FFI at the UVM Grossman School of Business Family Enterprise Case Competition

Silver Trophy competition in the dark on the abstract blurred light background

Prepared Exclusively for FFI Members

February 03, 2023

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FI is committed to the education and advancement of future generations of family enterprise academics and advisors — a commitment that is highlighted in its ongoing collaboration with the Schlesinger Global Family Enterprise Case Competition (SG-FECC) at University of Vermont’s Grossman School of Business. This outstanding collaboration has been in place since 2013. The 2023 competition was another exciting year, featuring talented undergraduate and graduate students and distinguished universities from around the world.

Here are some highlights.

The Competition and the Winners

2023 Schlesinger Global Family Enterprise Case Competition

The competition began on January 11 and concluded with an awards ceremony on January 14. Organized by FFI Fellow and former Family Business Review editor Pramodita Sharma and her colleagues at UVM, this year’s competition included 19 teams, 96 competitors and coaches, and 50 judges. Forty-three UVM students helped to organize this event. Altogether, SG-FECC 2023 was attended by 189 attendees from 12 counties across four continents.

Pramodita Sharma, left, with UVM students who worked on the 2023 competition.

Graduate League Winners

First place winner in the graduate division was the Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba, Canada.

Asper School of Business team with judges Enerino Caruccio (left) and Adam Ifshin (right)

Second place went to FFI educational organization member Jönköping University, Sweden.

Jönköping University team with FFI member and coach Josh Wei-Jun Hsueh

Third and fourth places went to Indian School of Business and ESADE Business School, respectively.

Undergraduate League Winners

First place winner in the undergraduate division was Lazaridis School of Business & Economics, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Canada.

Lazaridis School of Business & Economics team

Second place went to Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada.

Toronto Metropolitan University team with FFI GEN Faculty member Frank Barbera, second from right.

Third, fourth, and fifth places went to Rotterdam University, Bishop’s University, and Maastricht University, respectively.

View all results

Team Coach Awards

Recipient of the Team Coach Awards was Maria José Parada (ESADE) in the Graduate Division.

Maria José Parada, FFI educational member and Team Coach award winner from ESADE

The Cases

Lead by Dr. Mira Bloemen-Bekx, 2020 recipient of the FFI Best Dissertation Award and Dean of the Institute of Future Environments at Hanze University, the case selection panel included Albert James, Dalhousie University, Gaia Marchisio, Family Enterprise Clinic, and FFI Fellow Karen Vinton, Montana State University.

Mira Bloeman-Bekx

Karen Vinton

Marta Widz

The list of cases and authors is below:

Wednesday and Saturday’s cases

Antigal: Brand and Company Value of a Family-Controlled Wine Business and Antigal: Strategy and Succession Challenges in a Family-Owned Vineyard with Global Ambitions
Authors: Lucia Pierini, Luiss Guido Carli University, Italy; Martin Roll, Martin Roll Company, China; Gianfranco Siciliano, China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), and Cao Zhijing, CEIBS

Thursday’s case

American Polarizers: Family Business Ethical Decision-Making Under COVID
Author: Amy F. Lipton, Saint Joseph’s University, USA

Friday’s case

Dascher (A): Intelligent Logistics
Authors: Benoit Leleux, IMD, Switzerland, and Marta Widz, Wealth Management Institute (WMI), Singapore

The Judges

Fifty judges participated in this competition. FFI members serving as judges were Mira Bloemen-Bekx (pictured above), Judy Green, Steve Legler, Brigett Owens, and Randy Waesche.

Judy Green

Steve Legler

Brigett Owens

Randy Waesche

The 11^th edition of SG-FECC will be held Jan. 10–13, 2024.

Registration for SG-FECC 2024 is open now!

An Invitation to Join the Systems Thinking Virtual Study Group

A new Virtual Study on Systems Thinking is being formed. The chair is Wanja Michuki, with co-chairs Jeff Scott and Bernadette Watowich-Stead. This VSG plans to meet monthly and hold open discussions on systems thinking and analysis concepts and their applications to the work of advisors and their self-awareness.

Apply here to join this new VSG

Previous Edition

In this issue, we are pleased to feature six organizations that are FFI organizational members for 2023. These members include distinguished organizations, associations, and educational institutions from around the world. This issue will be the first in a continuing series throughout the year.