Prominent business journalist Prince Mathews Thomas used his lecture at the Asian College of Journalism to highlight the importance of family businesses and their immense contribution to developed and developing economies.

MoneyControl’s corporate bureau chief explained how generational survival was a key challenge faced by family businesses and how lack of succession planning led to the downfall of some of India’s prominent family enterprises.

The decisions made by large family businesses influence the markets and the larger economy, making them worth writing about, Thomas pointed out.

He also urged aspiring journalists to try harder to wrap their heads around the nuances of the relationships between businesses and their investors/promoters.