Social enterprises of all forms drive inclusive growth by creating social and economic networks, and a stable ecosystem, that enable societies to grow and prosper. This book presents a collection of ten case studies that demonstrate the important role played by social enterprises in driving inclusive growth in Asia’s economies. Unlike the traditional models, such as NGOs and charities, that are donor dependent for funding, a social enterprise is a hybrid business model that includes both social mission and revenue generation goals to ensure sustainability and self-reliance. The ten case studies in the book provide a ringside view of how social enterprises operate and evolve to create, sustain, and scale up their social impact. Readers will gain a practical understanding of how social entrepreneurs struggle to maintain a balance between their two seemingly contradictory goals of creating social value and generating economic returns. The book carries the readers on the journey of each of these ten social enterprises, offering unique and valuable insights into the motivations, tribulations, successes, and even failures of these organisations—critical for continued learning, contribution, and innovation in the domain. The book is appropriate for all readers interested in the role social entrepreneurship plays in stimulating economic growth in Asia, including organisations, government, and universities, as well as individuals.

The publication started with a succinct and brief literature review of the different definitions of the term 'entrepreneurship'. After examining the different conceptual ideas of entrepreneurship, the ecological system of entrepreneurship was identified with a wide array and universe of stakeholders like the state, venture capitalists, non-profit organizations (NPOs), students, universities, instructors/trainers, educators, local communities, bureaucracy, and many other entities.In the East Asian region's desire to tap into entrepreneurship, the economies are also keen to tap on formerly marginalized groups to power up the entrepreneurship game like women, energetic youths and reskilled individuals. Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) teaches practical applied learning courses to students and arm them with the necessary skills to tackle the many challenges of being an entrepreneur.Both tangible and intangible barriers to entrepreneurship were discussed in the writing. One of the intangible barriers discussed was the element of mindset. In some of the case studies, it appeared fear of failure was a major mindset barrier to would-be entrepreneurs pursuing their business ideas to actualize them. Measures carried out to remove the stigmatization of failure are discussed in the volume.

Consuming Citizenship investigates how Korean American and Chinese American children of entrepreneurial immigrants demonstrate their social citizenship as Americans through conspicuous consumption. The American immigrant entrepreneur has played a central role in projecting the American ideology of meritocracy and equality. The children of these immigrants are seen as evidence of an open society. While it appears that these children have readily adapted to American culture, questions remain as to why second-generation Asian Americans feel compelled to convince others of their legitimacy and the way they go about asserting their citizenship status. Extending our understanding of such children beyond the traditional emphasis on assimilation, the author argues that their consumptive behavior is a significant expression of their paradoxical position as citizens who straddle the boundaries of social inclusion and exclusion.

Sweet and Sour explores the experiences of women entrepreneurs amidst the contradictions of a freewheeling commercial culture set within the patriarchal constraints of contemporary Taiwan. To what extent are Taiwanese women empowered by entrepreneurship? What challenges do they face as women in their families and in the marketplace? How do they construct physical and social space for themselves in a traditionally male-dominated society? Most important, how do they perceive their businesses, their families, and their personal identities both as women and as business owners? Focusing on the voices and perspectives of the women themselves, Scott Simon draws from life-narratives of women from various ages, ethnic groups, social classes, and occupations to provide a diverse set of rarely heard native voices speaking out on gender and entrepreneurship in Taiwan.

Mobile Chinese Entrepreneurs draws extensively on the narratives of sixteen small-to-medium business owners, born on the mainland, who have immigrated to Hong Kong and returned to their ancestral hometowns in China to establish their enterprises. For these executives, business and social life alike are marked by constant interplay of identities, such as individual identity/group membership and ancestral/immigrant identity. Yet as often as this juggling of multiple “selves” can be beneficial in the economic sphere, it can also lead to feelings of rootlessness and alienation. Writing with rare sensitivity, the two authors synthesize insights from economic sociology, psychology, ethnic relations, emotions, and social networks, creating an exploration of social capital and social identity comparable to similar groups of businessmen and –women in other parts of the world.

Policy entrepreneurs engage in collaborative action to promote broad societal changes. They distinguish themselves from other political actors through their willingness to promote policy innovations that are new within specific contexts. Policy Entrepreneurship: An Asian Perspective showcases an exciting collection of new research studies. Previous studies of policy entrepreneurship within specific contexts across this vast region have confirmed the explanatory power of the concept, even though the political systems under investigation are distinct from the political system in the United States, where the notion of policy entrepreneurship was coined. This book is the first ever comprehensive compilation of research on policy entrepreneurship in Asia, and focused on policy change in China, India, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. All the studies gathered here assess the agency of policy entrepreneurs within broader structures that present them with both opportunities and constraints. In their different ways, each chapter explores how structural changes, specific strategies used by policy entrepreneurs, and the practice of boundary spanning shape policy agendas. The scholarship on display offers an inspiring treasure trove of ideas, insights, concepts, and research strategies. This book will prompt newer scholarship on policy entrepreneurs and the crucial role they play in contemporary politics, in Asia and globally. The chapters in this book were originally published in the Journal of Asian Public Policy.

