Expand+Candidates must hold an undergraduate degree or equivalent professional qualification. Non-graduates with at least three years relevant family business experience in a management role may also app. As this is a work-based programme, all candidates mu...

Hide-Candidates must hold an undergraduate degree or equivalent professional qualification. Non-graduates with at least three years relevant family business experience in a management role may also app. As this is a work-based programme, all candidates must come from a family business background or must be directly involved in the management of a family business (i.e. potential successors, incumbent owner-managers, founders, next generation family members and non-family managers). All applicants whose first language is not English should have attained IELTS Level 6.5 or the equivalent TOEFL score.

Expand+The Certificate in Family Business Sustainability focuses on key professional and personal issues in ensuring the sustainability and continuity of family businesses, namely governance, ownership and management. Family owned enterprises are estimated ...

Hide-The Certificate in Family Business Sustainability focuses on key professional and personal issues in ensuring the sustainability and continuity of family businesses, namely governance, ownership and management. Family owned enterprises are estimated to account for 3/4 of all enterprises in Ireland and for half of employment in the private sector. Family businesses are heterogeneous in nature, facing challenges specific to families in business.

The aim of this programme is to provide participants with the knowledge and skills to address the issues facing their family and business. Continuity has been identified as a key challenge for family businesses due to family ownership. As SMEs are the backbone of the Irish economy and are largely family owned, the rationale for this programme is to meet the needs of that sector.

Recent surveys by PWC (www.pwc.ie/familybusinesssurvey) and KPMG (http://www.kpmgfamilybusiness.com) identify succession, growth and professionalisation as key issues facing family businesses locally and globally.

Expand+The Certificate in Family Business Sustainability will be delivered over a nine month period. During this time students will explore the following modules: Ownership, Management and Governance of Family Businesses, Family Dynamics, Strategic Planning...

Hide-The Certificate in Family Business Sustainability will be delivered over a nine month period. During this time students will explore the following modules: Ownership, Management and Governance of Family Businesses, Family Dynamics, Strategic Planning for Family Businesses and Engaging with the Next Generation. Family business owners and members of the next generation will use their own family business as the context for exploring the many issues which challenge the sustainability of family businesses such as strategic planning, succession, governance, responsible ownership and engaging the next generation. The assessments for the certificate will be based on students’ experiences in their family businesses and will provide them with an opportunity to apply the frameworks studied during lectures. In order to be in a position to complete these assignments, all candidates must come from a family business background or must be directly involved in the management of a family business.

Students will complete 30 credits as follows:

Year 1 Modules:

MG5819: Family Dynamics (5 credits)
This module will address key areas surrounding family dynamics such as family system characteristics, roles of family members in the family and the business and overlapping systems.

MG5820: Family Business Management, Ownership and Governance (10 credits)
This module will cover key areas including the family business, family culture, professionalisation of family businesses, ownership issues and governance of family businesses.

MG5821: Strategic Planning for Family Businesses (10 credits)
This module will explore strategic analysis frameworks, the family business as a source of competitive advantage and strategic planning tools which focus on planning for the family and the business.