Mrs Kiran Kaur

Kiran Kaur started her PhD journey in the field of family business following the success of her Masters Dissertation at De Montfort University. Her PhD research programme in Ethnic Minority Small Family Firms aims to understand survivability and continuity in family firms, particularly in the context of Punjabi-Indian ethnic minority businesses in the UK. Kiran Kaur joined the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship as a Lecturer in October 2015. She has teaching experience particularly in the area of Research Methods at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. During this time she has become an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK and attained a Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education. Prior to this, she completed both her undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at De Montfort University.

The Centre for Enterprise and Innovation (CEI)

• Family Business
• Entrepreneurship and SMEs
• Ethnic Entrepreneurship

Research Methods
Global Contemporary Business Issues

MSc International Business and Management (De Montfort University)

BA (Hons) Business and Management (De Montfort University)

PGC Learning & Teaching in HE (De Montfort University)

Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (De Montfort University)

First Runner-up Best Poster Award for "The Generation Game " poster at the 2nd Entrepreneurship & Innovation Conference hosted by Loughborough University London, UK, June 2017

Best Poster Award for “Ethnicity and Heterogeneity in Ethnic Minority Family Firms” poster at the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Conference hosted by Loughborough University London, UK, May 2016

Best Paper in “Family and Community Business” Track at the Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE) Conference, November 2015

Kaur, K. (2018). Evolution of Ethnic Entrepreneurship in Indian Family Businesses Based in the UK. (Poster). Family Enterprise Research Conference (FERC), Guadalajara, Mexico, 7-9th June. 

Kaur, K. (2017). The Generation Game (Poster). Entrepreneurship & Innovation Conference, Loughborough University London, England, 15-16th June. (First Runner-Up Best Poster Award)

Kaur, K. (2017). Building Bridges Between Generations in Ethnic Minority Family Firms. (Poster). Family Enterprise Research Conference (FERC), Asheville, North Carolina, 8-10th June. 

Vershinina, N., Kaur, K., Woldesenbet, K. and Trehan, K. (2016). Breaking out or Breaking in? Exploring family dynamics in planning for succession. Academy of Management Conference, Anaheim, California, 5-8th August. (Presented by K. Kaur and N. Vershinina)

Kaur, K. (2016). Ethnicity and Heterogeneity in Ethnic Minority Family Firms (Poster). Family Enterprise Research Conference (FERC), Belo Horizonte, Brazil, 2-4th June. 

Kaur, K. (2016). Ethnicity and Heterogeneity in Ethnic Minority Family Firms (Poster). Entrepreneurship & Innovation Conference, Loughborough University London, England, 24-25th May. (Best Poster Award)

Vershinina, N., Kaur, K., Woldesenbet, K. (2015). Understanding Stakeholder Relationships amongst Punjabi-Indian Family Firm Members. ISBE Conference, Glasgow, Scotland, 11-12th November. (Presented by K. Kaur and N. Vershinina) (Best Paper in Track: Family and Community Business)

Title

Managing Family Firm Survivability and Continuity Dynamics: A Comparison of UK-based Punjabi Post Second Generation Family Firms

Abstract

This study will examine “family firms”, which are represented by any business where majority of ownership is controlled by family members, decisions about management are influenced by the family, and two or more family members (related by kinship or marriage) are employed who actively participate in the daily activities. (Crick and Chaudhry, 2013). Over the years it has become apparent that the family unit itself is becoming an obstacle to the family business enterprise due to the different interests within the household which can threaten its survivability and continuity. 

Culture is heavily embedded and interwoven in ethnic minority family businesses (Dhaliwal, 2008) in which the social community influences the decision-making process. However, as new generations emerge and are exposed to conflicting cultures between tradition and modern society the growth ambition of successors is to enter new markets and industry sectors. This threatens the legacy of family firms and disrupts family harmony as one generation’s custom conflicts with that of a new generation’s growth ambition. The purpose of this research is to understand the family firms’ survivability and continuity dilemma in the context of Punjabi-Indian ethnic minority businesses in the UK. Punjabis are one of the dominant ethnic groups from India in the UK with approximately half a million residents (Office of National Statistics, 2012) that engage in business activity.

Dr Kassa Woldesenbet & Dr Demola Obembe