Case Name :      Aurum Furniture and In-Law Management

Authors :           Daniel T Holt, Jess H Chua, James J Chrisman, Shanan R Litchfield, Vernon Jones

Source :             North American Case Research Association (NACRA)

Case ID :            NA0226

Discipline :        Organizational Behavior

Case Length :    14 pages

Solution sample availability : YES

Plagiarism : NO (100% Original work)

One of the most complex challenges for a family business is when an in-law joins the firm. In-laws are part of the family through marriage; but they form a group of unique stakeholders in the family firm as marriage can be severed but blood cannot be changed. Consequently, in-laws are not always viewed as full-fledged family members. While the firm’s founder and family members face challenges as they consider integrating in-laws into the family firm, the in-laws face many challenges in joining a family firm as well. This case illustrates these tensions by tracing John Malone’s involvement working as an in-law for Aurum Furniture, a small family business located in a large Midwestern city in the U.S. Issues that would have been straightforward in a non-family firm were anything but that in the non-professionalized family firm. The case provides considerable flexibility with instructors having opportunity to discuss the dynamics among members of a small family business. While we emphasize the challenges faced by in-laws, the case is particularly well-suited to facilitate a more general discussion on the challenges that an individual encounters as he or she joins a non-professionalized family firm. As such, it can be used with family business owners as they reflect on their concept of family and the roles of individual members-especially, in-laws-and the firm’s decisions to professionalize. The case can be used with graduate and undergraduate students and workshops in family business or small business management.