Buyouts involve the acquisition of the total shares or a controlling stake in a company. Oliver Ahlers analyzes buyouts that involve family firms and private equity investors. The author starts with a comprehensive literature review on family firms, private equity, and buyouts. The focus of this book is on the key steps of the buyout process such as family firm valuation and negotiations. Additionally, it is investigated how soft factors such as affective commitment and trust could play a role in buyouts. Insights of this book are derived from a survey comprising almost 180 PE-backed buyouts in Europe.  Contents •        Research Overview on PE, Family Firms, and Buyouts •        Valuation of Family Firms •        Negotiations between PE Investors and Family Firm Sellers •        Importance of Soft Factors throughout Dealmaking  Target Groups •        Researchers and students in the field of business management with a focus on private equity, family firms and management buyouts •        Private equity managers, family business CEOs and managers or shareholders as well as advisors to family businesses  The Author Dr. Oliver Ahlers wrote his dissertation under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Andreas Hack and Prof. Franz W. Kellermanns at the Institute for Family Businesses at WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management, Vallendar.     About the Editors The series Familienunternehmen und KMU is edited by Prof. Dr. Andreas Hack, Prof. Dr. Andrea Calabrò, Prof. Dr. Hermann Frank, Prof. Franz W. Kellermanns Ph.D. and Prof. Dr. Thomas Zellweger.  .