Publications

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24 Apr 2019
News

Thailand's Richest Family Is Getting Richer Helping China

November 2015 (Revised October 2017)
Case

Dollar General Bids for Family Dollar

By: Jonas Heese, Paula A. Price, Suraj Srinivasan and David Lane

In spring 2015, Dollar General's CEO Rick Dreiling was looking ahead to retiring at year's end but worried about ensuring continued growth for the company he had built since 2008 into a market leader in the U.S. discount retail world. Dollar General operated over... View Details

Keywords: Dollar General; Family Dollar; Dollar Tree; Antitrust; Board Of Directors; Activist Investors; Federal Trade Commission; Acquisition; Valuation; Corporate Strategy; Retail Industry; United States

08 Oct 2020
News

Harvard Business School Announces Establishment of The Joseph Bower Family Fund

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

Keywords: Decisions; Family Ownership; Governing and Advisory Boards; Goals and Objectives

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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

01 Feb 1999
News

All in the Family

fact," says Davis, "more than two-thirds of all business enterprises worldwide are owned or managed by families, and 30 percent of the Fortune... View Details

Keywords: Marguerite Rigoglioso

November 2023 (Revised January 2024)
Case

Votorantim: Uniting Family and Business Across Generations

By: Christina R. Wing, Carla Larangeira and Pedro Levindo

Over a 105-year span, the Ermírio de Moraes family built Votorantim, one of Latin America’s largest industrial conglomerates, and among Brazil’s topmost businesses, also credited for helping “build” the country over decades. By early 2023, Votorantim included... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Governance; Family Ownership; Business and Shareholder Relations; Family and Family Relationships; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Chemical Industry; Mining Industry; Financial Services Industry; Latin America

15 May 2015
News

Families Find the Principles That Keep the Business Going

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

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

Keywords: Performance Consistency; Economic Slowdown and Stagnation; Family Ownership; Family Business; Values and Beliefs; Business Strategy

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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

Keywords: Family Business; Management Succession

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01 Dec 2014
News

Case Study: Growing the Family Business

(Zoonar RF/Thinkstock; iStock) Sweet Kiddles is a new concept in center-based childcare. Unlike traditional centers where parents must commit to fixed full- or part-time schedules, Sweet Kiddles’ flexible scheduling allows View Details

Keywords: childcare; Finance

From Cotton Mill to Business Empire: The Emergence of Regional Enterprises in Modern China

The demise of state-owned enterprises, the transformation of collectives into shareholding cooperatives, and the creation of investment opportunities through stock markets indicate China’s movement from a socialist, state-controlled economy... View Details

April 2016 (Revised June 2017)
Teaching Note

Dollar General Bids for Family Dollar

By: Jonas Heese, Paula A. Price and Suraj Srinivasan

In spring 2015, Dollar General CEO Rick Dreiling was looking ahead to retiring at year's end but worried about ensuring continued growth for the company he had built since 2008 into a market leader in the U.S. discount retail world. Dollar General operated over 11,500... View Details

Keywords: Dollar General; Family Dollar; Dollar Tree; Antitrust; Board Of Directors; Activist Investors; Federal Trade Commission; Acquisition; Valuation; Corporate Strategy; Retail Industry

November 2009 (Revised August 2013)
Case

IFRS in China

By: Karthik Ramanna, G.A. Donovan and Nancy Dai

In 2005, China announced plans to "converge with," but not completely adopt, IFRS. China also began to lobby for changes to specific IFRS provisions, such as for related party disclosures by state-owned firms, to bring them more into line with Chinese interests.... View Details

Keywords: Financial Reporting; International Accounting; Corporate Disclosure; Standards; State Ownership; Business and Government Relations; China

March 2008 (Revised July 2010)
Case

China in Africa: The Case of Sudan

This case examines the relation between China's demand for resources and political risk. View Details

Keywords: Developing Countries and Economies; Business and Government Relations; Risk and Uncertainty; Environmental Sustainability; Sudan; China

June 2024
Case

PRAN-RFL Group: A Diversified Family Business

By: Christina R. Wing, Paul Wuensche and Brittany L. Logan

The PRAN-RFL Group was founded in 1980 by Amjad Khan Chowdhury, and grew to become one of the largest conglomerates in Bangladesh in 2023. Throughout the years, Amjad established fast food chains, production manufacturing lines, retail stores, and his own foundation... View Details

Keywords: Business Conglomerates; Family Business; Management Succession; Family Ownership; Retirement; Bangladesh

28 Apr 2020
Blog Post

A Crash Course in Saving a Family Business

Jiyoon Han (MBA 2021) is getting a taste of what it’s like to be a case protagonist—learning how to pivot while measuring unforeseen challenges against new opportunities. When news broke in March about how... View Details

November 2013
Case

GlaxoSmithKline in China (A)

By: John A. Quelch and Margaret L. Rodriguez

Four GlaxoSmithKline employees were accused of bribing Chinese health care workers to prescribe the company's drugs. The accusations brought to light the questionable incentive structures of the Chinese health care system and the pressure on companies to adhere to... View Details