Press Releases

  • Top Family Business Researchers to Gather at Bond University
  • A Graduate Certificate for those involved in Family Business
  • First Masters level course in Family Business
  • ACFB@Bond and Family Business Australia announce MBA Scholarship
  • ACFB Scholars to edit special Family Business edition of Journal of Management & Organisation
  • ACFB founding Asia Pacific members of global research project
  • New Family Business Educational Initiative


    • ACFB logoTop Family Business Researchers to Gather at Bond University

    31 July, 2008

    Leading family business researchers from around the nation and the world will gather at Bond University on Monday, August 4, for the First Annual Australian Family Business Researchers’ Summit.

    Hosted by The Australian Centre for Family Business (ACFB) at Bond University, the aim of the forum is to address the most pressing issues affecting families in business.

    Director of the ACFB, Professor Ken Moores, said the forum had attracted research-active delegates from some of Australia’s foremost universities.

    “Australian family business researchers have established an enviable reputation globally for their innovative scholarship,” Professor Moores said.

    “This inaugural forum will enable attendees to share their thoughts about how Australia’s international standing in this area can continue to be enhanced.

    “As well as exploring potential research questions and matching these with robust methodologies and theoretical frames, there will also be discussions about how this dynamic community of scholars can work towards collaborative research projects across disciplines and between institutions,” Professor Moores said.

    Professor Pramodita Sharma, incoming Editor of Family Business Review – the only scientific journal devoted exclusively exploring the dynamics of the family business – will address the forum. 

    Professor Sharma is Professor of Entrepreneurship and Family Business Studies at Concordia University, in Montreal, Canada, whose research has been honoured with several international awards. 

    ACFB logoA Graduate Certificate for those involved in Family Business

    The Australian Centre for Family Business (ACFB) has launched a new executive program: The Gradate Certificate in Family Business. Founded in 1994 and now firmly established as the leading family business research centre in the Asia Pacific, the ACFB is the preferred Australian educational provider for Family Business Australia (FBA).

    The Graduate Certificate in Family Business qualification is designed to complement the Executive MBA Family Business targeted to those already working in, and with, family firms.

    Delivered in four weekly blocks, the program includes; Family Business Insights and Leadership, Professionalizing Family Business Management, Professionalizing Family Business Governance, and Family Business in a Global Context.

    Associate Professor Justin Craig said the program was suitable for both students from family firms and those annexed to family firms in a professional capacity. “We base our teachings on best practice research developed here at the ACFB. Delivery has an applied focus, emphasising key lessons learned by successful family business leaders.”

    “Functional issues in family businesses are uniquely different. We teach topics that have everyday relevance. Issues such as family and business Communication, conflict resolution, developing a family brand identity, forms of organisational control, recruitment and retention of non–family management and executive, and transgenerational entrepreneurship, are all covered in depth. We further contextualize the classroom content in a study tour which takes students to countries such as Italy and China.”

    Applications for the Graduate Certificate in Family Business are now opened for the November 2008 intake. For further information on the program contact jcraig@bond.edu.au.

    ACFB logoNew Family Business Educational Initiative

    The Australian Centre for Family Business (ACFB) at Bond University announces the launch of the ACFB Family Business Learning Community. Based on knowledge sharing models developed and refined in over 250 learning communities in colleges and universities across the United States, the ACFB Family Business Learning Community is the first of its kind in Australia.

    Learning Communities characteristically involve a group of people who share common interests, values and beliefs, and are actively engaged in collaborative learning. The ACFB Family Business Learning Community facilitates collaborative learning between ACFB research consultants, scholars and members of multi-generational family firms. With the expressed goal of building long-lasting links with the ACFB, families in the Learning Community are provided a vehicle to continue to learn about their own family business by learning with and from other families in business.

    The Founding Director of the ACFB, and eminent family business researcher, Professor Ken Moores said: “I identified early on in the process of planning the Centre, that building knowledge and understanding of family business is reliant on building close and lasting relationships with family businesses. The Learning Community allows us to formalize this process and work on unique to family business challenges across their life cycle”.


    “We see a real need for this type of educational forum as it allows for a sharing of experienced based knowledge which can generate new ideas and learning for researchers and families alike”.
    Families in the Learning Community have the opportunity to share knowledge, and network with, other families across Australia and also to be involved in a global network of families and scholars who are sharing experiences through the Successful Transgenerational Entrepreneurship Practices (STEP) initiative.
    The Australian Centre for Family Business was founded in 1994 by Professor Ken Moores with assistance and input from a coterie of like-minded leaders from Australia’s family business community to enhance the prospects for profitable continuity of family businesses for the benefit of family members, shareholders and non-family staff, and in this way contribute to the economic and social development of Australia.

