You Can Hear Me Now

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Until recently, the outlook for many of the poorest people inBangladesh was dismal. Despite previous long-term aid from theinternational community to improve the country's infrastructure andeconomy, sustainable development was hampered by corruption andgovernmental inefficiency. This book tells the story ofWestern-trained entrepreneur Iqbal Quadir, the driving force behindthe creation of GrameenPhone, the largest Bangladeshi GSM (GlobalSystem for Mobile) cell-phone operation. Quadir had the innovativeidea of using local Western-trained entrepreneurs to help villagersattain micro-loans funded by foreign investors (and generated byNobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yanus) and then showing villagershow to operate cell-phone leasing businesses. Sullivan refers tothis successful business model as the "external combustion engine"because of its impressive multiplier effects on economic growth.Applications of this model in other poverty-stricken areasworldwide have repeatedly yielded similar results. This book offersvaluable insights about the use of cell phones and technology-basedinvestments to generate wealth and demonstrates thatentrepreneurship may be more fruitful than aid. This valuable workcan be effectively integrated into public administration, globalbusiness, and human resource academic courses. --Caroline Geck, Kean Univ. Lib., Union, NJ (LibraryJournal, February 2007) "...describes an inclusive capitalism that engages andenables many of the three billion people living on $1 a day"(Credit Control, June 2007)"Grameen Bank has an impact on the poor, GrameenPhone on the entireeconomy." --Muhammad Yunus,winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize "You Can Hear Me Now is a powerful proof of the rolesthat the private sector can play in economic development. Sullivan,by picking one industry--wireless--and cleverly weavingthe economics and the growth of the industry with the humandimension, provides a distinctively new perspective on what ispossible. A must-read for all those who are concerned abouteradicating poverty. Equally, a must-read for managers who arelooking for new engines of growth." --C.K. Prahalad, Paul and Ruth McCracken DistinguishedUniversity Professor, The Ross School of Business, the Universityof Michigan; author, The Fortune at the Bottom of thePyramid "With the growing interest in how business can better serve the'bottom of the pyramid' there is great need for both practicalexamples of how to do it and better understanding of how suchstrategies can truly benefit those caught in the poverty trap. Thisbook delivers on both counts." --Stuart L. Hart, S.C. Johnson Chair of Sustainable GlobalEnterprise, Cornell University; author, Capitalism at theCrossroads "You Can Hear Me Now describes the human drama of thepoor adopting technology to enhance their productivity.Well-researched and engaging, it expertly walks the reader throughone surprising maze after another." --V. Kasturi Rangan, Malcolm P. McNair Professor of Marketing,Harvard Business School; coauthor, Business Solutions for theGlobal Poor "The stories of GrameenPhone in Bangladesh, legendary indevelopment capital circles, and Celtel in Africa, among others,read as colorfully as any of the stories of the Gold Rush in theU.S. in the 1840s. Nicholas Sullivan has recounted the struggle andsubsequent success in an easy-to-read but factual manner that showsrisks countered by perseverance and guts--proving that you cando well by doing good." --Alan Patricof, co-founder, Apax Partners and founder,Greycroft Partners