Family Firms Going Public

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What sort of reasons might persuade a family firm to go public, and what might make them hesitate? Nowadays, a family firm is the most frequent type of business entity in the world. To legalize such an organization a family-owned business has to be either a partnership or a Private Limited Company. Going public means being quoted on the Stock Exchange, where companies or individuals can invest in the firm and become a shareholder. Private companies are not allowed to sell shares to the general public, so they have to become public to be quoted. Why would a family firm want to go public? What would it change in its organization? There are of course advantages, but do they balance the disadvantages? The first advantage for a family firm to go public is maximization of profit: issuing shares is a good way to raise fresh capital. The number of shareholders for a Public Limited Company is unlimited, whereas it is limited to 50 in a Private Limited Company. Furthermore quotation on the Stock Exchange advertises the firm to the general public. Even though a family firm’s main objective is more survival than expansion – for it is generally content with being passed on from generation to generation and to supplying a comfortable lifestyle to the family –, being quoted on the Stock Exchange does provide a better visibility on the market and therefore gives a better guarantee of its survival. Another advantage would be the limited liability of debts, which is automatic in the case of a Private Limited Company, but not in the one of a partnership. Limited liability means debt money cannot be retained on the owners’ personal capital, but only on the one they invested in the firm. Moreover, keeping a firm into the family can create problems such as management disagreements and unprofessional perspectives: family firms generally prefer hiring family members, even if

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