Big in Asia

Michael Backman is an author, business analyst and columnist who specializes in Asian corporate practice. He has a reputation for hard-hitting, independent and highly detailed Asian business analysis. Singapore's Prime Minister cited him in his 1998 National Day Address as an 'expert' on overseas Chinese and he has been described in the Australian Financial Review as 'the brilliant writer on regional business strategies'. He is the author of the international bestseller, Asian Eclipse: Exposing the Dark Side of Business in Asia that was named by The Economist as one of the sixteen finest general non-fiction books published for the year. He writes a regular Asian business column for the Melbourne Age newspaper and has authored numerous articles for The Times of London, International Herald Tribune, Asian Wall Street Journal and the Far Eastern Economic Review. He has lived and worked in Asia. Charlotte Butler heads the research team at the Euro-Asia Centre, Insead in Fontainebleau, France. Her extensive research output over the last ten years has centred on a range of management issues in the Asia-Pacific region, covering strategy, marketing and organizational development. In particular, her field-based work focuses on the growth of entrepreneurial firms in Asia, and the influence of cross-cultural issues on joint ventures in the region. Most recently, she has investigated managing change with reference to the Asian economic crisls, and the subsequent restructuring of the region's industries. A winner of the 2001 International MBA Case Competition, Charlotte Butler has published over 50 case studies and articles that are used by both students and practitioners in business. She is also co-author of, Managers & Mantras, published in 2000 and praised for its ability to address a range of management issues within the context of telling a fascinating story of one company's quest for survival and, Dare to Do which charts the evolution of a leading Asian conglomerate.