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Some of the largest firms in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) are (partially) owned by a foundation and/or a family office, such as Aldi, Bosch, or Rolex. Despite their growing importance, prior research neglected to analyze the impact of these intermediaries on the firms they own. This dissertation closes this research gap by contributing to a deeper understanding of two increasingly used family firm succession vehicles, through four empirical quantitative studies. The first study focuses on the heterogeneity in foundation-owned firms (FOFs) by applying a descriptive analysis to a sample of 169 German FOFs. The results indicate that the family as a central stakeholder in a family foundation fosters governance that promotes performance and growth. The second study examines the firm growth of 204 FOFs compared to matched non-FOFs from the DACH region. The findings suggest that FOFs grow significantly less in terms of sales but not with regard to employees. In addition, it seems that this negative effect is stronger for the upper than for the middle or lower quantiles of the growth distribution. Study three adopts an agency perspective and investigates the acquisition behavior within the group of 164 FOFs. The results reveal that firms with charitable foundations as owners are more likely to undertake acquisitions and acquire targets that are geographically and culturally more distant than firms with a family foundation as owner. At the same time, they favor target companies from the same or related industries. Finally, the fourth study scrutinizes the capital structure of firms owned by single family-offices (SFOs). Drawing on a hand-collected sample of 173 SFO-owned firms in the DACH region, the results show that SFO-owned firms display a higher long-term debt ratio than family-owned firms, indicating that SFO-owned firms follow trade-off theory, similar to private equity-owned firms. Additional analyses show that this effect is stronger for SFOs that sold their original family firm. In conclusion, the outcomes of this dissertation furnish valuable research contributions and offer practical insights for families navigating such intermediaries or succession vehicles in the long term.
Family firms play a crucial role in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). They are characterized by a long tradition, a strong connection to the region, and a well-established network. However, family firms also face challenges, especially in finding a suitable successor. Wealthy entrepreneurial families are increasingly opting to establish Single Family Offices (SFOs) as a solution to this challenge. An SFO takes on the management and protection of family wealth. Its goal is to secure and grow the wealth over generations. In Germany alone, there are an estimated 350 to 450 SFOs, with 70% of them being established after the year 2000. However, research on SFOs is still in its early stages, particularly regarding the role of SFOs as firm owners. This dissertation delves into an exploration of SFOs through four quantitative empirical studies. The first study provides a descriptive overview of 216 SFOs from the DACH-region. Findings reveal that SFOs exhibit a preference for investing in established companies and real estate. Notably, only about a third of SFOs engage in investments in start-ups. Moreover, SFOs as a group are heterogeneous. Categorizing them into three groups based on their relationship with the entrepreneurial family and the original family firm reveals significant differences in their asset allocation strategies. Subsequent studies in this dissertation leverage a hand-collected sample of 173 SFO-owned firms from the DACH region, meticulously matched with 684 family-owned firms from the same region. The second study focusing on financial performance indicates that SFO-owned firms tend to exhibit comparatively poorer financial performance than family-owned firms. However, when members of the SFO-owning family hold positions on the supervisory or executive board of the firm, there's a notable improvement. The third study, concerning cash holdings, reveals that SFO-owned firms maintain a higher cash holding ratio compared to family-owned firms. Notably, this effect is magnified when the SFO has divested its initial family firms. Lastly, the fourth study regarding capital structure highlights that SFO-owned firms tend to display a higher long-term debt ratio than family-owned firms. This suggests that SFO-owned firms operate within a trade-off theory framework, like private equity-owned firms. Furthermore, this effect is stronger for SFOs that sold their original family firm. The outcomes of this research are poised to provide entrepreneurial families with a practical guide for effectively managing and leveraging SFOs as a strategic long-term instrument for succession and investment planning.