From Introduction:

For decades the centre of gravity of the world economy has been moving continuously eastwards. Today it is already predominantly under the influence of East Asia. America is now far away. This phenomenon is well recognised in Europe. However, the focus of public discussion is largely on macroeconomic developments in East Asia. The companies ultimately responsible for the dynamic development of the region, their organisational structures and management styles are largely unknown. This selective view may be justified on the one hand, insofar as all East Asian economies are characterised by strong state control and influence. On the other hand, the state cannot be the sole driver of national economies. Decentralised entrepreneurial innovation and business acumen have a significant contribution to make (Pascha 2016, Pascha/Fausten 2019). It is worth taking a closer look here.

A first glance at the topic shows that the economically most important companies in East Asia are divided into three groups:

• Large corporations that focus on a very-high-volume domestic market and maintain close contacts with the state;
• Innovative start-ups with business models tailored to the domestic market and hardly any international activities;
• Companies from different backgrounds which become active across borders very early in their development.