Review article

SUCCESSION ISSUES WITHIN FAMILY ENTERPRISES IN TRANSITION ECONOMIES

Mojca DUH
Polona TOMINC
Miroslav REBERNIK

Abstract

In countries with a long history of entrepreneurship and
market economy, significant research efforts have been
devoted to family business succession. Such studies are
rare in former communist countries, mainly because private
enterprises were outlawed during the socialist economy
era. Considering reports on the importance and complexity
of succession issues, and taking into account the ageing
of owners-managers of family enterprises, it is expected
that an increasing number of family enterprises are going
to face succession problems in transition countries in the
near future. This paper reports on the rebirth of family
enterprises in transition countries, and on results of a survey
among 350 Slovenian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
(SMEs). Family enterprises are still controlled mainly by the
founding generation with no succession experiences, no role-
-models, and almost no possibility of sharing succession
experiences with others, since the majority of their
colleagues’ owners-managers are the founders (not
successors). Besides raising owners-managers’ awareness,
also providing information on support available for
facilitating business transfers, offering special training
programs on business transfers, including succession topics
in study programs, special counseling on business transfers,
and the creation of a business sellers and buyers
database/market place are urgently needed in transition
economies.

Keywords

succession; family enterprises; transition economy

Hrčak ID:

19165

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/19165

Publication date:

31.10.2007.

Article data in other languages: croatian german

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