This refers to Kavil Ramachandran's review of Shyamal Majumdar's book Business Battles, "Business families and their feuds" (Book Review, March 26). Ramachandran points to its lack of conclusion drawn from "synthesising analysis" of various cases. The causes of family feuds are varied, ranging from pure business motive (difference between Rahul and Rajiv Bajaj over business strategy), to generational gap thinking. A common cause that is difficult to prove is the role of rivals in fomenting trouble in the enemy camp through "common" friends and planting Trojan horses.
Ramachandran alludes to affluence and poor family governance as the main factors, but they are too general and well-known in most of the joint-family-disputes over the years. More specifically, the decline of belief in the joint-family culture has also had an impact in most situations.
What is of interest is not only how such big internecine fights changed the Indian industry but also what the consequences have been for the industry. In some cases, the results have been positive, too, essentially when the old generation clung to tradition and power, unaware of the changes in the business environment.
Lastly, a chapter on business families that have survived the trend of splits for generations (such as the Birla Group) or settled their differences within the family walls would have been instructive.
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Ramachandran alludes to affluence and poor family governance as the main factors, but they are too general and well-known in most of the joint-family-disputes over the years. More specifically, the decline of belief in the joint-family culture has also had an impact in most situations.
What is of interest is not only how such big internecine fights changed the Indian industry but also what the consequences have been for the industry. In some cases, the results have been positive, too, essentially when the old generation clung to tradition and power, unaware of the changes in the business environment.
Lastly, a chapter on business families that have survived the trend of splits for generations (such as the Birla Group) or settled their differences within the family walls would have been instructive.
Y G Chouksey Pune
Letters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:
The Editor, Business Standard
Nehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg
New Delhi 110 002
Fax: (011) 23720201
E-mail: letters@bsmail.in
All letters must have a postal address and telephone number