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Family businesses

Articles, books and online resources on issues specific to family-run businesses.
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Latest on family businesses

Read our latest features and articles on family businesses.
What family businesses can teach other types of company
  • Article
  • 24 May 2023
Family businesses have proved to be particularly resilient in the wake of COVID-19, according to PwC. What can other companies learn from family-run firms to drive their own success?
Family Business Week: putting the ‘S’ in ESG
  • Article
  • 21 Nov 2022
When it comes to integrating social impacts into their decision making, family businesses are ahead of the game. Family Business Week aims to celebrate the successes of this important sector.
Inflation to cut growth among UK owner-managed businesses
  • Article
  • 10 May 2022
Owner-managed businesses fear inflationary pressures combined with other economic pressures will have a huge impact over the next 12 months.
Professional partnership thumb
Professional partnerships: the Hutson family
  • Article
  • 06 Jan 2022
For Colin and Julie Hutson and their son Sam, their thriving practice in Northallerton, North Yorkshire is very much a family affair.
Exclusive Succession in family businesses
  • Article
  • 19 Oct 2021
Outlining the options in this incredibly important area
CIOT hosts virtual conference to support tax charities
  • Article
  • 23 Aug 2021
The Chartered Institute of Taxation has organised a virtual conference covering current tax issues for private clients and owner-managed businesses on 13 September. The half-day event aims to help two tax charities: TaxAid and Tax Help for Older People.
Accountant engineers Queen’s Award for International Trade
  • Article
  • 04 Aug 2021
Chartered accountant Katie Travis didn't know assisting her husband’s family business would culminate in a director role with the engineering company and a prestigious business award.

Business press

The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides access to leading business, finance and management journals. These journals are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users subject to suppliers' terms of use.
Exclusive How to choose a CEO: Lessons from large family businesses
  • Article
  • 01 Jan 2024
An update on new research analysing succession practices in businesses, which has found that large family businesses have much better succession practices than their non-family counterparts. Some best practices for CEO succession which were identified from the research are shared.
Exclusive What's the plan?
  • Article
  • 01 Dec 2023
  • Jamie Zachary
Succession planning and family business experts share advice on avoiding conflict during business ownership transitions. Tips for business owners include accepting that the new owners may have a different idea of how the company should be run. A clear plan is needed, setting out roles, responsibilities and milestones to work towards.
Exclusive Succession stories: lessons learned from former family office CEOs
  • Article
  • 01 Jul 2022
  • Jane Flanagan
The article discusses succession planning in family enterprises, considering how CEOs may retire without causing significant disruption. The author highlights the importance of trusted advisors, and outlines key aspects of the succession planning process.
Exclusive Have a plan to pass the torch for succession planning success
  • Article
  • 01 Oct 2021
  • Paula K.Barrett, William Onorato
Article covering basic elements of a succession plan for an owner-managed business, plus how to accelerate business value before the exit.
Exclusive 'Absurd' CAPM, Size impact, 'Sense checks' and family firms highlight the ICAEW conference
  • Article
  • 01 Jul 2021
A review of the ICAEW Valuation Conference 2021, which included speakers on the capital asset pricing model (CAPM), common valuation adjustments and valuing a small unlisted enterprise such as a family firm.
Exclusive M&As in family firms: keeping trust in the equation
  • Article
  • 26 May 2021
  • Stella C.Lind, Frank Lattuch
The authors explore how a loss of trust during the M&A process in family firms can be avoided, drawing on their research into acquisitions of family firms.
Exclusive Succession planning is the key to family enterprise resilience
  • Article
  • 01 Jul 2020
  • Robert "Bobby" Stover Jr.
Making a distinction between family considerations and business considerations, this article sets out some suggestions for how family businesses ought to get started in the succession process, put together a succession plan, and manage the transition.
Exclusive Dealing with conflicting emotions after selling your family business.
  • Article
  • 01 Jan 2020
  • Jill Shipley
Article discusses the emotional rollercoaster of selling the business you have built up over many years but have received an offer for that you cannot refuse.

Articles and books in the ICAEW Library collection

The collection of the ICAEW Library & Information Service includes a range of articles, books and reports on family businesses. Use the links below to see what we have available to request in our Library catalogue (Libcat).
Family investment companies, 2nd ed.
  • Library book
  • 2024
  • D. Clark
A brief guide to the key issues that tax advisers ought to consider when exploring whether a Family Investment Company is an appropriate vehicle to help with an individuals' estate planning. Examples and diagrams are given to illustrate the points discussed.
Family offices: the STEP handbook for advisers
  • Library book
  • 2023
  • B.R.Hauser
This guide steers readers through the family office model, from its inception to the final stage in its life cycle. Part I sections include: choice of structures; global virtual family offices; governance; responsible wealth stewardship for the family office. Part II covers: Australia; Bermuda; Canada; Greater China; the Gulf states; Hong Kong; Israel; Italy; Luxembourg; Netherlands; Singapore; Switzerland; United Kingdom; and United States.
Tax aspects of succession planning for family company shareholders
  • Library book
  • 2023
  • R.Jamieson
Individuals who own and run family companies always endeavour to achieve the optimum post-tax return on sales of their shares or when passing down their holdings to the next generations. This Tax Digest examines the key taxation issues which need to be considered in these areas.
Tax implications on family breakdown, 2nd ed.
  • Library book
  • 2023
  • S. Thomas, J. Pirrie
This book addresses a range of tax-related problems which often arise in financial remedy cases, with the aim of assisting tax and family law practitioners in ensuring that all necessary information is available to the court, or within alternative dispute resolution processes. Includes guidance on what to expect from the process of working as a Single Joint Expert.
Rayney's tax planning for family and owner managed companies, 2023/24
  • Library book
  • 2023
  • P.Rayney
This book examines a wide variety of tax planning matters from the viewpoint of the company, its working and nonworking shareholders and its employees. Includes information on valuing a family or owner-managed company. The book covers all relevant legislative changes up to August 2023.
Business families and family businesses: the STEP handbook for advisers
  • Library book
  • 2018
  • S.Rylatt
A comprehensive handbook for all practitioners who advise business families, including accountants and financial advisers.

