Family Business Education & Research Group (FBERG)

Dr Jill Thomas (FBERG co-founder) is a Senior Lecturer in the University of Adelaide Business School. Jill is a family business educator (through the University’s MBA course ‘Family Business Issues & Perspectives’ and Family Business Australia’s Leadership Course) and a family business researcher (areas of leadership and governance). Jill is currently on the boards of Family Business Australia and the Family Firm Institute (based in the USA)

Dr Chris Graves (FBERG co-founder) is a Senior Lecturer in the University of Adelaide Business School. Chris is a family business educator (through the University’s MBA course ‘Family Business Issues & Perspectives and Commerce degree course’ Small & Family Business Perspectives) and a family business researcher (areas of internationalisation, financial management & performance). Chris is also engaged in advising small and family businesses. He is currently on the board of the International Family Enterprise Research Academy (www.ifera.org) based in Europe.

Mr Mark Coleman is an adjunct lecturer in the University of Adelaide Business School. Mark has extensive experience as a practicing company director, having held over 20 board positions over the past 20 years. He specialises in undertaking board and governance reviews, and has consulted widely in this area. He speaks at professional conferences and seminars on these topics, and has presented the ‘Board Effectiveness’ module of the Company Directors Course since 1994, and has also presented and written other governance training and development courses. These various involvements focus on assisting directors and other members of governing bodies, including in the family business sector, better understand their roles and functions, assess their performance, and identify strategies to improve the operations of their governing bodies.

Mr Domenic Carbone is a Lecturer in the University of Adelaide Business School. Prior to joining the university, Domenic was a Tax Manager with one of the large (then "Big 6") accounting firms where he was mainly involved in the tax consulting, tax audit and indirect tax areas. He regularly advises family businesses on issues surrounding tax planning and taxation law.

Mr Gary Hancock is a lecturer and undergraduate program director for the Entrepreneurship, Commercialisation, and Innovation Centre (ECIC) at the University of Adelaide. Gary is an educator in the areas of small business management, new venture creation, business consulting, and entrepreneurship. He is currently undertaking a PhD in the field of early stage business financing. Specifically, he is interested in the phenomenon of how and why people engage in intra-family financing of new ventures.

Mr Andrew Harrison is a PhD candidate within the University of Adelaide Business School. Titled ‘Survival of Family Farms: Capital Raising and Credit Access’, Andrew’s research addresses one of the most critical issues for the sustainability of the family farm today - their ability to fund the transfer from one generation to the next. The outcomes of the study are expected to provide advice to farmers on how to manage succession planning, better access capital and increase awareness that will lead to a long-term future for their business.

Professor Noel Lindsay is currently the Director of the University of Adelaide’s Entrepreneurship, Commercialisation, and Innovation Centre (ECIC). Prior positions held include being Director of Bond University’s Australian Centre for Family Business. He leads the ECIC team in teaching and researching in the areas of entrepreneurship, innovation, technology commercialisation, and project management. With regard to family business, Noel’s research focuses on the role of family equity in business start-ups as well as understanding entrepreneurial behaviour and performance in the family business context.

Professor Grant Richardson is the Professor of Accounting in the University of Adelaide Business School. Grant’s research and interests include understanding the influence of family ownership on a firm’s taxation strategies, earnings management and corporate governance practices.

Associate Professor Pi-Shen Seet is Associate Professor at Flinders Business School, Flinders University. He obtained his PhD from the University of Cambridge and is also a visiting research scholar at the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. With the assistance of a research grant from CPA Australia, Dr. Seet published (with Dr. Chris Graves) published a research book on family businesses in 2010. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that influence the use of private equity financing amongst family firms in general, and specifically, whether private equity investors can provide a practical solution to the upcoming succession crisis amongst family firms in western economies.

Dr George Shan is a Senior Lecturer in the University of Adelaide Business School. George’s research and interests include corporate governance practices in family-owned enterprises and understanding in what circumstances family control results in superior financial performance.

Dr Sam Wells is a Senior Lecturer in the University of Adelaide Business School, teaching and researching in organisational behaviour and organisational sustainability. As South Australia's 1979 Rhodes Scholar, he completed his doctorate at Oxford in 1983. Sam has worked in and consults to family businesses. Ten years ago he became one of the first facilitators of Family Business Australia's forums, and continues to fill that role. Meeting 10 times per year, members of a forum share their rich and varied experiences in family business, solve problems together, learn from each other and discover their own family business wisdom.

