Silicon Valley is the world’s most prolific producer of new ideas, and it has built lasting success on three pillars: strong business networks, worldwide talent, and quick reflexes. Based on sources including, What Makes Silicon Valley Tick? by Tapan Munroe (Nova Vista Publishing, May 2009).

Some emerging companies achieve world-class status. What are the secrets behind this incredible success? What strategies have they adopted to consolidate their market positions and ensure continual development? Based on the book by Antoine van Agtmael, "The Emerging Markets Century" (Free Press, 2007), and the interview with Horacio Forjaz, executive vice-president of corporate communications, Embraer, Brazil, and Tulsi Tanti, chairman and managing director of Suzlon Energy, India.

What are the reasons behind the considerable success of emerging markets companies? Based on “Emerging Giants: Building World-Class Companies in Developing Countries” by Tarun Khanna and Krishna G. Palepu, Harvard Business Review, October 2006, and on an interview with Güler Sabanci, chairperson of Sabanci Holding (Turkey).

Is Brazil going to play a major role in the world economy? Based on an article by Mehdi Ramdani, Business Digest, July 2007, and an interview with Philippe Pommez, international vice-president, Natura (Brazil).

Brazil, Russia, India, and China: are these countries in line with forecasted growth? Based on an overview of current events in BRIC and on an interview with Stefano Pelle, vice-president and COO of the Russia and South Asia division of Perfetti Van Melle.

How did RSM manage to haul itself out of a rut to become a high-performance organization, despite an extremely difficult climate? Based on “Evolving a High Performance Culture: Learning from a Turnaround” by Sanjay Dhar, IIMB Management Review, December 2005, and an interview with Shri R. Ramaraju, managing director of the Bhilai Steel Plant, India.

Managing an organization in China requires to know the Chinese way of running companies. Based on an article by Dr Taco C.R. van Someren and Dr Shuhua van Someren-Wang, consultants, Ynnovate, the Netherlands, and an interview with Juan Antonio Fernandez, professor, Chinese European International Business School (Shanghai), and Jacques de Boisséson, president of Total (China) Investment Co Ltd.

What must China do in order to maintain its position? Based on the summary of “The Changing Face of China: China as an Offshore Destination For IT and Business Process Outsourcing”, AT Kearney, 2004, “China’s Looming Talent Shortage”, McKinsey Quarterly, October 2005, and an interview with Bob Aubrey, CEO of Metizo.

India has examples for other companies—in either developed or emerging countries—to follow when they too have to cope with increased competition on the economic and/or job market. Based on « Bracing MNC Competition through Innovative HRM practices », Ashok Som,Thunderbird International Business Review, 2006, and the interview with Bikramjit Maitra, Vice President of Human Resources, Infosys Technologies (India).