Under the microscope: a profile of the family business in Ireland

A review of the entrepreneurship and small business literature indicates that little to no research has examined family businesses in Ireland in terms of their structure and composition, the management of the family business, and the training conducted by family businesses. The purpose of this paper is to examine these dynamics through the findings of primary research, thereby providing a profile of family businesses in Ireland. First, the paper aims to examine the demographics of the family business members and to understand the composition and structure of the family business. Second, the paper aims to understand how the family business is managed, and third, how training is carried out within the family business. The research methodology adopted for this study was that of a postal questionnaire. The questionnaire-based survey was applied to a sample of 500 family businesses in Ireland and a total of 121 valid responses were received, which resulted in a valid response rate of 24.2 per cent. The findings of the study identifies that family businesses are a source of employment for family members and typically the owner/manager is heavily involved in the day-to-day operations of the business. The most prevalent form of ownership is that of a husband and wife team. Results indicate that when the family business is small, the management team is comprised of family members only. However, as the business grows the presence of the family on the management team is reduced considerably. Finally, training in family businesses occurs on an informal, ad-hoc basis.