Professor Ralf Zurbrugg is deputy head of the University of Adelaide Business School and Professor of Finance. Recently, Ralf successfully applied for an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant for the family business project titled ‘Survival of Family Farms: Capital Raising and Credit Access’. This project addresses one of the most critical issues for the sustainability of the family farm today - their ability to fund the transfer from one generation to the next. The outcomes of the study are expected to provide advice to farmers on how to manage succession planning, better access capital and increase awareness that will lead to a long-term future for their business.

Ashley Miller has been an adjunct lecturer at the Adelaide MBA for 11 years. In addition, for the past 14 years he has worked in private banking, providing advice to affluent individuals, families and institutional-style clients. He has a strong expertise in banking, risk, asset allocation, superannuation, and estate and succession planning. Prior to joining NAB Private Wealth, Ashley held senior positions at KPMG and ANZ Private Bank, including the Head of Advisory and Risk for ANZ Private Bank's Australian business.

Gurd, B and Thomas, J. (2012) Family Business Management: Contribution of the CFO. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research, Vol 18(3), pp 2-2.

Richardson, G., & Leung, S. (2011), Deferred tax expense, family control and earnings management: Evidence from Hong Kong firms, Journal of Corporate Ownership and Control Vol. 8 (4), pp. 96-111.

Seet P-S. & Graves C. (2010), Keeping it in the Family, In The Black, Melbourne: CPA Australia, Vol. 80(8), p 56.

Thomas, J. & Gurd, B. (2006), Finance Managers in Family-Owned Small-to-Medium Enterprises: A report on the benefits and difficulties for accountants working in family-owned SMEs. Melbourne: CPA Australia (ISBN 1 876 874 988).

Kropp, F., Lindsay, N.J. & Hancock, G. (2011), Chapter 17 in Handbook of Research into New Venture Creation, Cultural context as a moderator of private entrepreneurship investment behaviour, Elgar Publishing.

Thomas, J. & Graves, C. (2005), Internationalization of the Family Firm: The Contribution of an Entrepreneurial Orientation, Journal of Business and Entrepreneurship, Vol. 17(2), pp. 91-113.

Justin Craig, Noel J. Lindsay, (2002), Incorporating the family dynamic into the entrepreneurship process, Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, Vol. 9(4), pp. 416 - 430.

Lindsay, N.J. & Craig, J. B. (Eds.) (2001), Stars under the Southern Cross: The untold stories of Queensland family businesses, Robina: Bond University, ISBN: 073310018X.

Seet, P-S. & Graves, C. (2010), Understanding the Barriers to and Opportunities for Access to Private Equity for Small-to-Medium-Sized Enterprises, CPA Australia.

Seet, P., Graves, C., Hadji, M., Schnackenberg, A., & Gustafson, P. (2010), The effect of finance, knowledge and empathy gaps on the use of private equity amongst family-owned SMEs, International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, Vol. 11(1), pp. 85-104.

Thomas, J. (2009), Attitudes and expectations of shareholders: The case of the multi-generation family business, Journal of Management and Organisation, Vol 15(3), pp 346-362.

Thomas, J., Coleman, M. & Howieson, B. (2007), Perceptions about boards in SME sized family businesses, Electronic Journal of Family Business Studies (EJFBS), Vol 1(2), pp. 97-117.

Thomas, J. (2005), Managing Nepotism: Professionalising Human Resources Management in the Family Firm, in Managing the Family Business by Glassop and Waddell (Eds), Melbourne: Heidelberg Press.

Glassop, L. & Graves, C. (2010), Family Owned Businesses: Perspectives on Australian Policy, International Journal of Management Practice, Vol. 4(3), pp. 293-305.

Graves, C. & Thomas, J. (2008), Determinants of the Internationalization Pathways of Family Firms: An Examination of Family Influence, Family Business Review, Vol. 21(2), pp. 151-167.

Graves, C. & Thomas, J. (2006), Internationalisation of Australian Family Businesses: A Managerial Capabilities Perspective, Family Business Review, Vol. 19(3), pp. 207-224.

Thomas, J. & Graves, C. (2005), Internationalization of the Family Firm: The Contribution of an Entrepreneurial Orientation, Journal of Business and Entrepreneurship, Vol. 17(2), pp. 91-113.

