Students praise the two family business courses as the most valuable of their school careers. The family business coursework synthesizes learning from other core subjects with practices that are common to successful family businesses.
Each year, the Family Enterprise Center teaches and advises approximately 60 students from all over the world. Past years' courses have included students from Bahrain, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, India, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Venezuela, and the United States.
The Center offers the following courses to MBAs, BSBAs, MACs, and select general college students with family business interests:
Family Business I: Introduction to Family Enterprise
This course provides an understanding of the evolutionary stages in the life of a family business and the challenges and opportunities that must be managed at each stage. Topics covered include:
- Entrepreneurship and Growing the Family Business
- Ownership & Stewardship
- Succession
- Strategy
- Professionalizing the Family Business
- Non-Family Management
Family Business II: Governance & Ownership
This course outlines the specific ownership, stewardship, tax, transition and wealth management issues that affect family enterprises. Topics covered include:
- Governance
- Family Systems, Relationships, and Communication
- Financial Considerations and Valuation
- Transfer, Estate, and Gift Tax Planning
- Family Offices and Wealth Management
- Philanthropy