Developing Consumer-Driven Services in University-Based Family Business Programs

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a study that assessed the demand of university-based family business centers' student market. The study examines and discusses students' demand for family business courses as a way to plan, implement, and control the internal and external programming component of a family business center effectively. College students were surveyed about whether their families own a business, their related career goals, and their needs and wants in a university-based family business center. Of the 260 students, over 36% came from a family business. The paper examines relationships between students from a family business and either their likelihood of pursuing a family business career or enrolling in family business courses or pursuing a minor in family business through a college of business. The paper also presents the implications of these findings for university-based family business centers.