Master in Strategic Management of Family Businesses

Program Presentation

The Master in Strategic Management of Family Businesses is a program that covers the basic concepts related to the management and administration of family businesses, as well as the different processes and tools that are useful for the effective handling of these companies.

Through the pedagogical articulation of the theoretical fundaments and the discussion of case studies, within a space of interaction encouraged by professors and the use of a Virtual Campus, a person culminating a Master in Strategic Management of Family Businesses will be qualified to:

  • Develop the roles of Managing a Family Business applying the skills learned in the course.
  • Understand the particularities of family businesses and manage the relationship between Company - Family - Property.
  • Propose ideas and solutions to the problems presented in family businesses, achieving its sustainability thereof.
  • Understand and use the latest tools in the field of family business management.
  • Understand and develop the necessary leadership skills for the management of family businesses.
  • Understand other general aspects for the comprehensive management of the family business such as the management of the environment, quality and business projects.

Who is the programme for?

The Master in Strategic Management of Family Businesses is aimed at entrepreneurs, managers, members of family businesses and professionals involved in the world of family businesses. It is also aimed at recent university graduates that wish to acquire knowledge on Family Business Management.

The Master in Strategic Management of Family Businesses enables individuals to develop their activities within the field of Family Business Management at any level of command; as well as to provide people that aren’t directly related to family business management but are interested in the topic, such as: family members, shareholders, non-managerial individuals, as well as consultants, teachers and researchers.

Diploma

The successful completion of the Program will allow the student to obtain the degree of MASTER IN STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT OF FAMILY BUSINESSES, issued by the University where he or she has registered.

Program Structure

The estimated duration for the completion of the Master in Strategic Management of Family Businesses is 940 hours (94 credits)a.

Regarding the distribution of time it is established that:

  • As it is an online Program, and does not require classroom attendance, a specific start date is not established, which means the student can sign up for the class at any moment, as long as there are available spaces. 
  • For academic and learning purposes it has a minimum duration of six months, in exceptional cases.
  • The maximum duration to complete the program is 24 months. During this period, the student must have handed in all of the corresponding evaluations of the subjects and the Final Project or Thesis.

The credit structure for the Master in Strategic Management of Family Businesses is summarized in the following table:

  CREDITSa LENGTHb HOURS
1ª Part: Administration, Organization and Family Business Management 36 8 360
2ª Part: New tools for the Management of Family Businesses 32 7 320
3ª Part: Global Aspects for the Management of Family Businesses 16 6 160
4ª Part: Final Project or Thesis 10 3 100
TOTAL 94 24 940

a. The equivalent of credits may vary according to the university granting the degree
b.Length in months

Objectives

General objective

  • Train professionals with a strategic overview of family business management, providing the individual with the most advanced tools and techniques for the success and sustainability of family businesses.

Specific objectives

  • Develop the responsibilities of Family Business Management while applying the skills learned in this course.
  • Understand the particularities of Family Businesses and manage the Business – Family –Property relationships. 
  • Propose ideas and solutions to the problems presented in Family Businesses, achieving sustainability in the family businesses.
  • Learn and use the most modern tools in the field of Family Business management.
  • Use the skills developed throughout the course, providing a strategic overview of family business management.
  • Understand and develop administrative skills needed for the management of family businesses.
  • Learn other general aspects for the integral management of the family business: environment, quality, project management.

Career Opportunities

Some of the career opportunities of the Master in Strategic Management of Family Businesses are:

  • Family Business Executives.
  • Members of the Board of Directors of Family Businesses.
  • Family Business Consultants.
  • Specialists and researchers in Family Businesses.

Study Plan

The Strategic Management of Family Businesses Master program has a curricular structure based on 4 parts:

  • 1st Part: Administration, Organization and Family Business Management (360 hours)

The first part allows a general overview of the topic, dealing with subjects such as Strategic Management and Planning; Business Management; Control and Management of Expenses; Economy; Financial Management; Management of Operations; Logistics; Marketing and Business Management; Integration of Corporate Management Systems.

The corresponding subjects and hours that make up the first part are shown in the following table:

1st Part: ADMINISTRATION, ORGANIZATION AND FAMILY BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
# SUBJECTS HOURS
1 Strategic Management and Planning 40
2 Business Management 40
3 Costs Control and Management 30
4 Economy 30
5 Financial Management 40
6 Strategic Management of Human Resources 30
7 Management of Operations 30
8 Logistics 30
9 Marketing 40
10 e-Business and its Integration with Corporate Management Systems 50
  TOTAL 360
  • 2nd Part: New tools for the Management of Family Businesses (320 hours)

The second part consists of topics such as Concepts and Characteristics of Family Businesses; Organizational Climate and Culture; Succession and Continuity in Family Business; Generational changes and Incorporation of family members into the business; Family Business professionalism; Structure and Center of the governments; Family protocol; Property management in family business; Key success factors in family businesses; Creation and internationalization of family businesses, and basic legal aspects of family businesses.

The corresponding subjects and hours that make up the second part are shown in the following table:

2nd Part: NEW TOOLS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF FAMILY BUSINESSES
# SUBJECTS HOURS
1 Concepts and Characteristics of Family Businesses 30
2 Culture and Organizational Climate in Family Businesses 25
3 Succession and Continuity in Family Businesses 30
4 The Systematic Focus Applied to Conflict in Family
Businesses
30
5 Family Business professionalism 30
6 Government structures and bodies 30
7 Family protocol 30
8 Property management in family business 20
9 Key factors for success in family businesses 25
10 Creation and internationalization of family businesses 30
11 Basic legal aspects of family businesses 40
  TOTAL 320
  • 3rd Part: Global Aspects for the Management of Family Businesses (160 hours)

The third part presents some of the challenges that the managers of family businesses should address within the next few years: Management and Leadership Techniques; Work team Management Techniques; Conflict Resolution and Negotiation Techniques; Organizational Knowledge and Learning Management; Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility.

