Data Protection

Our research explores a side of family businesses that doesn’t receive enough attention: the personal life plans of the next generation. Many young people from family businesses are not just potential successors; they are also individuals with their own dreams and goals.

We are investigating how NextGens balance these two worlds over time – family expectations and personal ambitions. By examining NextGens’ life journeys, we aim to uncover the strategies that help them navigate the sometimes complex interplay between family expectations to succeed in the business and building their own career and life path.

This is a 10-year longitudinal cohort study. This means that if you choose to participate, you will be invited to complete surveys at regular intervals over the course of ten years. This longitudinal approach allows us to track how your life plans, goals, and decisions evolve over time, providing invaluable insights into the unique experiences and challenges NextGens face. The insights from our research will be shared in study reports and participants can receive own benchmarking reports contrasting their responses to peers as the study progresses.

• Professor Dr. Christine Scheef (primary contact)
  Vlerick Business School
  Email: christine.scheef@vlerick.com  
• Professor Dr. Mateja Andric
  The University of Melbourne & Stockholm School of Economics (SSE) Sweden
  Email: mateja.andric@unimelb.edu.au
• Professor Dr. Reinhard Prügel
  WU Vienna & Zeppelin University
  Email: Reinhard.Pruegl@wu.ac.at

Collaborating Institutions: This study is conducted collaboratively across multiple institutions listed below.

• Vlerick Business School (Belgium)
• The University of Melbourne (Australia)
• Stockholm School of Economics (Sweden)
• WU Vienna (Austria)
• Friedrichshafen Institute for Family Entrepreneurship (FIF) at the Zeppelin University (Germany)

This is a 10-year longitudinal cohort study. If you choose to participate, you will be invited to complete surveys annually (once per year) over the course of ten years. Each survey will take approximately 20-25 minutes to complete. In total, you can expect to complete 10 survey waves throughout the study period. Each survey will collect similar information to track changes in your life plans, career decisions, and family business involvement over time, as well as special focus sections that change each year.

Possible Survey Topics:

• Succession intentions: Your intention to succeed in the family business and how it evolves over time
• Life plans and perceived fit: Your private life plans and how they fit with joining and working in the family business
• Family dynamics: Relationships with and attitudes toward parents and siblings
• Background information updates: Changes in occupation, place of residence, marital and family status
• Family business characteristics: Updates about your family business, your knowledge of it, and your evolving attitudes toward it

Important: By opting in to this study, you are agreeing to participate in the full 10-year cohort study. However, you always have the option to withdraw at any point during the study period without any negative consequences.

Yes! Throughout the 10-year study period, you will have the option to receive:

• Yearly reports with individual benchmarking: Summaries of findings at key milestones during the study and your individual benchmarking against a peer group
• Event invitations: Opportunities to attend presentations or discussions about the research findings

You can indicate your interest in receiving these communications during the survey process, and you can change your preferences at any time.

We have followed strict academic procedures with regard to the ethical review of our survey study. We are in the process of obtaining ethical approval and will send out the first surveys after obtaining formal ethical approval from the Ethics Committee of Vlerick Business School. Ethical approval date and reference number will be posted here.

Please note: The approval by the Ethics Committee should not be considered as an inducement to participate in this study. Your participation is entirely voluntary.

The risks associated with participation in this study are minimal. However, you should be aware of the following:

Reflection on personal matters: Some survey questions ask about your family relationships, career aspirations, and personal life plans. Reflecting on these topics may occasionally cause mild discomfort, particularly if you are experiencing uncertainty about your future role in the family business or tensions between personal goals and family expectations. If you experience discomfort while completing any survey, you may skip questions or withdraw from the study at any time.

Confidentiality: While we take extensive measures to protect your data (pseudonymization, secure storage, restricted access), there is always a small risk of confidentiality breach through technical failure or legal requirements. We have implemented comprehensive and state-of-the-art safeguards to minimize this risk.

Your participation in this 10-year study offers meaningful benefits, both for you personally and for the broader community of next-generation family business members. You will gain personal insights into your own journey, access to valuable research about your peers, and the satisfaction of contributing to knowledge that can help countless other NextGens navigate the complex intersection of personal dreams and family business legacy. Specific personal benefits include:

Network and event access: Receive invitations to exclusive NextGen events, presentations, and discussions where you can connect with other participants and researchers (optional).

Structured self-reflection: Taking time each year to reflect on your life plans, career aspirations, and family business role can provide valuable clarity and perspective as you navigate important life decisions.