Entrepreneurs engaging in international business face business environments that are fundamentally different from their home countries. Despite decades of entrepreneurship research, we know little about these entrepreneurs and their strategic behaviour in establishing and managing transnational operations.

The book is an outstanding compilation. It is easy to use, the information is clear and well-presented, and the volume is smart and robustly crafted. . . The book is an important reference source for practitioners in international business, entrepreneurs and Asian studies. Bob Duckett, Reference Reviews The current compilation fills the need for a Who s Who in the Chinese business world. . . This is a useful reference for scholars and students in China studies and for business practitioners. Recommended. K.T. Wei, Choice As direct foreign investment, both inward and outward, continues to gather momentum, the need to understand the leaders of Chinese corporations is increasingly important. The Biographical Dictionary of New Chinese Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders is therefore a welcome addition to corporate and academic libraries. The encyclopedia provides up-to-date coverage of the major players in China s new economy. Dorothy Mays, Chinese Librarianship A long awaited reference volume! Professionally compiled and user-friendly. A must for the serious researcher. Leo-Paul Dana, Journal of Enterprising Communities Biographical information about business leaders and entrepreneurs in China is scattered in a variety of Chinese sources such as books, newspapers, journal articles, web pages, etc. and are difficult to locate, especially from outside of China. This biographical dictionary, written in English, which includes some 200 of the most important movers and shakers of the new Chinese economy since 1978, is a very useful reference tool for libraries of all types as well as for anyone who is interested in learning and understanding the growing influence of China as a new economic power in the world. Hwa-Wei Lee, formerly of the Library of Congress, and Ohio University Libraries This impressive effort by two leading scholars of Chinese business and society will quickly become a reference for all students and practitioners. Indeed, it is a ready vade mecum, filling the crying gap many experts have identified in recent years. This work will set the standard for its successors: independent in its analytical assessments, broad-spectrum in its choice of entry, far-sighted in its selections. John R. McIntyre, Georgia Institute of Technology, US The book is a must-have for any student, library, executive or entrepreneur contemplating the business environment in China. In an important society where clout is paramount and relationship is key, the book s listing of Who s Who in China is essential to success. An essential read for anyone thinking of doing business in China! J. Mark Munoz, Munoz and Associates International and author of A Salesman in Asia For anyone interested in interacting with China, whether doing business or not, it would be advantageous to know thy foe and thyself , as Sunzi (Sun Tzu) put it. And this work will definitely be conducive to your gaining an insight on contemporary China and its economic boom. It can be used as a reference tool or read as a textbook. Highly recommended for college and public libraries. Shixing Wen, Editor-in-Chief, Chinese Librarianship, Former President, Chinese American Librarians Association and Councilor, American Library Association This exhaustive resource provides comprehensive coverage of the major players in the Chinese economy since the reform era, which began in 1978. It includes 200 entries briefly summarizing each individual s life and career, with a central focus on his or her accomplishments and the key roles played in the economic development of China. The emphasis of the book is on the movers and shakers of China s new economy, highlighting notable figures from both the initial economic liberalization period and the renewed growth from the early 1990s to the present time. This invaluable dictionary is the result of collaborative efforts across the globe. Over forty scholars from the United States, mainland China and Taiwan, United Kingdom, Germany, F

A comprehensive analysis of racial disparities and the determinants of entrepreneurial performance—in particular, why Asian-owned businesses on average perform relatively well and why black-owned businesses typically do not. Thirteen million people in the United States—roughly one in ten workers—own a business. And yet rates of business ownership among African Americans are much lower and have been so throughout the twentieth century. In addition, and perhaps more importantly, businesses owned by African Americans tend to have lower sales, fewer employees and smaller payrolls, lower profits, and higher closure rates. In contrast, Asian American-owned businesses tend to be more successful. In Race and Entrepreneurial Success, minority entrepreneurship authorities Robert Fairlie and Alicia Robb examine racial disparities in business performance. Drawing on the rarely used, restricted-access Characteristics of Business Owners (CBO) dataset compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau, Fairlie and Robb examine in particular why Asian-owned firms perform well in comparison to white-owned businesses and black-owned firms typically do not. They also explore the broader question of why some entrepreneurs are successful and others are not. After providing new comprehensive estimates of recent trends in minority business ownership and performance, the authors examine the importance of human capital, financial capital, and family business background in successful business ownership. They find that a high level of startup capital is the most important factor contributing to the success of Asian-owned businesses, and that the lack of startup money for black businesses (attributable to the fact that nearly half of all black families have less than $6,000 in total wealth) contributes to their relative lack of success. In addition, higher education levels among Asian business owners explain much of their success relative to both white- and African American-owned businesses. Finally, Fairlie and Robb find that black entrepreneurs have fewer opportunities than white entrepreneurs to acquire valuable pre-business work experience through working in family businesses.

Following in the tradition of generations of expatriate Chinese merchants, they began establishing small family businesses. Today, the authors show, these have expanded into conglomerate business empires. Entrusting corporate divisions almost exclusively to relatives, and dealing extensively with fellow expatriates, these entrepreneurs have formed close-knit and formidable business spheres throughout Southeast Asia - a "bamboo network."