The corresponding subjects and hours that make up the third part are shown in the following table:

3rd Part: GLOBAL ASPECTS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF FAMILY BUSINESSES
# SUBJECTS HOURS
1 Management and Leadership Techniques 30
2 Management Techniques for Work Teams 30
3 Conflict Resolution and Negotiation Techniques 30
4 Knowledge Management and Organizational
Learning
30
5 Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility 40
  TOTAL 160

These subjects, in spite of being independent, are self-contained and are structured in accordance with a coherent pedagogical order. Each one is divided in basic thematic units or chapters, whose content includes written material that should be studied in order to successfully respond to the evaluation activities.

  • 4th Part: Final Master Project or Degree Thesis (100 hours)

The Final Master Project or Thesis, which has a workload of 100 hours, has as an objective to present a completed work that shows the whole development of a project, contemplating the possibility of its implementation.

4th Part: FINAL MASTER PROJECT OR DEGREE THESIS
# SUBJECTS HOURS
1 Final Master Project or Degree Thesis 100
Total 100

Management

  • Dra. Silvia Aparicio. Doctora en Ciencias Económicas por la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid y Licenciada en Administración y Dirección de Empresas por la Universidad de Cantabria. Directora Académica Internacional del Área de Desarrollo Directivo, Organización Empresarial y Recursos Humanos de la Fundación Universitaria Iberoamericana, FUNIBER.
  • Dr. Salvador Rus Rufino. Doctor in Philosophy from the University of Navarra. Doctor in History from the University of León. Professor at the University of León. Director of the Department of History of Family Business, University of León.
  • Dra. Cristina Hidalgo González. Doctor in Business QC from the University of León. Associate professor in the Department of Applied Economics at the University of León.
  • Dra (c). Carmen Lilí Rodríguez Velasco. Master’s in Occupational and Organizational Psychology from the University of Havana, Cuba. International Academic Coordinator of the Management Development, Business Organization and Human Resources Area, at FUNIBER..
  • Dra (c). Andrea Gutiérrez Jiménez. Doctorado en Proyectos, por la Universidad Internacional Iberoamericana (en proceso). Máster en Recursos Humanos y Gestión del Conocimiento de la Universidad de León (España). Coordinadora Académica del Programa Máster en Dirección Estratégica de Empresas Familiares y sus Especializaciones.

Teaching staff and Authors

  • Dr. Manuel Maeda Takeuchi. Profesor de Programas de Ingeniería y Administración de Empresas, Universidad de Piura, Perú. Experiencia Gerencial en Administración, Proyectos de Corporación, Administración de Operaciones y Administración y Finanzas.
  • Dr. Salvador Rus Rufino. Doctor in Philosophy from the University of Navarra. Doctor in History from the University of León. Professor at the University of León. Director of the Department of History of Family Business, University of León.
  • Dra. Cristina Hidalgo González. Doctor of Business Administration QC.  from the University of León. Professor of the Department of Applied Economics at the University of León.
  • Dr. Francisco J. Hidalgo Trujillo. Doctor in Engineering Projects: Environment, Safety, Quality and Communications from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. Advisory and consulting organizations. Strategic processes and business development analyst.
  • Dr. Rubén Calderón Iglesias.Doctor in Economics from the University Antonio de Nebrija, Spain. Professor at International Iberoamerican University. 
  • Dra (c). Julién Brito Ballester. Doctorate in Projects from the International Iberoamerican University (in process). Master's in Occupational and Organizational Psychology from the University of Havana Cuba. Master's in Human Resources Management from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Master's in Systemic Coaching from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. International Consultant and Human Resources Management, Training, Professional Development and Skills Expert.
  • Dra (c). Andrea Gutiérrez Jiménez. Doctorate in Projects from the International Iberoamerican University (in process). Master's in Human Resources and Knowledge Management at the University of León, Spain. Program Coordinator and Professor at FUNIBER.
  • Dra (c). Carmen Mary González Fernández.Doctorate in Projects from the International Iberoamerican University (in process). Master's in Strategic Management of Family Businesses from the University of León, Spain. Processes consultant. Family businesswoman. Professor at FUNIBER. 
  • Dr (c). Diego J. Kurtz. Doctorate in Engineering and Knowledge Management by PPGEGC - UFSC (in process). Master's in International Business - Wiesbaden Business School, Germany. Core Research for Sustainability Management (www.ngs.ufsc.br) and Junior SME Dynamic Project Researcher (www.dynamic-sme.org). Program Coordinator and Professor at FUNIBER.
  • Dra (c). Carmen Lilí Rodríguez Velasco.Doctorate in Education from the International Iberoamerican University (in process). Master's in Occupational and Organizational Psychology from the University of Havana, Cuba. International Academic Coordinator of the Management Development Area, Business Organization and Human Resources at FUNIBER. 
  • Ms. María Eugenia Luna Borgaro. Master's in Human Resources and Knowledge Management from the University of León, Spain. Expert on Human Resources Management and Management Skills. Professor at FUNIBER.

FUNIBER Training Scholarships

The Iberoamerican University Foundation (FUNIBER) allocates periodically an extraordinary economic item for FUNIBER Training Scholarships.

To apply, please fill out the information request form that appears in the web of FUNIBER or contact directly the Foundation’s headquarters in your country that will inform you if you need to provide some additional information.

Once the documentation is received, the Evaluation Committee will determine your application's eligibility for the FUNIBER Training Scholarship.