• Introducing the HIF

    Family businesses have not only been guarantors for economic stability, sustainable investment and future-oriented activity in the recent past but will continue to do so.

    Considering the importance of the research area relatively little scientific research has been conducted in the field of family owned enterprises.
    It is sought to gain insights which aid the family businesses in their daily business activites and their strategic orientation as well as form a basis for potential recommendations for the legislator. With the privately funded institute we intend to prove that Hamburg is a city not only with a vibrant community but a place of academic and scientific excellence... »more

  • FIRST, INTERNATIONAL, ACADEMIC SYMPOSIUM, November 2011

    November 17th - 19th 2011

    Scientists from the U.S., Great Britain, Italy, Germany and other countries gathered from November 17th - 19th 2011 in the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce to discuss and explore several important family business related topics… »more

  • Foundation of the Hamburg Institute of Family Owned Business (HIF)

    On February 15th the Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWI) and the Hamburg School of Business Administration (HSBA) founded the Hamburg Institute of Family Owned Business (HIF).

    » Go to Gallery

Current Publications

HWWI Insights 03 2011

THE ENTREPRENEUR IN THE FAMILY BUSINESS

Are Family Buisnessmen better Entrepreneurs, or even better People?

by Prof. Dr. Günther Strunk

 

Family businesses have been a very important factor for Germany’s economic success and continue to do so. Not only in terms of their overall number of employees and training posts but also with regards to profit and turnover have they been an enrichment for Germany which should not be underestimated. Notably, and different to many big companies, they are very much entrenched in the region and thus have a significant influence on the local economy, politics and… »more

HWWI Standpunkt

FAMILY BUSINESSES: THE FACE OF THE GERMAN ECONOMY

by Prof. Dr. Thomas Straubhaar
Director of the Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWI)

Small and medium-sized firms have deservedly been described as the backbone of the German economy. They are a driving force behind growth and employment. This applies to the Hamburg metropolitan region just as much as to Germany as a whole. In Hamburg around 70 % of all jobs subject to social insurance contributions are in small and medium-sized firms. Small companies with less than 20 employees are the rule, big companies with over 500 employees the exception... »more

Hamburger Wirtschaft 7/2011

Business Succession – Transfer with Care

by Christoph Herting
Hamburg Chamber of Commerce

When looking for a new proprietor, every small or mid-sized firm is faced with a pivotal challenge. Good preparation, open communication and clear rules are vital. Someone who has passed on a business over four generations of a family will have something to say about business succession and changes in general: “It all began with around a hundred horses and transportation routes between Bergedorf and Hamburg and the first purchase of a lorry back in 1928”, recounts Carsten Buhck about the origins of a family business that was... »more