Private Equity und Mittelstandische Familienunternehmen

English summary: In his doctoral thesis the author examines the perception, acceptance and experiences of and with private equity among middle-sized family businesses, thereby differentiating between businesses with and without private equity. Altogether he carried out 40 interviews with present and former family businesses or with their owners. The study highlights the high degree of rejection and low level of acceptance of private equity among middle-sized family businesses. Where...
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English summary: In his doctoral thesis the author examines the perception, acceptance and experiences of and with private equity among middle-sized family businesses, thereby differentiating between businesses with and without private equity. Altogether he carried out 40 interviews with present and former family businesses or with their owners. The study highlights the high degree of rejection and low level of acceptance of private equity among middle-sized family businesses. Where the interviewees have personal experience with private equity, however, their appraisals and points of view tend to be more positive, whereby minority shareholding and total sales and especially between the different types of private equity companies must be differentiated. German description: Der Autor untersucht in seiner Dissertation die Wahrnehmung, Akzeptanz und Erfahrungen von bzw. mit Private Equity durch mittelstandische Familienunternehmen und differenziert dabei zwischen Unternehmen mit und jenen ohne eigene Private Equity Erfahrung. Insgesamt wurden hierfur 40 Interviews mit heutigen und ehemaligen Familienunternehmen bzw. deren Inhabern gefuhrt. Die Untersuchung verdeutlicht die hohe Ablehnung und geringe Akzeptanz, die Private Equity im Segment der mittelstandischen Familienunternehmen erfahrt. Verfugen die Befragten hingegen uber eigene Erfahrung mit Private Equity, so wird ihre Bewertung und Sichtweise generell positiver, wobei zwischen Minderheitsbeteiligung und Komplettverkauf sowie insbesondere zwischen den verschiedenen Arten von Private Equity Gesellschaften differenziert werden muss.