Billions of Entrepreneurs: How China and India Are Reshaping Their Futures--and Yours (Hardcover)

by Tarun Khanna (Author)
Key Phrases: license raj, medical tourists, diaspora members, United States, Hong Kong, Cultural Revolution (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
...an objective and insightful comparison of China and India. --Foreign Affairs, May 1, 2008

Khanna delivers a dense but lively blend of anecdotes and analysis. He shows how entrepreneurial spirit is transforming both these countries not only economically, but strengthening ties between the two. --Newsweek

The eye of this business-school professor for interesting stories is sharp and he offers illuminating explanations of why India and China work in the ways that they do. --The Economist, January 24, 2008

Product Description
Called well worth reading by The Economist and earnest and entertaining by the Financial Times, Tarun Khanna s Billions of Entrepreneurs is an elegantly written book that mixes on-the-ground stories with thorough research to show how Chinese and Indian entrepreneurs are creating change through new business models and bringing hope to countless people across the globe. Khanna juxtaposes, on a variety of levels, China and India; explores how the future depends on understanding the yin and yang of these two nations; and emphasizes the increasingly important links between China, India, and the West. Khanna embraces what he calls a big tent view of entrepreneurship going beyond typical stories of high profile, young executives taking companies public and focusing on social and political entrepreneurs who are redefining the norms of daily activity.

In the book, Khanna sets out to demystify many of the questions that confound foreigners (BusinessWeek), exploring subjects that include each nation s treatment of multinationals, Chinese and Indian managerial talent, and state vs. grassroots approaches to business and entrepreneurship. Khanna s insightful analysis draws on history, economics, and political science, and is humanized by vivid portraits of the lives of individual entrepreneurs, politicians, and activists whom the author has met during his regular visits to each country. He argues that hope for prosperity in both countries lies in the hands of the billions of entrepreneurs who are alleviating social problems and historic tensions, benefiting both countries and the world at large.

According to the Financial Times: What Khanna does do, and does well, is cover vast sociopolitical and economic ground, and provide meaty information derived from conversations with people who have done business in India and China.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Harvard Business School Press (January 21, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1422103838
• ISBN-13: 978-1422103838
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #71,007 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Illuminating survey, April 23, 2008

By	Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract.com" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is a curious book, not really about entrepreneurship but rather about a broad range of cultural, social, historical and economic subjects involving and contrasting China and India, from 1.5 billion village dwellers to urbanites in Beijing and Mumbai. Tarun Khanna's text is part travelogue, part reflection, part history and part speculation about the future. Anyone who has read to any depth about China and India will not find all that much that is surprising here. However, getAbstract recommends this book with enthusiasm because of its nearly unique richness of anecdotes, variety of perspectives, color and range.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars China and India are changing our world - a broad perspective, February 26, 2008

By	B Agarwal - See all my reviews

Khanna provides a broad and deep perspective on how China and India are changing the world we live in. This book is an easy read - and not just for area experts, businessmen, or academia - but for anybody and everybody who not only wants to understand what to expect from the world in the very near future, but how to successfully compete in this new world.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars China and India: beyond the hard numbers, April 14, 2008

By	Diego J. Kusnetzoff - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What is different in Khana's book to the several good China and India Business books? This book is not only about hard numbers involving 2,4 billion people. It's about general culture and business culture. The book cover the understanding on how this countries approach business and how other countries approach doing business in their territory. It's about how current policy changes are impacting business and what are the next implications of the fast pace changing process occurring in the last couple of years. The abundance of real stories and cases make every part of the book rich and easy to read. So, if you are involved in any way with China or India business, this is a must read book.