Ownership Structure Family Control And Acquisition Decisions

We investigate how ownership and family control influence the decision to take part in Mamp;As as an acquirer or as an acquired company in a sample of 777 large Continental European companies in the period 1998ndash;2008. We find that ownership is negatively correlated with the probability of launching a takeover bid, and family firms are less likely to make acquisitions, especially when the stake held by the family is not large enough to assure the persistence of family control. On the passive side of Mamp;A deals, the effect of the largest shareholders' ownership on the decision to accept an acquisition proposal depends non-linearly on the voting rights they hold, and family control reduces the probability of being acquired by an unrelated party. We do not find evidence that family-controlled firms destroy wealth when they acquire other companies. Finally, we document that ownership and family control, while being negatively correlated with Mamp;A activity, are not negatively correlated with growth in firm size.

This study investigates the relationship between ownership structure and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) decisions for a comprehensive sample of 195 companies listed on the Swiss Exchange for the period 2003-2013. It examines: whether different ownership structures influence the probability of engaging in M&A, whether different ownership structures influence the characteristics of M&A deals, and the value assigned to such operations surrounding the announcement date. This paper focuses on family firms and analyzes the association between several characteristics (generation, involvement in the management, and the presence of just one family member as shareholder) and the M&A.The results show that family firms engage less in M&A and prefer cash deals and diversified deals. This result is driven mainly by family firms whose power is the least contested. Moreover, family firms at the descendant stage care more about diversification than those at the founder stage. Family firms have a nonlinear (convex) association with value creation when it comes to M&A and only those with significant family ownership generate higher abnormal returns. However, investment decisions made by some types of family firms (i.e. those with several members or those not involved in management) are negatively perceived by market participants.

In most countries family businesses make up between 50 - 95% of business entities. Families control 30% of the Fortune 500 companies. These owners and their businesses are often an important part of the social fabric in local communities, and increasingly the international economy. Despite this, Family Capitalism, or ownership, has been seen as synonymous with stagnation, conflict and crises. The authors focus on how family owners avoids these pitfalls, and how emotional resources develop strategizing capacities. The book explores how successful family businesses innovate and create Visionary Ownership, and implement it. Two crucial leadership capacities are introduced; Leadership of Paradox and Distributed Leadership. A renewed understanding of family businesses show how the family can generate unique strategic advantages in stewardship, succession, long-term thinking, risk management and building social capital. It shows a different perspective regarding value creation in the economy. The book provides new insights for family owners, advisors, leaders as well as scholars. The findings are from a best-practice research project with cases from China, USA, Germany, Colombia, Israel, Tanzania, France and Sweden. Applying strategy-as-practice theory shows how family owners, across different cultures and sectors, use generic ownership strategies and experiment, such as with cluster ownership and creating new ventures in succession.

Ownership in a family business can be a rewarding and important role. It means stewardship, protection and nurturing the family business. As a guide for shareholders, this book will develop understanding and insight into the role of becoming more valuable as an owner, not just financially, but intellectually and emotionally as well.

The first ever comprehensive guide to family business succession planning. This book covers everything from what family business ownership is and how to structure ownership bylaws to business structure, leadership transition, and how a founder exits the business. Drawing on original research, case studies, and white papers, Family Business Succession is a thorough, complete, and "required reading" for every family member working in a family business.

Successful ownership transition requires effective decision making at the top Engaged Ownership is the definitive owner's guide to the family enterprise. Whether you're taking over a family business, family office, or trust, this book shows you how to work effectively with the management and board to keep the enterprise moving in the right direction. The first guide of its kind written from the owner's perspective, this book is designed to help owners who are truly committed to growing all forms of capital be successful in their role. You'll learn the time-tested process that helps you 'unstick' decision-making, become engaged and effective, and manage the transfer from owner control to shared ownership while minimizing risk. Improve communication and relationships with the board, and ensure that every stakeholder understands your strategies and vision for the future. You'll allay the fears that frequently accompany ownership transfers, and inspire a sense of teamwork that leads to sustainable success generation after generation. As the Baby Boomers retire, business founders and entrepreneurs worldwide are transferring ownership of privately held enterprises to their children in record numbers. It can be a complex and difficult-to-navigate time for everyone involved. This book helps you smooth the way to a successful transition, and transcend the owner's traditionally passive role. Learn to work effectively with management and the board Get everyone on the same page in terms of vision and direction Build relationships that lead to forward-thinking decision making Succeed in the ownership role by bringing your expertise to the fore Ownership transfer often triggers a radical change in family enterprise, and if poorly managed, can turn a business in the wrong direction. Engaged Ownership shows you how to build a dynamic and effective partnership with trustees, board, and management, and become a successful steward of the family's financial, human, social, and operational capital.

Divestitures have the potential to create shareholder value by helping firms optimize their portfolio of assets. Even so, firms do not necessarily take up divestitures because of agency problems. In fact, large controlling shareholders may prefer to extract private benefits of control at the expense of minority shareholders. In addition, divestitures may expose the misappropriation of corporate resources. In this paper, we explore the role that other blockholders play in constraining the largest shareholder's influence. The results indicate that divestiture activity decreases with the ownership of the largest shareholder, which imposes a cost to minority shareholders since the firm's value is not maximized. The presence of another significant blockholder appears to curb this negative bias towards divestitures. This finding provides an economic rationale for the higher performance of firms characterized by more balanced ownership structures. Involvement of family owners also appears to provide similar benefits.

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.