Irish family business by numbers

This report assessed the contribution of family businesses to the Irish economy and labour market. We adopted the Central Statistics Office’s (CSO) definition of family business, derived from the ‘common European definition’, whereby: — one family holds more than 50% of voting shares, and/or — one family supplies a significant proportion of the senior management and effectively controls the business, and/or — a family or a family relationship influences the enterprise and the latter is perceived to be a family business. The report assessed that 64% of all businesses in Ireland can be classified as a family business, and it makes international comparisons, and sets out sector distributions

Surviving a crisis as a family business: an all-island study

Surviving a Crisis as a Family Business came about following a conversation among colleagues at DCU National Centre for Family Business, Ulster University, the Northern Ireland Family Business Forum, and the University of Central Florida. The catalyst for the study came during a unique moment in Irish business history when the onset of an all-island lockdown, as a result of COVID-19, necessitated the closure of many businesses across the island overnight. The research followed the progress of family businesses from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland from mid-March 2020 until early November 2020. Data was collected across this seven month period with input from 53 CEOs and 198 employees, with a minimum of three employee respondents representing each family business. The survey was developed with two main aims. Firstly, to conduct the first all-island research study that assessed the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on Irish family businesses. Secondly, we developed the study with a longer-term objective to understand how family business teams respond during crises. While the urgency of the global health pandemic and its resulting impact on family businesses across Ireland necessitated a research intervention to assist those affected, our teams also recognised the value of developing a crisis resource that family businesses could take into the future. We hope the report’s evidence-based findings and theory-driven recommendations will provide useful, practical steps and tools for family businesses managing crises in years to come