Page 336 - (DK) The Business Book

334

DIRECTORY

usiness is all about succeeding, often against considerable odds,
and to do so its practitioners have drawn on a range of insights
B from a number of related disciplines. It requires an understanding
of people, numbers, and systems, so it is perhaps not surprising that a
large proportion of its key thinkers come from the fields of psychology,
mathematics, and engineering. Some of them have proved adept at turning
theory into practice, building large businesses that continue to evolve and
grow over the long term. The main part of this book has examined the
work of some of those key thinkers in detail; here we look at others whose
impact on the business environment is marked, from industrial designers
and theorists to inspirational leaders and management gurus.

studying industrial management business administration at Harvard
RICHARD BRANSON at Central Michigan University, MI. Business School, Christensen has
1950– His consulting work within diverse published widely; his first book,
industries led him to develop the The Innovator’s Dilemma, is an
Founder of the Virgin Group of LEO (Listen, Enrich, Optimize) international best seller.
businesses, Richard Branson was solution, popularized in his book, See also: Changing the game
born in 1950 in Surrey, UK. In 1969 The Ice Cream Maker. This approach 92–99 ■ Crisis management 188–89
he started a mail-order record says that by making “quality” the ■ Avoiding complacency 194–201
company called Virgin, which then responsibility of every employee,
expanded into retail stores. In 1972 individual quality leads to process
he built a recording studio, and quality and organizational success. ROBERTO CIVITA
began his own record label. The See also: Quality sells 318–23 1936–2013
Virgin brand expanded into diverse
areas, and the Virgin Group today Brazilian media baron Roberto
consists of more than 200 companies CLAYTON CHRISTENSEN Civita was born in Milan, Italy, in
in more than 30 countries, 1952– 1936. His family moved to the US
including Virgin Atlantic airlines, shortly after his birth, then to Brazil
Virgin Radio, and Virgin Galactic. Clayton Christensen is considered around 10 years later, where his
See also: Beating the odds at one of the world’s top management father founded the Abril publishing
start-up 20–21 ■ Creating a brand thinkers. Born in Utah in 1952, he company. Civita studied for several
260–65 ■ Generating buzz 276–78 worked as a missionary for the degrees at various US universities,
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day in subjects as diverse as nuclear
Saints in South Korea from 1971 to and particle physics, journalism,
SUBIR CHOWDHURY 1973. On his return to the US, he economics, and sociology. After
1967– studied economics at Brigham stints working at Time and Abril,
Young University, Utah, and Oxford in 1968 he started Veja, Brazil’s
An expert on quality management, University, UK, before earning an best-selling weekly magazine. His
Subir Chowdhury was born in MBA and doctorate at Harvard successful media and educational
Chittagong, Bangladesh in 1967. Business School. While working enterprises led Forbes magazine
He earned a degree in aeronautical as a management consultant he to estimate his net worth as
engineering at the Indian Institute helped found Innosight, a public $4.9 billion at his death in 2013.
of Technology, Kharagpur, before policy think tank. Now a professor of See also: Rupert Murdoch 337