Research Note University-sponsored Family Business Programs: Program Characteristics,Perceived Quality and Member Satisfaction

Abstract

University-sponsored family business programs act as important sources of continuing education and information for family businesses. In spite of rapid growth of such programs, relatively little research has focused on member satisfaction and member perceptions of program usefulness and quality. This study is the first to actively seek the cooperation of administrators and members of family business programs to study issues of content, program attributes, and member perceptions. Using 333 member responses (36% response rate) from 21 university-sponsored programs, perceptions of program content, usefulness, and satisfaction are analyzed. Results provide insight for program directors about how to run programs that best meet the needs of member families.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Aronoff

C. E.

, & Cawley

M. B.

(1990) Family business: A new wave for business schools. In Kent

C. A.

(Ed.), Entrepreneurship education: Current developments, future directions, pp. 123–133. New York: Quorum Books.

Bitner

M. J.

, & Hubert

A. R.

(1994) Encounter satisfaction versus overall satisfaction versus quality. In Rust

R. T.

, & Oliver

R. L.

(Eds.), Service quality: New directions in theory and practice, pp. 72–94. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Building a family business center: The experiences of 7 directors. (1994) Springfield, MA: Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company.

Carlock

R. S.

(Ed.). (1995) The directory: A guide to family business education in North America. Springfield, MA: Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company.

Carsrud

A. L.

(1994) Meanderings of a resurrected psychologist or, lessons learned in creating a family business program. Entrepreneurship Theory Practice, 19(1), 39–48.

Gersick

, Davis

, Hampton

, & Lansberg

(1997) Generation to generation. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

Gronroos

(1990) Services management and marketing: Managing the moments of truth in service competition. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.

Mills

(1994) Family business centers: An interview with Paul I. Karofsky. Family Business Review, 7, 87–97.

Nitecki

D. A.

(1995) An assessment of the applicability of SERVQUAL dimensions as customer-based criteria for evaluating quality of services in an academic library. Dissertation Abstracts International. (University Microfilms No. AAI9539711).

10.

Parasuraman

, Zeithaml

V. A.

, & Berry

L. L.

(1988) SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. Journal of Retailing, 64(1), 12–40.

11.

Parasuraman

, Zeithaml

V. A.

, & Berry

L. L.

(1994) Reassessment of expectations as a comparison standard in measuring service quality: Implications for further research. Journal of Marketing, 58(1), 111–124.

12.

Selz

(1994, March 30). Family business programs at universities proliferate. Wall Street Journal, Enterprise column.

13.

Upton

(1997) Successful experiences of entrepreneurship center directors. A project of the national consortium of entrepreneurship directors. Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership. E. M. Kauffman Foundation. http://www.entreworld.com/