Title: External board members in family firms.

Subject: Bachelor's thesis in business administration, 15 credits

Authors: Maria Persson & Jenny SundqvistKeywords: Family firm, external board member, board, competence.

Research questions:

• What can external board members contribute with the company's current expertise?

• What are the positive and negative aspects of bringing in external board members?

Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to explain the impact that external board members canhave on current competence, as well as positive and negative aspects in a family business.

Method: This study was conducted with an abductive research approach. Furthermore, thestudy has applied a qualitative research method in which nine respondents from nine differentcompanies were interviewed. The literature study has been carried out by collecting theoriesfrom previous research studies.

Conclusion: The conclusion of this study shows that the appointment of external boardmembers has predominantly positive aspects compared to negative aspects. The externalboard members entail a broader and more advanced competence in the family company'sboard, which adds to and maintains the company's legitimacy.