wil Cardon is the third-generation steward of his family's real estate land development business. He grapples with issues of business structure, intergenerational business, compensation, and family values. This case includes in-depth discussion of the land development... View Details

Keywords: Business Ventures; Family Business; Entrepreneurship; Values and Beliefs; Compensation and Benefits; Family and Family Relationships; Real Estate Industry

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Poorvu, William J., and Melissa Yin-Yin Lam. "The Cardon Family." Harvard Business School Case 802-196, April 2002.

• 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

Keywords: Family Planning; Platform; Competitive Advantage; Law; Globalization; Competitive Strategy; Digital Platforms; United States; Ukraine

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Casadesus-Masanell, Ramon, and Blake Landro. "Modern Family Planning: The Business of Circle Surrogacy." Harvard Business School Case 714-418, August 2013. (Revised October 2013.)

• January 1988 (Revised June 1989)
• Background Note

IBM and DEC Family Trees

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Sviokla, John J. "IBM and DEC Family Trees." Harvard Business School Background Note 188-077, January 1988. (Revised June 1989.)