While every family business is unique, embracing systematic governance processes can help any family business achieve goals shared by virtually all: orderly decision-making, peaceful continuity, and the freedom to make decisions based on the highest and best purposes of both the business and the family.

This book focuses on the role of the board in family businesses and specifically on processes and topics of strategic importance. It comprises all the relevant topics which need to be addressed on a regular basis such as strategy development, financial management, and leadership. The pros and cons of each issue are elaborated. This is one of the few books which addresses family businesses from governance systems to the role of executives. The diverse set of examples carefully collected by the authors and an in-depth discussion on the topics provide readers with valuable insights to broaden and enrich the effectiveness of governance.

This book presents research-based information to provide the reader a deeper understanding of the complex nature of family owned businesses, their problems and challenges, and the unique governance structures and mechanisms that have been developed to properly guide a family business to greater effectiveness. Family business is the most prevalent form of business organization in the world. Much of the existing literature on family and corporate governance focuses on the larger and often publicly owned corporations instead of the unique and special issues of the much more prevalent privately held (usually smaller) family businesses. This book presents research-based information to provide the reader a deeper understanding of the complex nature of family owned businesses, their problems and challenges, and the unique governance structures and mechanisms that have been developed to properly guide a family business to greater effectiveness. For the family, such structures include having family meetings, a family council, and a family constitution. For the business, the board of directors provides experienced and knowledgeable advice and recommendations, as well as oversight and monitoring activities. For the owners, a shareholder’s council and an annual shareholder meeting allows increased communication and voting on decisions. These family governance mechanisms have been shown to increase communication, reduce conflict, and improve decision making and professionalism. Each governance tool will be explored in depth. The audience for this book is family business owners, consultants, practitioners, and family business scholars. Cases will provide readers an opportunity to apply their learning to real business problems.

The family business has a far reaching influence on economies throughout the world. No other type of business has driven economic development in the same way and today, in almost all countries, family businesses including such giants as Ford, Levi Strauss, L'Oréal and Ferrero are the source of more than half of the Gross National Product (GNP) and employment. As a result of their prominence the question of how they are governed, controlled and accounted for is crucial not only for the owning families, but also for the societies in which these companies operate. The Family Business considers: · How to define a family-controlled business and the significance of this form of privately-held enterprise. · Governance systems in the context of the family business. · How a board of outsiders can add value to the typical family business. · How to handle the classical tensions between family and board and between family and management on the other. · How to gain effective and efficient control at the highest level. The answer to these questions and others is given by providing a large number of examples of internationally active family businesses and from the authors teaching and research into this area. Sustainability is the key concern to the family business and this book breaks new ground in showing how they can successfully live on to the next generation.

Corporate governance can be considered as an environment of trust, ethics, moral values, and confidence as a synergistic effort of all the constituent parts, including stakeholders, the public, service provides, and the corporate sector. The actions of an organization and the consequences of those actions has become increasingly concerned with corporate governance. As such, it is essential to examine the latest concepts and trends that can lead to the development of effective models for corporate boards. Transforming Corporate Governance and Developing Models for Board Effectiveness is an essential reference source that contains forward-thinking research intended to facilitate effective, entrepreneurial, and prudent management that can deliver the long-term success of the company. The book discusses the different theories and practices surrounding boards of directors’ responsibilities and innovative strategies for the governance of their companies that allow them to become and remain successful. Highlighting topics that include board diversity and independence, business ethics, and family business governance, this book is intended for corporate boards, board of directors, executives, managers, business professionals, academicians, researchers, policymakers, and students.

In Building a Successful Family Business Board , the authors show why private firms need the in-depth expertise and objective feedback that a well-chosen board, including qualified independent directors, can provide, and demonstrates how owners and directors can work together to ensure a long and profitable life for the firm.

This companion provides broad and in-depth insights into family business in Asia and how Asian family firms navigate in the digital economy. The first part of the book looks at key concepts of family business while the second part presents Asian family firms’ cases from Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia and other Asian economies. This comprehensive reference will help readers understand how family firms in Asia compete and survive in the world market especially in the digital age and why and how Asian economies can emerge as one of the most dynamic regions in the world.