    Consistent with Bond University’s mission of being Australian in character and international in perspective, the ACFB has been proud to have as their Foundation Patron noted American family business authority Dr Leon Danco. Danco has been widely credited with recognizing privately held business as a phenomenally major force in all societies and with developing a theory about the life cycle of family businesses and how they behave.
    The mission of the Australian Centre for Family Business is to:

    • contribute to the economic and social development of Australia by enhancing the prospects for profitable continuity of Australian family businesses, and
    • be globally recognized as leaders in family business research and pedagogy.

    For further information about the ACFB Learning Community initiative contact: Genevieve O’Reilly on: 5595 1218.

    ACFB logo ACFB@BOND UNIVERSITY CHAMPIONS AUSTRALIa'S FIRST MASTERS LEVEL COURSE IN FAMILY BUSINESS

    Bond University is proud to announce the launch of a postgraduate management program specifically tailored for leaders of family-owned and operated businesses and their advisors. With the first intake scheduled for August 2007, Bond will be the only educational institution in Australia, and one of only a few in the world, to offer a Masters level qualification in family business.

    Based on more than a decade of intensive research carried out at the university’s internationally acclaimed Australian Centre for Family Business, the Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) – Family Business incorporates the unique aspects of this complex and challenging business genre with in-depth coverage and application of the fundamental business disciplines.

    With a focus on strategic management, leadership capabilities, and trans-generational entrepreneurship, this program is particularly relevant to next-generation owners and managers of family-owned and operated businesses. Issues such as corporate and business governance, building a distinct family brand, and the blending of family and non-family stakeholder interests are presented within the framework of market-oriented decision making, resource management, growth strategies, and innovation.

    The schedule has been intentionally designed to minimise interruption to busy work commitments. The Bond EMBA program offers the additional opportunity for participants to forge what will be lasting networks and alliances with fellow senior managers and decision-makers of Australia’s leading family businesses.

    Above all, this dynamic and challenging program is underpinned by Bond’s renowned commitment to providing a learning environment centred on developing leadership skills and personal growth, and fostering the skills and capabilities that will enhance and fulfil participants’ career potential. For family business leaders, this equates to gaining the requisite skills and knowledge that will assist them in preparing and stewarding their family firms through generational transition.

    Contact Bond University Centre for Executive Education on (07) 5595 1188 or email emba@bond.edu.au for more information.

    ACFB Logo ACFB@BOND and FAMILY BUSINESS AUSTRALIA ANNOUNCE MBA Scholarship

    Bond University’s Australian Centre for Family Business is the first university in Australia to offer a post graduate program specifically dedicated to the needs of leading family businesses.
    Bond University’s Family Business Scholarship Program is one of the key ways we identify and significantly assist in the development of Australia’s future family business leaders, providing them with the opportunity to fulfil their potential and bring their ambition to life.
    The Scholarship program is applied exclusively to the Executive Master of Business Administration (MBA) program and is valued at $25,000 towards program costs. Scholarships will be available for the next two years.

    Executive MBA (Family Business)
    Based on more than a decade of intensive research carried out at the university’s Australian Centre for Family Business, the Executive Master of Business Administration (MBA) – Family Business incorporates the unique aspects of this often complex and challenging structure with in-depth coverageof the fundamental business disciplines.
    Issues such as corporate governance, best practice management, brand building and the blending of family and non-family employee interests are presented within the framework of market-oriented decision making, resource management, growth strategies and innovation. 
    Presented as a series of one and two-week study sessions spaced out over 13 months (or 26 months) and centered around a major project, the Executive MBA – Family Business is designed for busy managers looking for an intensely practical educational experience that applies directly to their family business environment. 
    This program also gives a selected group of candidates the opportunity to develop a network of global contacts, studying with a team of established managers preparing to take on leadership roles within their family business organization. 
    Above all, this dynamic and challenging program is underpinned by Bond’s renowned focus on leadership qualities and personal development, fostering the skills and capabilities that will enable participants to enhance and fulfill their career potential. 

    Selection Criteria

    • Scholarship applications are open to all employees of family businesses in Australia.
    • Applicants must be current members of Family Business Australia (FBA) and retain their membership for the duration of the scholarship period.
    • Applicants must submit a written endorsement from their respective FBA State Chair.
    • Applicants must also submit a letter of support from their current employer.
    • Scholarship applications must clearly demonstrate how the applicant will use their scholarship to advance their own family business leadership skills
    • Scholarship recipients are expected to make ongoing contributions to the wider Australian family business community and details of how this will be achieved (e.g., through presentations and promotions) must be included in the application.
    • Scholarships will be awarded to those who can demonstrate outstanding potential in the field of family business leadership.  

