When business is a family affair

+ how you eat affects generations US Edition - Today's top story: Should family members be in charge of family businesses? We analyzed 175 studies to understand when having a family CEO pays off [View in browser]( US Edition | 23 April 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [In Trump trial, opening statements may prove to be crucial]( - [Inflating student grades won’t fix an unfair school system]( - [40 years on from Beirut bombing, US troops are still at risk]( Lead story If you think of business as a cutthroat, impersonal affair, you might be surprised by how many family firms are out there: More than half of all enterprises globally − and an even greater proportion in the U.S. − are owned or operated by families. And as anyone who has worked in a family business − or, barring that, seen an episode of “Succession” − can attest, family firms often face tough leadership changes. After all, when it’s time to hire a new chief executive officer, family members offer continuity and connection, but outside candidates often have more experience and stronger performance records. 

 So what’s a family business in search of a CEO to do? For decades, researchers have been studying this very question − and now a team has digested more than 170 studies since the 1980s to see what lessons can be learned. It turns out that CEOs selected from within a family are notably different from other CEOs: They prioritize corporate social responsibility more, for example, and invest in R&D less. But as entrepreneurship scholar Vitaliy Skorodziyevskiy and colleagues note, there are cases where hiring from within the family [makes good business sense](, too. One last thing: If you value The Conversation’s international coverage, we think you’ll also like the DailyChatter. This daily newsletter covers more than 150 countries by highlighting trusted sources like The Conversation from around the world. Subscribe today and [get the world in your inbox tomorrow](. Tracy Walsh Economy + Business Editor Leadership decisions can be especially challenging for family companies. Warner Bros. Discovery [Should family members be in charge of family businesses? We analyzed 175 studies to understand when having a family CEO pays off]( Vitaliy Skorodziyevskiy, University of Louisville; Jeff Chandler, University of North Texas; Jim Chrisman, Mississippi State University; Joshua J. Daspit, Texas State University; Oleg Petrenko, University of Arkansas Family businesses face unique considerations when making leadership decisions. Politics + Society - [Opening statements are the most important part of a trial – as lawyers in Trump’s hush money case know well]( Ronald S. Sullivan Jr., Harvard University What I teach Harvard Law School students about the importance of opening arguments and how a majority of jurors make up their minds about a case after hearing them. - [Can states prevent doctors from giving emergency abortions, even if federal law requires them to do so? The Supreme Court will decide]( Naomi Cahn, University of Virginia; Sonia Suter, George Washington University EMTALA requires hospitals to provide stabilizing treatment to all patients – but Idaho is arguing that its abortion ban means it doesn’t have to allow the procedure, even if it is medically needed. Health + Medicine - [What you eat could alter your unborn children and grandchildren’s genes and health outcomes]( Nathaniel Johnson, University of North Dakota; Hasan Khatib, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Thomas D. Crenshaw, University of Wisconsin-Madison Studies show a parent’s poor diet could affect the genes of generations to come – and set up children and grandchildren for obesity and cardiovascular issues. Environment + Energy - [What is curtailment? An electricity market expert explains why states sometimes have too much wind or solar power]( Theodore J. Kury, University of Florida Sometimes wind and solar power produce more electricity than the local grid can handle. Better energy storage and transmission could move extra energy to where it’s needed instead of shutting it off. Science + Technology - [Blue whales: first discovery near Seychelles in decades – what our study found]( Jeremy Kiszka, Florida International University The first dedicated scientific surveys have confirmed the presence of blue whales in Seychelles. International - [Death of Marine commander scarred by 1983 Beirut bombing serves as reminder of risks US troops stationed in Middle East still face]( Mireille Rebeiz, Dickinson College More than 240 US personnel died in truck bombing – remembered as the worst day in his career by Gen. Alfred M. Gray Jr., who died on March 20, 2024. - [Stonehenge may have aligned with the Moon as well as the Sun]( Fabio Silva, Bournemouth University; Amanda Chadburn, Bournemouth University; Erica Ellingson, University of Colorado Boulder The monument’s ancient connection to the skies may run even deeper than we realised. Education - [Teacher lawsuits over forced grade inflation won’t fix unfair grading – here’s what could]( Laura Link, University of North Dakota Not all teachers comply when asked to adjust student grades. An education scholar takes a look at what happens when they don’t. Ethics + Religion - [Passover: The festival of freedom and the ambivalence of exile]( Nancy E. Berg, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis The Passover Seder commemorates the escape from slavery in Egypt. But then came the 40-year wandering in the desert – a story that resonates with much of Jewish history. Trending on site - [Cannabis legalization has led to a boom in potent forms of the drug that present new hazards for adolescents]( - [What I teach Harvard Law School students about opening arguments]( - [Happier, more connected neighborhoods start right in the front yard]( Today's graphic 📈 [A chart that shows the number of sheltered and unshelterd homeless people each year from 2007 to 2023. Estimates from a single point-in-time count conducted during the last 10 days in January. Data for 2021 does not show the total counts of people experiencing homelessness or all people experiencing unsheltered homelessness because of pandemic-related disruptions to counts. ]( From the story, [Supreme Court to consider whether local governments can make it a crime to sleep outside if no inside space is available]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our weekly and biweekly emails: • [Weekly Highlights]( • [Science Editors' Picks]( • [Giving Today]( [New!] • [This Week in Religion]( • [Politics Weekly]( • [Global Perspectives]( • [Global Economy & Business]( Follow us on social media: • [Threads]( • [Bluesky]( • [Mastodon]( • [Post.news]( • [LinkedIn]( • [Instagram]( • [Facebook]( • Or [get a daily text from us]( - - About The Conversation We're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to [helping academic experts share ideas with the public](. 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