The First European Summit (2006)The 2006 European Summit brought together business families and academic professors who have participated in the STEP Project research study for an unparalleled learning exchange. The business family teams and academics attended the event together in order to further their shared learning and application of the research results.
The Summit was hosted by the HEC Paris STEP Research Team from September 8-9, 2006 at a Chateau on the HEC Jouy en Josas campus. Summit attendees had the opportunity to:
- Hear the initial research results
- Interact with live cases presented by peers
- Benchmark practices of business families
- Participate in interpretive workshops
- Create personalized action plans for growth and continuity
- Connect to a global network and stream of new knowledge
Some of the research findings and issues discussed were:
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Entrepreneurship is different than "business as usual." What does this mean for family businesses?
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Can a commitment to continuity be transgenerational entrepreneurship?
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Family values need to be specifically related to strategies that lead to entrepreneurial outcomes.
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Family life stage should not be the sole determinant of structures and strategies.
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Family businesses represent the most significant resource pool for entrepreneurship
The STEP Team conducted podcasts during the Summit with some of the research teams and participants. Choose from the files below to hear:
Tim Habbershon - Director of Babson's Institute for Family Enterprising and Global STEP Director
Michel Santi - Professor in Strategy at HEC Paris and co-director the the European STEP Project
Nicolas Rousselet - Chairman and CEO of G7 Enterprises in France
Peter and Niko Pohlmann - Father and Son from POCO in Germany
Babson College and its European Summit partners would like to thank the Habib Bank AG Zurich and the Habib family for providing the funding for the European Summit. Muhammad Habib is a 1981 graduate of Babson College and is currently serving as the Chairman of the Babson European Executive Board.