Access to exclusive research insights: You’ll receive comprehensive reports revealing how other NextGens are navigating similar challenges, including:

• Common patterns in balancing personal ambitions with family expectations

• Strategies that help NextGens successfully integrate their own goals with family business involvement

• How life decisions (education, partnerships, family planning) intersect with succession paths

Anonymous insights from hundreds of NextGens across Europe

Validation and community: Discover that you’re not alone—many NextGens face similar dilemmas, tensions, and opportunities. Our research findings help normalize these experiences.

Yes,you will become part and contribute to the NextGen Community:

Bridge the knowledge gap: Most research focuses on senior generations in family businesses. Your contribution helps fill this critical gap by documenting NextGen experiences and life trajectories.

Give voice to your generation: Your participation ensures that the unique perspectives and challenges of NextGens are documented and understood, rather than overlooked or misunderstood.

Influence future support: This research will help family business advisors, educators, and families themselves better understand and support the next generation, potentially improving resources and guidance available to future NextGens.

No financial compensation is provided for participation in this study. Your participation is voluntary and contributes to advancing scientific knowledge about next-generation family business members’ experiences. While we cannot offer monetary compensation, you will have the benefits stated above.

This study is conducted across multiple European countries. The processing of personal data in this study complies with the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2016/679, effective since May 25, 2018, which applies uniformly across all EU member states.

All researchers involved in this study adhere to the GDPR requirements and the ethical standards of their respective institutions for the protection of research participants and their personal data.

• Name (stored separately from survey responses)
• Email address (stored separately from survey responses)
• Year of birth
• Gender
• Nationality
• Occupation
• Place of residence (city/region)
• Family structure (number and gender of siblings)
• Marital and family status

Survey Response Data: Examples of survey response data include the following topics.

• Intentions to join the family business in different roles
• Life plans and goals (educational, career, family planning, partnerships, mobility)
• Perceived fit between personal goals and family business succession
• Knowledge and attitudes toward the family business
• Family business characteristics
• Personality traits and cognitive abilities (inferred from responses about goals and decision-making)
• Family relationships and dynamics

Personal data is collected through an online survey administered via the Qualtrics platform.

We collect this data for the following research purposes of this 10-year longitudinal study:

• Background information: To understand the demographic composition of participants and contextualize findings
• Longitudinal tracking: To follow the same individuals over 10 years and analyze how their life plans, decisions, and circumstances change over time
• Life course data: To identify patterns in NextGen life planning and decision-making as they evolve across different life stages
• Business attitudes over time: To examine how relationships between personal goals and family business succession intentions develop and change
• Family dynamics: To understand how succession intentions are shaped by dynamic relationships with other members of the family, such as siblings.
• Email address: To contact you for follow-up surveys, send you study reports, cohort study updates, or event invitations.
• Participant identification: To link your responses across multiple survey waves while maintaining confidentiality through pseudonymisation.

Note on longitudinal data linkage: To track changes over time, we need to link your responses from different survey waves. This is done using a unique participant ID (pseudonym) that cannot be traced back to your identity without access to a secure matching database, which only the core research team holds.

The legal ground for processing your personal data is your explicit consent. By completing the survey after reading this information, you provide your consent for us to process your personal data for the purposes described.

You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by contacting the principal investigator. Withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

Access to your data is restricted to core research team members, regardless of their institutional affiliation. Data access is tied to individual researchers (not institutions) to ensure continuity over the 10-year study period, even if team members change institutions.

The core research team consists of the principle investigators and selective additional reserachers (such as PhD students or postdoctoral researchers). As this is a 10-year study, the core research team may change over time. The circle of team members with data access will be kept to the minimum necessary for conducting the research as defined by the research objectives of this study. Any new team members will be bound by the same confidentiality and data protection obligations. All team members with data access will be listed and updated on the study website.

Pseudonymization for data protection

• Pseudonymized analysis: All data analysis is conducted using pseudonymized data. Each participant is assigned a unique participant ID that cannot be directly traced back to their identity.
• Secure matching database: The link between participant IDs and identifying information (such as name or email) is stored in a separate, secure matching database with restricted access.
• Restricted access to matching database: Only the core research team members have access to this matching database. This ensures that your identity remains protected while allowing us to track your responses over the 10-year study period.

• Encryption: All data is encrypted during transmission and storage
• Secure servers: Data is stored on secure, GDPR-compliant servers located within the European Union.
• Confidentiality agreements: All team members sign confidentiality agreements
• Regular security audits: Data security measures are regularly reviewed and updated.

It must be noted that protection of the data is subject to legal limitations. It is possible for data to be subject to subpoena, freedom of information claims, or mandated reporting requirements by some professions, as required by law.

