COVID-19 crisis study

25. April 2020

Dear family entrepreneurs and members of business families,

the current corona crisis harbors uncertainties for the future of one’s own company and family. This makes the need for meaningful, reliable and useful information from other companies or science all the more pronounced. Close feedback from science and practice can create a unique opportunity to learn from each other. This enables everyone to improve their measures, planning premises and reaction patterns for future challenges. Against this background, an initiative by leading researchers in the field of family business has been established, in which the Witten Institute for Family Business (WIFU) is also involved. The purpose of the joint research project is to develop practice-oriented and easily implementable recommendations for action – based on observed “best practices” from business families from all regions worldwide. We want to understand how you are dealing with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and which measures you consider to be particularly effective. With this in mind, we ask for 15 minutes of your valuable time. If you cannot answer a question spontaneously, either estimate it or skip it. At the end of the survey, you can leave your email address – we will be happy to send you the best practice-based recommendations for action in a few weeks. If you have any questions about the survey, please contact us at any time.

Click here for the German survey.

For information: On the first page of the survey you will find various information about the study, including: a. about what happens to the data; on the second page, you actively agree to participate in the survey. This procedure is now standard in international surveys and is required by the university ethics committees. We thank you on behalf of our research team for your support. With this in mind, we sincerely wish you health, courage and perseverance for the next few weeks.