Subject category:
Entrepreneurship
Published by:
INSEAD
Version: 07/2021
Revision date: 30-Jul-2021
Length: 16 pages
Data source: Field research
Abstract
This is part of a case series. As a multi-generational family business with a 100-year history in industrial engineering, the Nash Engineering Company had turned many challenges into opportunities. But in the late 1990s, the market for their products collapsed. The family and executive managers were faced with several options. Should they try to continue as a stand-alone organization? Should they pursue a strategic acquisition? Should the family sell Nash Engineering? There were many factors to consider, among them individual shareholders' need for dividends and liquidity, and the family's sense of pride in their heritage. What was the best solution for the business and the family?
About
Abstract
This is part of a case series. As a multi-generational family business with a 100-year history in industrial engineering, the Nash Engineering Company had turned many challenges into opportunities. But in the late 1990s, the market for their products collapsed. The family and executive managers were faced with several options. Should they try to continue as a stand-alone organization? Should they pursue a strategic acquisition? Should the family sell Nash Engineering? There were many factors to consider, among them individual shareholders' need for dividends and liquidity, and the family's sense of pride in their heritage. What was the best solution for the business and the family?