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Active Ownership and Long-run Enterprise: The Case of the Swedish Wallenberg Family

Lee, Jihwan

KAIST

Published: January 2006 · Vol. 9, No. 2 · pp. 87-106
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Abstract

Since having established SEB a modern financial institution in 1856, the Wallenberg family of Sweden has successfully owned and managed a number of outstanding global enterprises including Ericsson, ABB, Electrolux and Saab. The market value of companies in the Wallenberg sphere amounts to almost 50 percent of the total market capitalization of Stockholm Stock Exchange. However, the Swedish people or government has hardly regarded this remarkable concentration of economic power as a problem. Rather, such a beneficiary system as dual class shares has enabled the Wallenbergs to exercise more voting power than its actual shareholdings and thereby maintain the governing power for such a long period The Wallenberg family has contributed to the development of the national economy, with their unique and vigorous ‘active ownership’ policy since its inception. The family’s primary focus has been on fostering enterprises in the long run rather than on maximizing short-term capital gain. The Wallenbergs and their holding company Investor AB have consolidated an effective control mechanism through which they have significant influence on the board of directors and top management of affiliated companies, while keeping family members’ participation in the management to the minimum. In addition, the Wallenbergs have successfully acquired social legitimacy by keeping constant responsiveness to various dimensions of Swedish public’s interest employment, training, education and R & D, to name a few.As global concern over corporate governance has been growing theses days, the Wallenberg family has also come to the forefront from a negative perspective. Due to the likelihood that overall shareholder value of a listed holding company is unfairly sacrificed for the sake of major shareholders’ interest, Investor AB has been noticeably underestimated in the stock market.
Keywords: 발렌베리 가문스웨덴주인의식지주회사기업지배구조