Certain Asian companies have achieved global best practices in management and are ready to take on Western competitors
Most American and European companies tend to think of Asia as a huge growth opportunity – a market that is home to half the world’s population, with economies growing at 5-10% per year and an insatiable appetite for everything from consumer goods to basic commodities. Relatively few think of the region or its homegrown firms as a serious threat. Part of this underestimation stems from persistent myths about where and how Asian companies choose to compete, how they organize themselves and how well they manage their performance internally. While stories of scandals at CAO Singapore and elsewhere seem to reinforce these myths, a select group of Asian companies has achieved global best practices across multiple dimensions of management and is ready to take on Western competitors.