Re-establishing traditional Czech family businesses : a multiple case study on the present challenges

Abstract

After virtually 50 years of expropriation and state ownership, a large number of Czech traditional family businesses were returned to their original owners. Despite the volatile and risky socio-economical and political conditions of the early 90’s, many businesses have been re-established by their former family owners and have carried out their activities with varying degrees of success until now.The main goal of this study is to monitor the challenges that family businesses face today and to investigate whether some of these might be facilitated through well suited business education and counseling. The study is a non-positivistic study – a multiple case study performed in the Czech Republic 10 years after the renewal of such family firms.The results of the empirical part of the study revealed that all three cases do indeed face a vast array of challenges falling into the three specific categories researched – those connected to business management, specific family business issues and challenges related to entrepreneurial management. The study argues that the number of challenges the traditional Czech re-established family firms face might be potentially wider than in case of other types of organization such as newly established companies or non-family firms. Business education and counseling might certainly be an important method of helping the family business to overcome these issues.Apart from these results the study revealed yet another important aspect. Traditional family firms not only face such a wide array of challenges, but also posses certain unique skills related to family factors in addition to certain entrepreneurial skills and attributes. If managed, developed and utilized properly, these might become sources of their competitiveness and could help in overcoming the current problems.

Alena Hanzelkován väitöskirjatutkimus koostuu kolmesta tapaustutkimuksesta, joissa tutkittiin pitkät perinteet omaavia tšekkiläisiä perheyrityksiä. Tutkitut yritykset ovat yli satavuotiaita, mutta ne kansallistettiin vuonna 1948 ja palautettiin vastikkeellisesti omistajaperheilleen vasta lähes 50 vuoden kuluttua. Hanzelková keskittyi työssään niihin haasteisiin, joita kyseiset perheyritykset nykyisin kohtaavat. Lisäksi hän tarkasteli sitä, voitaisiinko koulutuksella ja ohjauksella helpottaa näiden haasteiden aiheuttamia ongelmia.