Leaders Must Not Lose Sight of Family Traditions

Dr Annelie Karlsson, Executive Director, FBN Sweden , shares her views on the emerging trends in Indian family business.

You have been visiting India for past many years. Have you seen any visible change in the approach of Indian family business?
Indian family business owners are becoming ambassadors and mentors. They are getting less involved in day-to-day operations and management of business, a trend very much seen in the West. However, I would urge the Indian family business owners to develop their own mentorship and management styles that resonate with the Indian culture and traditions. 

RBI decides to hold policy rates on status quo

The decision of the RBI to hold policy rates on status quo is disappointing. 

At a time when both growth and inflation dynamics call for an accommodative monetary policy, the RBI has taken a cautious approach of attending to the prospect of a possible resurgence in inflation over reviving growth in the economy. 

The quarterly GDP figures point towards a poor health of the economy even while industrial slowdown has not bottomed out and sluggish private and government capital expenditure is hurting investment in industry and economy. In such a situation, the CII is looking at the RBI for interventions which would improve the cost and availability of credit to industry.

Winning with Uncertainty

There is a need for FMCG and retail companies in India to prepare for an increasingly uncertain future and proactively take measures to leverage market volatility to create competitive advantage.

Businesses need to leverage uncertainty rather than being challenged by it. Uncertainty in business environment in India is primarily being driven by six structural factors: Changing macroeconomic scenarios in the country; heightened volatility in commodity prices; uncertainty in policy-making ; rapidly evolving consumer base and behaviour; emergence of new breeds of competitors within industries; development of game-changing technology.