eBooks

The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides full text access to a selection of key business and reference eBooks from leading publishers. eBooks are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users. If you are unable to access an eBook, please see our Help and support advice or contact library@icaew.com.

Exclusive Essential reads on family offices
  • eBook
  • 2023
  • Globe Law and Business Ltd.
  • Globe Law and Business Ltd.
Contains articles from 'The International Family Offices Journal' focusing on three key themes: family office profiles (learn about unique structure, outlooks and best practices); family governance (understand principles and practices of family governance which is critical for preserving family harmony and ensuring the long term success of the family office); and NextGen and succession (exploring how to successfully transition family wealth and leadership to the next generation).
Exclusive Setting up a family office
  • eBook
  • 2020
  • Keith Drewery, Barbara R. Houser
  • Globe Law and Business Ltd.
A practical guide on how to decide whether your family would benefit from having a family office. Explains how to go about creating, operating and expanding family offices.
Exclusive Family in business: the dynamics of the family owned firm, The
  • eBook
  • 2011
  • Bernard Liebowitz
  • Business Expert Press
Explores the key elements of consultation for family businesses.
Exclusive Understanding the family business
  • eBook
  • 2011
  • Gary May
  • Business Expert Press
Provides an introduction to family businesses and how they differ from other kinds of business.
Terms of use

You are permitted to access, download, copy, or print out content from eBooks for your own research or study only, subject to the terms of use set by our suppliers and any restrictions imposed by individual publishers. Please see individual supplier pages for full terms of use.

Online magazines

These journals are available only to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users. To access them, please log in.

External resources - Surveys and reports

European family business barometer: Succession top of mind
  • Website
  • 2019
  • KPMG/EFB
This joint report from KPMG Enterprise and European Family Businesses (EFB), showed Europe's family businesses remaining positive about the future at a time of rising economic and geopolitical uncertainties. KPMG also has a Family business profiles section, which provides insights from family business leaders into the opportunities and challenges of their family businesses.
Family business challenges: Private company issues and opportunities 2020
  • Website
  • 2020
  • Deloitte
In this Deloitte report, practitioners who work with family businesses provide insights on topics including succession, family governance, access to capital and family business health.
Global Family Business Report 2022
  • Website
  • August 2022
  • KPMG/STEP Project Global Consortium
This joint project from KPMG Enterprise and STEP Project Global Consortium involved an in-depth survey of 2,439 family business leaders across the world, followed by a series of roundtable discussions with family business CEOs, family business academics and professional advisers. Benchmarking reports for individual countries are available, along with a report - 'The regenerative power of family businesses'.
Global family business survey 2019
  • Website
  • 2019
  • Deloitte
Deloitte’s fifth annual global family business survey explores how family business leaders can achieve the right balance between the short and the long term, in the context of the unique family, marketplace and sociocultural dynamics that characterize the family enterprise.
Global Family Business Survey 2023
  • Website
  • 2023
  • PwC
PwC talked to over 2,000 family business owners and managers in 83 territories for their latest global survey. The survey highlights the significant contribution family businesses make to economies and communities around the world.
Terms of use

ICAEW accepts no responsibility for the content on any site to which a hypertext link from this site exists. The links are provided 'as is' with no warranty, express or implied, for the information provided within them. Please see the full copyright and disclaimer notice.

External resources - Organisations

Family Business UK
  • Website
A growing body of family businesses working to support the UK family-owned business sector (formerly named the Institute for Family Business, IFB). The organisation will work to promote the role of the family business model in the UK economy, and also support and advise family businesses to invest, grow and sustain for the long-term.
Family Business United
  • Website
Resources and useful features for family-run businesses, including upcoming events for the sector and The Family Business Top 100, a list showcasing some of the best family businesses across the UK.
Terms of use

ICAEW accepts no responsibility for the content on any site to which a hypertext link from this site exists. The links are provided 'as is' with no warranty, express or implied, for the information provided within them. Please see the full copyright and disclaimer notice.

External resources - Business guides

Employing family members
  • Website
  • Atom Content Marketing
A guide to employing members of your family in your business, covering identifying stakeholders whose views you need to take into account, communication, dealing with ownership and management issues, employment policies and providing for change management and disputes.
Planning your exit from your business
  • Website
  • Atom Content Marketing
Business guide to planning your exit from your business, covering planning head, shareholder, company and management objectives when exiting, getting your business in shape for your exit, possible business exit routes, planning a trade sale, planning an MBO and planning a family succession.
Terms of use

ICAEW accepts no responsibility for the content on any site to which a hypertext link from this site exists. The links are provided 'as is' with no warranty, express or implied, for the information provided within them. Please see the full copyright and disclaimer notice.

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