Family Business in India.

Family Business in India, by Sudipt Datta. New Delhi, India: Response Books, A division of Sage Publications, 1997. 267 pp., $38.95, hardcover.

Many different factors affect family business in India: the numerous languages spoken, cultural morals and norms, religious beliefs, regional identities, and caste systems. In Family Business in India, Sudipt Datta describes the complexities of the unique Indian family business scene. Datta presents an objective analysis of the strong influences that shape the face of business in India, which "has survived with its traditions intact through millennia of discrimination and has developed adaptable social organizations" (p.17). Other notable contributions of this book include the utilization of a multidisciplinary framework (which assumes that Indian family businesses are social as well as economic organizations) and the ability to describe the traditions and "old work" values that dominate Indian family businesses. Data draws on more than two million references from the National Library of Calcutta and more than 600 business interviews he conducted while working as a business reporter in India. Using this infor mation, Data provides the main characteristics attributable to Indian family businesses in general rather than identifying the genus of any one particular family.

Family Business in India, which includes an 11-page summary, succinctly identifies and addresses the key issues of family business in India. Each chapter begins with a brief summary highlighting the chapter's main points. These features make this book highly readable and are used to develop the issues in sufficient detail within each chapter.

The foundation chapters of the book provide a detailed and informative discussion on the position of Indian family businesses within the general economy. As in the West, family business dominates Indian economics. In the first chapter, Data estimates that about 75% of the 500 largest companies in India are family businesses. Of the 297,000 registered businesses nationwide, 294,000 are family businesses, reflecting a wide entrepreneurial base. Family businesses in India dominate the food and petroleum/energy industries as well as the field of engineering. Interestingly, Indian family businesses are notable for their investment in research and development and their emphasis on quality accreditation.

Chapter two traces the historical development of Indian traders over the past century. This chapter provides detailed commentaries on how the traders network (whether local, regional, or national), their survival despite changes in the political scene, the introduction and impact of modern industry into India, the consequences of British industrial policy, and the development of a national market. The survival and growth of family business within the context of these developments provide useful insights into the growing importance of family business in India for both academics and advisors.