Global Leading Business Schools, CKGSB and IE, Team up to Launch Pioneering Report on Understanding Family Businesses in China

BEIJING, Nov. 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In the current context of profound change and uncertainty, China's leading business school, Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB) and Spain's IE Business School have jointly launched a report on "Understanding Family Businesses in China: the Path, the Trend, and the Future," examining the role of private family-run enterprises and the challenges they face in the near future. The report aims to shed light on what will continue to be one of the pillars of the global economy from the perspective of China, which will play a key role in this new century.

To mark the launch of the report, CKGSB and IE Business School have co-hosted a webinar in which CKGSB Assistant Professor of Economics Fan Xinyu, and Assistant Professor of Leadership and Academic Director of IE's China Center Ma Bin discussed their views and ideas on the subject, giving a broader understanding of the factors shared by the universally successful institution of family businesses.

"Since China's economic reforms in 1978, huge numbers of private family enterprises have been set up and now play a major role in the economy," said Professor Ma Bin. Many statistical sources suggest that the contribution of the private sector to GDP in China has grown to at least 60% in recent years, of which 85% are from family-owned private enterprises, making a major contribution toward technological innovation, as well as creating jobs. "Given their overall economic contribution, we believe that in the context of the post-pandemic economic recovery, research on private family-run enterprises in China is more timely than ever," he added.

Professor Fan Xinyu elaborated on this notion, explaining that "the unprecedented economic reforms cultivated a large class of successful family businesses that have profoundly reshaped the Chinese economy. In addition to the economic growth, family businesses have also contributed to the institutional and operational transformation of China." Now, with the post-pandemic economic recovery, private family-run enterprises in China play a more significant role than ever before. "In light of the transformations taking place in China's family businesses and the digitization taking place inside companies, we believe this is a unique opportunity for a "double transformation," where family-owned firms must transform themselves to meet the demands of today's digital changes," he explained.

Click here to read the full report: https://english.ckgsb.edu.cn/programs-brochure/understanding-family-businesses-in-china-the-path-the-trend-and-the-future/