Fortune Makers: The Leaders Creating China's Great Global Companies

Coauthors Useem (director, Ctr. for Leadership and Change, Wharton Sch., Univ. of Pennsylvania), Harbir Singh (codirector, Mack. Inst. for Innovation Management, Wharton Sch., Univ. of Pennsylvania), Neng Liang (director, Case Development Ctr., China Europe Intl. Business Sch.), and Peter Cappelli (director, Ctr. for Human Resources, Wharton Sch., Univ. of Pennsylvania) explain how Chinese business leaders thrived, leading to the economic development that pulled over half a billion people out of poverty. They write that "when China first initiated its economic reforms in 1978, there were virtually no private enterprises in China and few indigenous traditions for China's would-be entrepreneurs to build upon or emulate." The authors offer an informative and balanced look at Chinese business leaders' success in an environment initially hostile to capitalist principles. This book is an excellent resource for those interested in China's business environment or economic development. It is informed by interviews of business leaders and examines leading companies, such as Lenovo and Alibaba, while providing a broader theoretical context to frame the discussion of Chinese and Western approaches to the marketplace.