Family businesses constitute the most predominant form of businesses in Morocco. They play an essential role in stabilizing the economy and contribute significantly to the growth and competitiveness of the industrial and productive sectors. Despite their importance, this category of companies has been underrepresented in the teaching and research programs of Moroccan higher education institutions. For this reason, the Academic Chair "Family Businesses in Morocco" was created at ESCA School of Management.

The Family Business Chair's mission is to generate and share knowledge on the unique characteristics of family businesses in Morocco. It aims to raise awareness among business leaders and stakeholders involved in economic and political life about the challenges these businesses face.
The Chair seeks to identify, formalize, and compare good governance and management practices in family businesses, aligning them with predominant managerial theories and approaches.

The main objectives of the chair are as follows:

• Develop a research program addressing issues related to the managerial practices of Moroccan family businesses.
• Strengthen exchanges and partnerships between the academic and professional worlds, enhancing both training program content and managerial practices.
• Organize specialized training courses for future managers of family businesses, leveraging the experience and expertise of ESCA School of Management.
• Promote the research work of the chair team through various channels, including publishing academic articles in recognized journals, designing case studies, and participating in scientific events and professional services.

To ensure these objectives, several activities are periodically organized by the chair:

• Periodic workshops bring together researchers who are members of the chair, professionals, executives or family business leaders. Each workshop is devoted to a particular theme to develop exchanges and define areas of research directly linked to the concerns of the chair's partner companies.
  
  
• Training cycles aimed mainly at managers of family businesses. The themes of these training courses focus on issues concretely experienced by the heads of Moroccan family businesses, namely:
  
  - Governance of the family business
  - Transmission in the family business
  - Financial policy of the family business.

Professional and scientific conferences organized by members of the chair aim to strengthen the dissemination of research work. These conferences provide Moroccan researchers with opportunities to enrich their understanding with experiences and knowledge developed in emerging economies. Additionally, they help bridge the gap between this research and the needs of managers of family businesses in Morocco and the MENA region.

Dr. Bad HABBA