    Application Process

    • Applications open 1 August, 2008 and close on 31 December 2008.
    • All applicants should consult Bond University’s Executive MBA Brochure for Course details and entry requirements (see, http://www.bond.edu.au/about/faculties/bus/emba/EMBA_Brochure.pdf )
    • To apply online visit, http://www.bond.edu.au/apply/
    • Applicants may be required to attend an on-campus interview.
    • Selections will be decided by a panel representing Bond University and Family Business Australia.
    • Applicants will be personally notified of the result of their application
    • Successful Applicants will be required to attend an FBA State or National Conference within a year of being awarded their qualification.  

    For more information regarding the specific scholarship criteria, please contact staff at the Australian Centre for Family Business at Bond University
    Professor Ken Moores
    Foundation Director
    (07) 55952088
    email: ken_moores@bond.edu.au 
    Dr. Justin Craig
    Co-Director
    (07) 55951161
    Email: jcraig@bond.edu.au

    ACFB Logo ACFB SCHOLARS TO EDIT SPECIAL FAMILY BUSINESS EDITION OF JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT & ORGANIZATION

    Journal of Management & Organisation 

    Dr Justin Craig and Professor Ken Moores from the Australian Centre for Family Business, along with leading family business researchers Dr Carole Howarth from Lancaster and Professor Panikkos Poutzouris from Cyprus, have been invited by the Journal of Management  & Organization to guest edit a special edition titled  Family Business: Theory & Practice.

    The Journal of Management & Organization (JMO) seeks to publish academically rigorous papers that will advance knowledge on practical and theoretical aspects of management and the links between them. This special issue of JMO aims to contribute to the widening study and understanding of family businesses.

    Academics and practitioners are stressing the powerful influence of family in all aspects of business. Approximately two-thirds of private businesses in many countries are considered to be family firms and they make a notable contribution to wealth creation and job generation. High quality conceptual, theoretical and empirical papers are welcome. We are particularly interested in papers that address various aspects of the sustainability and longevity of family businesses. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

    • Sustaining entrepreneurship in family business
    • Developing sustainable competitive strategies through innovation
    • Creating transgenerational wealth in family business
    • Building brand value using the family name and family workforce
    • Encouraging next generation family members to develop global networks
    • Learning from failure in family business
    • Challenging the incumbent generation's dominant logic
    • Sharing ownership with non-family members
    • Ensuring stakeholder confidence during transition
    • Establishing the role of family businesses in protecting the natural environment
    • Understanding how next generation family members develop entrepreneurial skills
    • Facilitating mentor relationships for members of families in business

    This initiative is officially endorsed by the International Family Enterprise Research Academy (IFERA), which aims to foster authoritative work from leading researchers around the world. Authors may wish to obtain feedback on papers by submitting to the 7th Annual IFERA Research Conference in Germany on 21-23 June 2007 (see www.ifera.org). However, presentation at the IFERA conference is not a submission requirement, or guarantee of publication.

    Submissions should observe author guidelines at www.jmanorg.com and be forwarded to JMOEditorial@e-contentmanagement.com indicating the special issue title in the covering email. Selection for publication will be based on relevance, clarity, individuality, topicality, and interest to academics and practitioners. All contributions are double-blind reviewed by an independent review panel but contributors may also be asked to review. Referee Guidelines will be provided to assist this process.

    Deadline for Papers: 20th February 2008

    Questions about this special issue may be directed to:

    ACFB Logo ACFB FOUNDING ASIA PACIFIC MEMBERS OF GLOBAL RESEARCH PROJECT

    The STEP Project is a leading edge research initiative that allows business families and academics to learn from one another. The research focuses on understanding how families continue to grow and create wealth across many generations. STEP refers to this capability as Transgenerational Entrepreneurship. The STEP Project seeks to generate knowledge and solutions that have immediate impact and personal application to business families.

    Founding Member Institutions 

    Bond University, Australia
    Chinese University of Hong Kong
    Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, India
    Kyungpook, National University, Korea
    Nankai University, Tianjin, P.R. China
    National University of Singapore
    Seoul National University Of Technology, Korea
    Sun Yat-Sen University, Taiwan
    Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
    Queensland University of Technology, Australia
    Waseda University, Japan  

    The goal of the STEP Project is to understand the transgenerational nature of business families and groups, assessing how they create new economic activity across time.

     Recent studies have acknowledged that families:

    • control between 60% and 90% of business in nearly every nation
    • contribute more than 70% of private jobs
    • have a dominant impact on business world wide
    • most likely function as the largest single source of start-up capital.

    STEP is viewed as a global research consortium with leading universities from four regions of the world - Europe, Latin America, Pacific Rim, and North America. The European STEP Project began in the summer of 2005 at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy with seven founding member institutions: Babson College, ESADE, HEC, University St. Gallen, University Witten/ Herdecke, Universita Bocconi, and Jonkoping International Business School. 

    For more information contact Dr Justin Craig - jcraig@bond.edu.au