The lowdown: conflict in family businesses

Family businesses are a major part of Irish life. From Avoca to Blarney Woollen Mills, we can all name prominent examples frequently in the headlines, and then there are the pubs and shops and other family-owned businesses that provide steady employment in small towns and villages around the country.

Perhaps more than any other type of business, however, family firms are subject to internal conflicts.

Disagreements and arguments are a natural part of ...