Conclusion : Comparative analysis of business leaders and leadership in Asia

This book has addressed complex issues relating to business leaders and leadership in Asia vis-à-vis underpinning theories and contextual background using six Asian economies as case studies. The purpose was to provide a holistic analysis of a wide range of influencing factors – in philosophical, historical, cultural, social, political and economic domains – that form and shape business leaders and leadership in Asia. This book also endeavours to enrich understandings of management/leadership theories and practices in the East and the West. At the beginning of the book we developed a number of key research questions that guided the design of each case study chapter. In this concluding chapter, we start our discussion by summarizing the overall responses to these questions based on the findings of the case studies. By doing so, we present a general comparative analysis of the key characteristics of business leaders and leadership among the six Asian economies studied, which in turn will allow us to identify different patterns or models on the subject. Based on these patterns, we further develop a general comparative platform with a number of important characteristics that distinguish business leaders and leadership in the East and the West. Finally, the closing section highlights the major challenges for further development of research and practices of business leaders and leadership not only in Asia, but also globally.