Jönköping, Sweden

Developing Dynamic Family Enterprises

In the vast majority of countries worldwide, family enterprises are the most common form of business organization. This is not only true among privately-held companies. Families are very important controlling owners of companies listed on stock exchanges around the world as well. Family businesses are of different sizes and age and they can be found in different industries. Famous examples of international family businesses are IKEA, H&M, Harley Davidson, Miele, and Alessi.

As in any other business, family business managers are expected to meet the expectations of a wide set of stakeholders, such as customers, financiers, suppliers, partners, employees, board members and owners - with the crucial distinction that the latter three groups might be constituted by family members. The single most important characteristic of family businesses is therefore that family interests, traditions, concerns and values often influence business decisions at different levels. This does not mean that family businesses are less rational than other organizations — just that they are different!

This course is taught by professors, advisors and practitioners with long international experience working with or in family businesses of different size, industry, age and country of origin.

Course leader

Please contact summerprogram@jibs.hj.se for any questions

Target group

Students with a Bachelor degree who wish to learn more about family businesses.

Course aim

On completion of the course the students will be able to:

Knowledge and understanding
• demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics of family enterprises as compared to other type of
business organizations
• demonstrate knowledge of the main challenges and opportunities with regard to managing and
governing a family enterprise
• demonstrate basic knowledge of the main theories used in family business research

Skills and abilities
• to conduct a basic analysis of the main advantage and disadvantages of a family business
• demonstrate basic skills to effectively work with or in a family enterprise, either as manager, advisor
or owner

Judgement and approach
• adapt abilities to critically assess and evaluate a family business’s advantages and disadvantage
• adapt abilities to critically apply main theories from family business research to practical cases of
family enterprises

Fee info

SEK 12250: Tuition fee, does not include accommodation or the social package
SEK 1000: Social and Cultural package includes Welcome lunch, social activitites, company visit, cultural trip and farewell dinner. Great fun and an amazing opportunity to get to learn Sweden and the swedes.

Accommodation costs varies but are in the range of 1500 SEK to 2000 SEK.