Host Universities

Summer School Guidelines

The purpose of the IFERA summer school is to deepen the participants’ methodological skills with regards to selection and application of qualitative and quantitative methods in the context of family business research. The IFERA Summer School is open to doctoral students currently enrolled in a doctoral program in business administration or a related subject of a recognized business school or university. Participants that have already earned a PhD degree are also welcomed to apply to the Summer School.

Organized entirely online, during the months of  May and June 2021, the IFERA Summer School provides the opportunity to deepen the participants’ methodological skills with regards to selection and application of qualitative and quantitative methods in the context of family business research. This doctoral course aims to provide an overview of selected major methods streams in family business research, provide a basis for choosing theoretical perspectives for a dissertation project and serves as a starting point for undertaking the process of data collection and analysis.

The IFERA Summer School is organized as a doctoral course with the aim to provide an overview of selected major methods streams in family business research and provide a basis for choosing theoretical perspectives for a research project (doctoral dissertation) and serves as a starting point for undertaking the process of data collection and analysis.
The IFERA Summer School is open to doctoral students currently enrolled in a doctoral program in business administration or a related subject of a recognized business school or university. Participants that have already earned a PhD degree are also welcomed to apply to the Summer School.

The intention is to develop students’ critical thinking, supporting an independent and reflective approach toward research design in the field of family business research.

Three (3) academic credits (ECTS) at doctoral level will be assigned upon completion of the Summer School by Jönköping International Business School, Centre for Family Entrepreneurship and Ownership (AACSB and EQUIS accredited). In order to be assessed (passed/fail) students will be required to present a draft of their research proposal, participate to the discussion of research articles during the Summer School, and pitch a research project at the IFERA Shark Tank that will conclude the Summer School (June 15, tbc). The best pitch will be awarded with the IFERA Shark Award .

Structure

The IFERA Summer School follows the structure of the research process. Building on successful research designs that have been applied in family business research, or those that might become important over next years as the family business field grows further, the course provides students with an enhanced scholarly understanding of family business research methods and the right fit between research methodologies and research objectives, and actively supports the participants in developing their own research project on family business topics.

Following the research process, in part 1 students will discuss about the relevance of a research problem, discussing how to craft relevant research that will contribute to family business by achieving the fit between research question, theory, and method. During part 2, reflecting on how to structure a literature review, students will explore the dynamics for formulating the proper research question. Part 3 will be devoted to discussing data collection issues, dedicating the morning to quantitative research, and the afternoon to qualitative research. Part 4 will be focused on data analysis, focusing on QCA methods in the morning, and qualitative data analysis in the afternoon. Part 5 consists in the exploration of the journey of a paper and how to tackle a review process. In Part 6, the discussion will focus on the dissemination of the research results. The Summer School will conclude with a fun a changeling activity, a Shark tank where the research projects of the participants will be pitched and awarded!

Please note the program is subject to minor changes.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, the students will be able to:

1. Knowledge and understanding: Present and critically discuss major family business research methods.
2. Skills and abilities: Identify appropriate perspectives from family business to construct an empirical framework for a research project and apply appropriate research methods to a particular research project in family business.
3. Judgement and approach: Critically evaluate research designs in the family business literature and discuss the appropriateness of a particular research designs as applied to a specific research project in family business. 

Accreditation and Organizational Details

Three (3) academic credits (ECTS) will be assigned upon completion of the Summer School by Jönköping International Business School, Centre for Family Enterprise and Ownership. Full attendance is required to obtain the certificate. Students are required to come prepared (there will be a preparatory assignments), having read the course literature in advance. Each day, students will be engaged in lectures, workshops and presentation seminars; students are required to take an active approach to their own learning.
The Lecturers of the Summer School will facilitate interaction and dialogue during the course activities, but participants will also have to spend time on reading, writing and reflecting before and during the Summer School. There are written assignments and oral presentations during the course. All parts of the examination must be passed to achieve a grade in the course. The grades for the course are “pass” or “fail”.

• Seminars attendance and active contribution to discussion (30%) fulfil ILOs 1, 2
• Group Assignment during course, (20%) ILO 1
• Assignment 1: Submission of research proposal, (10%) ILO 3
• Assignment 2: Article discussion, (20%) fulfil ILOs 2
• Assignment 3: Final presentation of course project (i.e. “shark tank”), (20%) fulfil ILO 3 

Application process

Submissions for the Summer School should include:

1. The Research Proposal (minimum 750 - maximum 1000 words) exploring either one specific study or the whole dissertation, including goals of the research, theoretical background, methodology, findings and expected contributions (for more info about the submission process please click here).
2. Your CV, reflecting your current interest and capabilities in family business research (please include your university affiliation)
3. Only for doctoral students: Letter of recommendation from your dissertation supervisor (if already determined) or a faculty member who knows you and your research interests.

A maximum number of 25 participants will be accepted. Priority for the enrolment will be given to doctoral students, and only doctoral students will receive the course credits.

PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL AT: https://ifera2021.exordo.com/ 

You can apply for the scholarship through your submission, outlining your request in the motivation letter.
The motivation for granting the scholarship is connected to 3 aspects:

• Need of the doctoral students. e.g. The student will not be able to participate to the summer school without receiving a grant. (or) The student does not receive a salary connected to the doctoral studies (i.e. self-financed studies), and the university does not cover the costs. (or) The student comes from a low income country, and the fee is too high. Etc.
• Merits of the doctoral students. e.g. The student has been awarded for the research conducted (best paper award, best proposal award, etc). (or) The student published a paper in a good journal as part of the doctoral studies. Etc.
• Relevance of the research topic. The topic of the studies contribute to the development of the family business field and are relevant for society.

Shark Tank Award

Slip into the role of a researcher entrepreneur and receive intellectual funding for your idea! A good research pitch works in many ways like an entrepreneurial idea: you spot an opportunity, orchestrate your resources, convince your target audience, and put your idea into practice. As the last part of the Summer School, all participants will therefore pitch their ideas in a Shark Tank. Like the reality TV show, each participant will pitch a research idea to a group of senior scholars. The Shark Tank will unfold in two rounds: in the first round, all participants of the Summer School will pitch their idea in three parallel sessions to a group of senior scholars. In each session, the senior scholars will choose the best pitch. The best three pitches will be held again in front of the whole group and the complete panel of senior scholars. The winner of the pitch will be the recipient of the First Shark Tank Award. Each Summer School participant has 4 minutes to pitch an idea. The pitch should include a hook, a short background and theoretical frame, the methodology behind the study, and findings. We invite both finalized, work-in-progress, as well as completely new ideas. Each participant needs to hand in a paragraph-long abstract of their idea. In opposite to the rest of the conference, the pitch will be done without Power Point slides. After each pitch, the participant will receive feedback from the Sharks, who will decide which pitch makes it to the finals.

Contacts

Questions related to the Summer School program and activities can be addressed to Massimo Baù (Jönköping International Business School) at massimo.bau@ju.se.