Paper short abstract:

This paper explores and records a medium scale typical family owned Chartered Accountant firm in the city of Chennai, TN, India.

Paper long abstract:

Family businesses are not a rarity in India, right from major business establishments/corporations to small scale businesses, setting up economic establishments had been prevalent from time immemorial. Successes and failures of big family enterprises like that of Ambani's, Tata's, Birla's and several others have been well documented in India. Accounting and Financial Consultant firms is one such business enterprise. Though, independent and major corporations are involved in this, it cannot be ignored that several family owned Chartered Accountant firms are found in Chennai, which is one of the four metropolitan cities in India. These businesses are passed through generations and the whole family (generally men) gets involved in firmly establishing this family trade. Though, they can have great revenues, these chartered accountant firms still hold on to family values and traditions and tend to keep them as privately owned businesses.

This paper explores and records a medium scale typical family owned Chartered Accountant firm in the city of Chennai, India. Areas of study would include the work culture of this firm, the interpersonal dynamics involved, a typical work day, generational values, importance to education, workforce diversity and challenges/competitions they face. Rarely, Anthropologists in India have attempted to study family owned business establishments, hence an anthropological study such as this will shed light on an under explored area of how a medium scale family owned accounting services business in Chennai operates.