Monday, June 16, 2008

It's not Personal; It's Strictly Business

Ranbaxy is being sold to Daiichi for $4.6 Bn as Malvinder cannot succumb to the family saga.
The Ambani brothers are back at fighting it out over the MTN deal.
There's rumors that the Sanghi brothers might split....

Hearing all these news within a week makes me wonder... I can think of two quotes:

It's not personal, Sonny. It's strictly business ~ God Father

Children of the same family, the same blood, with the same first associations and habits, have some means of enjoyment in their power, which no subsequent connections can supply... ~Jane Austen, Mansfield Park


Do these quotes really hold true today!!!


The family business seems to be killing the family relationships as well as the business prospects. It takes deep commitment to stay in business and also maintain relationships.

Business is turning to be massive corporations listed on stock markets across the globe and owned by desperate investors. On the other hand, the family managed firms is often portrayed as an early part of a corporate lifecycle that is soon bound to outgrow the ability for the family to finance and manage.

The reason most business tend to split is because the families are not making a mental leap to separate management from ownership. In the world of Mergers & Acquisitions, competitive pressures and rapid rate for Concept to market is extremely important. The search for talent and ability to retain talent is the key to success. Well educated and hard working people can outperform the staff brought in on grounds of nepotism.

To be continued....

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Star Dust

The Bollywood tinseltown seems to be at it's glory as it did the IIFA awards in Bangkok this weekend. I couldn't help but think about the politics within the Tinseltown. I seem to be at a loss to understand what is the definition of Bollywood and what constitutes a Bollywood movie.

SRK seemed to rule with Chak De and his home production Om Shanti Om. Of course no award ceremony is complete without the Bacchan family being there. However, what seemed amiss was the Best movie of 2008 - "Taare Zameen Par". Amir Khan has been the rebel in Bollywood who hasn't cared for the Filmfare award and I guess hasn't been to one in over a decade. He is an idealist who does not care for the fancy publicity stunts. He is now ostracized not just from the Filmfare but also from IIFA!!!

Is it fair to not consider the good movies because of the politics or is the award just another staged reality show!!!