All research data is stored exclusively on servers located within the European Union, ensuring full GDPR compliance. Only pseudonyminzed data will be transferred outside the EU while GDPR compliance remains fully intakt.

The survey is administered via Qualtrics, a GDPR-compliant platform. Data collected through Qualtrics is encrypted and secured. For details on Qualtrics’ GDPR compliance, see https://www.qualtrics.com/gdpr/.

Your pseudonymized research data will be stored for 25 years from the start of the study. This extended retention period is necessary for:

• Conducting the 10-year longitudinal study
• Analyzing and publishing the results (which may take several years after data collection)
• Ensuring the integrity and verifiability of published research findings
• Complying with academic standards for research data retention

After this period, all personal data will be securely deleted or fully anonymized.

Legal Limitations to Data Protection

It must be noted that protection of the data is subject to legal limitations. It is possible for data to be subject to subpoena, freedom of information claims, or mandated reporting requirements by some professions, as required by law.

No external data sharing: Your pseudonymized research data will not be shared in public research repositories or made available to researchers outside the core research team. The data will only be used by the core research team for the purposes of this study.

Aggregated data publication: Research findings based on aggregated and fully anonymized data from this longitudinal study will be published in academic journals and conferences and will be publicly accessible. Individual responses will never be identifiable in these publications.

Continued participation over 10 years: By opting into this study, you are agreeing to participate in the full 10-year cohort study. You will be invited to complete surveys at regular intervals throughout this period. Participation in each survey wave remains voluntary, and you can withdraw at any time.

You may withdraw your consent to participate in the study at any time without providing a reason. This means your data will not be processed any further from the moment of withdrawal. However, data already processed before withdrawal remains lawfully processed.

During the survey: While responding, you can change your answers at any time.

Until complete anonymization: Until the point of complete anonymization, you can request that your information be corrected, handed over to you, blocked from processing, or deleted.

You have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, as long as this does not adversely affect the rights and freedoms of others.

After withdrawing your consent, you can request that your personal data be deleted. However, this may not be possible if:

• The data has already been completely anonymized
• The exercise of this right makes the achievement of research objectives impossible or seriously impedes them
• Legal obligations require data retention

You may request that we restrict the processing of your personal data under certain circumstances.

You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data on grounds relating to your particular situation.

To exercise any of the above rights, please contact:

Professor[CS1] Dr. Christine Scheef
Email: christine.scheef@vlerick.com

Expected response time: Within 30 days as required by GDPR

If you have any concerns or complaints about how your personal data are handled in this research, please first contact the research team:

Contact for Complaints and Data Rights:
Professor Dr. Christine Scheef
Email: christine.scheef@vlerick.com

Expected response time: Within 2 weeks

You also have the right to file a complaint directly with the data protection authority in your country of residence. As this is a pan-European study, please contact the data protection authority in the country where you reside. Selected European Data Protection Authorities:

Austria
Austrian Data Protection Authority (Datenschutzbehörde)
Website: www.dsb.gv.at
Email: [email protected]

Belgium
Data Protection Authority (Gegevensbeschermingsautoriteit)
Drukpersstraat 35, 1000 Brussels
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.dataprotectionauthority.be

Germany
Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information
(Bundesbeauftragte für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit)
Website: www.bfdi.bund.de
Email: [email protected]

Switzerland
Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC)
Website: www.edoeb.admin.ch
Email: [email protected]

Sweden
Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection (Integritetsskyddsmyndigheten, IMY)
Website: www.imy.se
Email: [email protected]

Other EU/EEA countries
For a complete list of data protection authorities in all EU and EEA countries, please visit:
https://edpb.europa.eu/about-edpb/about-edpb/members_en

This study is conducted for academic purposes to advance knowledge in the field of family business and life course studies. The research design, data collection, analysis, and publication of findings are conducted independently by the research team, free from any influence by funding sources.

Current funding: The data collection for this study in Germany is funded by the EQUA Foundation. We are grateful for their support in enabling this important research.

Transparency about future funding: As this is a 10-year longitudinal study, additional funding sources may be sought over time to support continued data collection and analysis across different countries. If new external funders join the study, we will inform participants via our website. You will always have the option to withdraw from the study if you no longer wish to participate due to changes in funding arrangements.

Your right to information: You have the right to be informed about any material changes to the study, including new funding sources. We are committed to maintaining transparency throughout the 10-year duration of this research.

Your primary contact is Professor Dr. Christine Scheef.

Email: christine.scheef@vlerick.com

For questions about the study, participation, data rights, or complaints, please contact Prof. Scheef at the email above.