MICHAEL BACKMAN specialises in Asian corporate practice. He also analyses the behaviour of Asian governments. He has a firmly established reputation for telling it like it is. He is the author of several books including the international bestseller Asian Eclipse: Exposing the Dark Side of Business in Asia, which was named by The Economist as one of the finest non-fiction books of the year. He is also an engaging conference speaker and columnist. He writes a regular Asian business column for the Melbourne Age newspaper. He has lived and worked in Asia. See www.michaelbackman.com for more details.
CHARLOTTE BUTLER is head of research at the INSEAD-Euro-Asia Comparative Research Centre. Her extensive research output over the last fifteen years has centred on a range of management issues in Europe and Asia-Pacific. In particular, her field-based work focuses on the growth of entrepreneurial firms and the influence of cross-cultural issues on joint ventures in the region. She has published over 50 case studies that are used by both Asian and western companies for executive training. and led several Workshops on business writing. In 2001 and again in 2005, her cases were prize winners in international competitions She is the co-author of Managers and Mantras and author of Dare to Do, which charts the evolution of a leading Asian conglomerate.