Interview with Nada Khachlouf, Doctor of Management Sciences at ICD Business School

Introduce yourself

My name is Nada (Rejeb) Khachlouf and I am an associate professor at ICD Business School, Doctor in science management, specialist in the question of Entrepreneurship

What is your research topic? What is the definition of the subject according to you?

My current research topics essentially revolve around the family business (business whose capital is majority owned by one or more founding families) as well as minority entrepreneurship (more specifically, business creation by people with disabilities ).

Why this topic? What is the trigger?

The family business is the most widespread form of private business in the world and shows specificities in their management because of the socio-emotional attachment of the family members involved in the management of the business. This leads to paradoxes that attract the attention of academic researchers. This is a form of innovation through tradition, preference for local development in an increasingly global context, etc. These paradoxes do not prevent family businesses from achieving performances that are sometimes even superior to non-family businesses.
Minority entrepreneurship finds its legitimacy in the recent craze for social entrepreneurship. Governments as well as economies benefit from the creation of businesses by people with disabilities, seniors, immigrants, refugees, etc.

What are the issues? The reality in 2022 (current situation)?

Advancing research on family businesses is an important vector for job creation and regional development. Academic research shows that family businesses have a strong sense of societal commitment and are therefore naturally motivated to contribute to their community (for example,  contributing to the influence of rural areas).
Concerning the entrepreneurship of minorities (in particular, people with disabilities) The challenges are both on an economic (job creation) and social (reduction of social inequalities) level. Social issues involve helping disadvantaged communities, objectives that align with those of sustainable development set by the United Nations for 2030.

In your opinion, what are the areas for improvement? What are we planning for the future?

The family business is a particularly rich field, it can grandly help the field of entrepreneurship and organizational management. Conversely, research on the family business needs to draw inspiration from related theoretical fields. This is why current research on the family business seeks to establish bridges with theories of management, psychology, sociology, etc.
Regarding minority entrepreneurship, current research attempts to highlight certain social categories that represent an increasingly important lever for economic development: for example, female entrepreneurship.