Skip to main content

Developing Governance with the Help of a Governance Code

  • Chapter
Governance in Family Enterprises

Abstract

The family-firm specialist academy INTES and German Association of Family Enterprises ASU created a Commission comprising 27 family entrepreneurs and academics to write the German Governance Code for Family Enterprises, the second version of which was published in 2010. Dr. Reinhard Zinkann, managing director at Miele, representing the fourth generation of the Miele family business, was a member of the Commission. Miele has been a family enterprise for more than 100 years. It is a global brand manufacturing domestic appliances and commercial machines in the fi eld of laundry care, dishwashing and disinfection. Today, more than 16,000 employees work for Miele worldwide, more than 10,000 of them in Germany. They generated sales of about €3 billion in the fi scal year ending June 30, 2011. Miele’s founding credo of being “forever better” remains the company motto.**

Alexander Koeberle-Schmid kindly thanks Peter May as the initiator of the German Governance Code for Family Enterprises for his many contributions and personal help to developing our knowledge about governance in family enterprises. He also thanks Bernd Grottel for his support in developing this chapter from prior work on which they collaborated. Same applies to prior work with Peter May.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 34.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 44.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 44.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Notes and References

  • This chapter is based on the following articles, as well as books and the literature mentioned therein: Koeberle-Schmid, A., Fahrion, H.-J., & Witt, P. (eds.) (2012), Family Business Governance – Erfolgreiche Führung von Familienunternehmen, 2nd edn., Berlin: Erich Schmidt; Koeberle-Schmid, A., & Grottel, B. (eds.) (2013), Familienunternehmen erfolgreich führen, Berlin: Erich Schmidt; Koeberle-Schmid, A., Schween, K., & May, P. (2011), “Governance Kodex für Familienunternehmen in der Praxis – Ergebnisse einer Studie über Familienverfassungen,” Betriebs-Berater 41, pp. 2499–2506; May, P., Koeberle-Schmid, A., & Schnitzhofer, W. (2011), “Gutes Management sichern: Ein Kodex für Familienunternehmen,” Compliance-Praxis 3, pp. 10–13; May, P., & Koeberle-Schmid, A. (2011), “Auf die Inhaber kommt es an,” Der Aufsichtsrat 6, p. 81; Koeberle-Schmid, A., & May, P. (2011), “Governance in Familienunternehmen – Führung und Kontrolle situationsadäquat regeln,” Zeitschrift Risk, Fraud & Compliance 2, pp. 54–61; May, P., & Koeberle-Schmid, A. (2011), “Governance Kodex als Leitlinie für die verantwortungsvolle Führung von Familienunternehmen,” Der Betrieb 9, pp. 485–491.

    Google Scholar 

  • 2. Witt, P. (2003), Corporate Governance-Systeme im Wettbewerb, Wiesbaden: Deutscher Universitäts-Verlag; Witt, P. (2008), “Corporate Governance in Familienunternehmen,” Zeitschrift für Betriebswirtschaft 78, Ergänzungsheft 2, pp. 1–19.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • May, P., & Koeberle-Schmid, A. (2011), “Governance Kodex als Leitlinie für die verantwortungsvolle Führung von Familienunternehmen,” Der Betrieb 9, pp. 485–491.

    Google Scholar 

  • For an overview of codes worldwide, see: http://www.ecgi.org/codes/all_codes.php

  • More information about the code can be found at: http://www.kodex-fuer-familienunternehmen.de

  • May, P., & Koeberle-Schmid, A. (2011), “Governance Kodex als Leitlinie für die verantwortungsvolle Führung von Familienunternehmen,” Der Betrieb 9, pp. 485–491.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hack, A. (2009), “Sind Familienunternehmen anders? Eine kritische Bestandsaufnahme des aktuellen Forschungsstands,” Zeitschrift für Betriebswirtschaft Special Issue 2, pp. 1–29; Koeberle-Schmid, A., Brockhoff , K., & Witt, P. (2009), “Performanceimpliktionen von Aufsichtsgremien in deutschen Familienunternehmen,” Zeitschrift für Betriebswirtschaft Special Issue 2, pp. 83–111; Björnberg, A., & Nicholson, N. (2008), Emotional Ownership – The Critical Pathway Between the Next Generation and the Family Firm, London: Institute for Family Business; Zellweger, T., & Sieger, P. (2009), Emotional Value – Der emotionale Wert, ein Unternehmen zu besitzen, St. Gallen: Ernst & Young.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baron Buysse (2009), Buysse Code II, Corporate Governance – Recommendations for nonlisted enterprises, p. 6.

    Google Scholar 

  • See also http://www.kodex-fuer-familienunternehmen.de.

  • Lange, K. (2009), “Kodex und Familienverfassung als Mittel der Corporate Governance in Familienunternehmen,” in Kirchdörfer, R., Lorz, R., Wiedemann, A., Kögel, R., & Frohnmayer, T. (eds.), Familienunternehmen in Recht, Wirtschaft , Politik und Gesellschaft , Munich: Beck, pp. 135–149; May, P., & Koeberle-Schmid, A. (2011), “Governance Kodex als Leitlinie für die verantwortungsvolle Führung von Familienunternehmen,” Der Betrieb 9, pp. 485–491.

    Google Scholar 

  • May, P., & Koeberle-Schmid, A. (2011), “Die drei Dimensionen eines Familienunternehmens: Teil I,” Betriebswirtschaft liche Forschung und Praxis 6, pp. 656–672; May, P., & Koeberle-Schmid, A. (2012), “Die drei Dimensionen eines Familienunternehmens: Teil II,” Betriebswirtschaft liche Forschung und Praxis 1, pp. 52–72; May, P. (2012), Erfolgsmodell Familienunternehmen, Hamburg: Murmann.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors

Copyright information

© 2014 Alexander Koeberle-Schmid, Denise Kenyon-Rouvinez & Ernesto J. Poza

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Koeberle-Schmid, A., Kenyon-Rouvinez, D., Poza, E.J. (2014). Developing Governance with the Help of a Governance Code. In: Governance in Family Enterprises. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137293909_11

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics