Month: August 2020

University Chairs in Family Business are aimed at fostering and promoting the creation of businesses and entrepreneurship as well as knowledge management. They also act to bring universities closer to the reality of Catalonia’s business fabric. For this reason, the current situation resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic will have a bearing on the forthcoming 2020-21 academic year.

Fernando Álvarez, the Deputy Director of the Chair in Family Business and Business Creation at the Abat Oliba CEU University, says that “among many other types of content, it will be necessary to explain the new forms of business management, new needs for leadership, changes in the globalisation model and value chains.”

In addition, Mr Álvarez believes that in 2020-21, University Chairs in Family Business should explain “the importance of concepts that have become essential, such as trust, sustainability or responsibility.”

In his opinion, they should also address “the need to master the instruments of public policy assessment that improve their management and efficiency.”

Looking forward, Mr Álvarez says that “family businesses represent most of the values that society requires from the business fabric, which is a very great responsibility but also a challenge that I am sure they will gladly accept“.

“There are many examples of family businesses that have gone out of their way to overcome the unique circumstances we have experienced, generously and selflessly contributing their knowledge and resources and demonstrating their commitment to the environment. We must continue to highlight the distinguishing and necessary elements of family businesses”.

In Catalonia, the Catalan Association of Family Businesses (ASCEF) sponsors five Chairs: at the University of Barcelona, the University of Girona, the University of Lleida, the International University of Catalonia and the Abat Oliba CEU University. More than 25 teachers are involved in these Chairs, the first of which began in 1998, while over 400 students have already received training.

Employees and employers throughout Spain are promoting the #DamosLaCara (We show our resolve) movement, an initiative that demonstrates the commitment of family businesses to overcome the present health and economic crisis on the basis of their contribution to employment and economic recovery. The members of the Catalan Association of Family Businesses (ASCEF) are participating and collaborating with this platform, as is the case of TOUS, a global jewellery brand that boasts a presence in more than 50 countries and has over 700 stores.

Now under its third generation of owners, TOUS is celebrating its centenary this year in the shadow of Covid-19, having collaborated and assisted the health system during the most difficult period of the pandemic: “We adapted the production equipment in our factory where we have laser machines and began to make the small components needed for the ventilators required in hospitals”, explains Rosa Tous, the company’s corporate vice president.

In addition, the company re-routed its Mother’s Day campaign, which was held in full lockdown, “out of consideration for those giving birth at this time.” “What we did was to provide acknowledgement of each of these mothers so that once the pandemic is over they will be able to visit a TOUS shop to collect their gift,” Ms Tous explains. “We registered over 20,000 mothers, who have thanked us very much for this initiative,” she adds.

Looking forward, Ms Tous adds that “My hope is that the reputation of companies at this time has changed. And that society sees employers in a different light”.

TOUS’s corporate vice president says that “we have always been keenly interested in jewellery in our family, even when we were little girls. Perhaps this explains why, when we grew up, we had no hesitation in continuing with the family business”.

“There is a set of values that are very much part of the family: perseverance, endeavour, outside-the-box thinking, passion, teamwork, creativity. These are values that our parents have passed on to us and that we try to convey them to the rest of the company too”, she says.

The #DamosLaCara (We show our resolve) platform is a citizens’ movement promoted by employees and employers from all over Spain. It highlights the commitment of employees and employers to society as a whole and publicises the endeavour and important work undertaken by family businesses in the country through their economic and social contributions.