Graves, C. & Thomas, J. (2005), Family Businesses and global strategies, Families in Business, London: Camden Publishing, May/June, No. 20, pp. 12-13.

Graves, C. & Thomas, J. (2004), Internationalising the Family Business: A Longitudinal Perspective, Int. J. of Globalisation and Small Business, Vol 1(1), pp. 7-27.

Graves, C. (2004), Venturing Beyond the Backyard: Exporting the Family Business, In-Business, Vol. 14(Jan/Feb), p. 13.

Thomas, J. (2011), Finding Success in Succession, Australia and New Zealand Grapegrower and Winemaker, April, pp. 79-80.

Graves, C. (2011), Succession is a Journey, Not an Event, Australia and New Zealand Grapegrower and Winemaker, March, pp. 83-84.

Thomas, J. (2007), Changing the Guard: Strategies for a smooth transition, Australia and New Zealand Grapegrower and Winemaker, February, pp. 83-85.

Thomas, J. (2007), Leadership in Family Business, Insight: Family Business edition. Adelaide: Graedi Group Pty Ltd., pp. 18-19

Thomas, J. (2005), Managing Nepotism: Professionalising Human Resources Management in the Family Firm, in Managing the Family Business by Glassop and Waddell (Eds), Melbourne: Heidelberg Press.

Thomas, J. (2004), Succession challenges in the family business: Evolution of process, Family Business Casebook Annual 2004, Joseph H. Astrachan, Panikkos Poutziouris and Khaled Soufani, Eds. Kennesaw, Georgia: Cox Family Enterprise Center, Coles College of Business, Kennesaw State University, pp. 159-181.

Thomas, J. (2002), Freeing the Shackles of Family Business Ownership, Family Business Review, Vol. 15(4), pp. 321-336.

Thomas, J. (2002), The emergence of leaders in family business’. Book Chapter in Fletcher, D. (Ed) Understanding the Small Family Business, London: Routlege, pp. 138-153.

Thomas, J. (2001), Challenges of family business succession, Management Case Study Journal, Vol 1(1), Electronic journal url http://www.mcsj.unisa.edu.au; ISSN: 1445-033X.

Thomas, J. (1998), The changing of the ‘old’ guard’, Book Chapter in Patrickson and Hartmann (Eds), Managing the Ageing Workforce. Warriewood, Sydney: Woodslane Publishers, pp. 219-232.

Through interactive seminar classes and including presentations by business leaders, this course explores issues critical to family owned and managed businesses, such as governance, succession, family and shareholder relationships, and professionalisation. Learning outcomes include:

• Developing strategies for managing and harnessing the dynamics between family, shareholders and the business
• Evaluating governance structures necessary to optimise family firm performance
• Incorporating the future needs of the family and the business into the planning processes
• Identifying the issues to be addressed when planning for ownership and management succession
• Analysing potential stressors in relationships between family and non family members in the business as well as the unique relationships that form when family members work together.

The course is targeted at current and potential owners and managers of family businesses and those interacting with family businesses as managers, employees, customers, consultants and advisors.

This course is also offered to appropriately qualified participants as a professional development course for family business sector and advisors and to existing students as a cross-institution enrolment or through the University of Adelaide’s Master of Commerce pathway.

Participants wishing to enrol in the course outside of the Adelaide MBA (as a standalone course) should contact Michelle Stengert, MBA Program Advisor (Telephone: (08) 8313 5591, Email: michelle.stengert@adelaide.edu.au).

To download a printable flyer for this course please Family Business Issues and Perspectives flyer.

This course aims to enhance students’ understanding of the characteristics, contributions, and issues surrounding the management and growth of small firms and family businesses. Topics include:

• Small firm and family business characteristics and significance
• Commencing and inheriting a business
• Developing business and marketing plans
• Choice of organisational structure and implications
• Financing start-up and growth
• Principles of sound financial management
• Managing growth and ownership/management transitions
• Role of advisors such as accountants
• Exiting the business through succession to the next generation or through a trade sale

The course will appeal to those who are interested in starting up their own business, as well as those interacting with small firms and family businesses as advisors, managers and policy-makers.

Family businesses are encouraged to engage experienced students for MBA business consulting projects where students come in to the family business and work on complex issues or challenge of mutual benefit.

Click on the links for further information on how to take part in an MBA Business Project or to commission an MBA Business Project.