The Emerging Markets Century - by Antoine Van Agtmael (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In this vital book, visionary international investment manager Antoine van Agtmael -- the pioneer who coined the term "emerging markets" -- pulls back the curtain on the new powerhouses of the world economy. Picking up where Thomas Friedman's The World Is Flat left off, he persuasively demonstrates that the world's center of gravity is already tipping decisively in favor of the emerging economies. With this seismic shift, competitive challenges and investment risks are also being dramatically transformed, while new opportunities are arising for those who are alert to them.

A new breed of world-leading companies are catching their Western competitors off guard. Household names of today -- IBM, Ford, Sony, and Shell -- are in danger of becoming has-beens as these more innovative new superstars in the emerging markets claim dominance. Understanding how they have become world-class market leaders, and where they are taking the world economy, is crucial to understanding not only the future of globalization, but the future of Western competitiveness.

Each year we are buying more planes from Brazil's Embraer, refrigerators from China's Haier appliance maker, smart cell phones from Taiwan's HTC, and gas from Russia's Gazprom. How have these relative unknowns come so far in the world markets so fast? What are they doing right that their Western competitors are doing wrong, and how can Western companies face the intensifying challenges and survive?

With in-depth, inside knowledge of these emerging powerhouses that's based on his thirty years of working, traveling, and investing in emerging markets and his extraordinary access to the leading companies, van Agtmael trains his experienced analyst's eye on twenty-five of the top emerging giants, taking readers into the executive suites and labs where they are outmaneuvering their Western rivals. Profiling these major players, such as Korea's Samsung Electronics, China's computer maker Lenovo, Brazil's iron ore giant CVRD, and India's Infosys, van Agtmael divulges their strategies for growth, and analyzes how their rise to dominance will change our lives. His unique insights point the way to how we in the West can capitalize on the opportunities these companies represent while also mobilizing a powerful response to the challenges they present.

The Emerging Markets Century is a compelling and necessary read for anyone who wants to understand the true magnitude of change under way in the global economy today.

Review Quotes

""The Emerging Markets Century" is a great read, delivering significant insights into the necessary factors for business success in today's competitive world."

-- David Fisher, chairman, Capital Group International, Inc.

""The Emerging Markets Century" is a riveting discussion of the new competitive forces in the global economy...essential reading for anyone who cares about what the world will look like in the years ahead."

-- Jeffrey Garten, professor, Yale School of Management, and former undersecretary of commerce

"Antoine van Agtmael has written an extraordinary book based on his life as a pioneering investor in emerging markets, breathing life into globalization. Van Agtmael is the author to read for anyone ready to embrace the world of tomorrow."

-- Jessica Einhorn, dean, School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University

"Antoine van Agtmael's remarkably readable "The Emerging Markets Century" upends conventional wisdom. It belongs in the library of every serious student of markets."

-- David F. Swensen, chief investment officer, Yale University

"Free of the simplistic blather that often passes for advice in business books, "The Emerging Markets Century" is packed with superb analysis and truly actionable advice."

-- Moises Naim, editor in chief, "Foreign Policy" magazine

"If anyone knows emerging markets, it's Antoine van Agtmael. Having invented the term, he's now written the book. Immensely readable and thoroughly researched, it brings to life the strategic innovators behind the companies that are helping reshape the world."

-- Strobe Talbott, former deputy secretary of state and president of Brookings Institution

"No one knows more about emerging markets than Antoine van Agtmael, and I couldn't agree more with his conclusions."

-- Barton Biggs, managing partner, Traxis Partners

"The man who hatched the concept of 'emerging markets' takes us to the next stage. Based on hundreds of thousands of miles of trekking and on-location research, Antoine van Agtmael demonstrates why these companies will surely go from the local presence of yesterday to the global brands of tomorrow."

-- Daniel Yergin, chairman, Cambridge Energy Research Associates, and author, "The Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy"

About the Author

Antoine W. van Agtmael is known for coining the term Emerging Markets and has been both a pioneer and successful investor in this asset class as a Founder, President, and Chief Investment Officer of Emerging Markets Management, L.L.C, one of the leading and most respected emerging market firms with over $14 billion under management. He holds an M.B.A. from New York University, an M.A. in Russian and East European Studies from Yale University and a B.A. in Economics from the Netherlands School of Economics.