Distinguished Asian American business leaders /

Hirahara's addition to Oryx's "Distinguished Asian Americans" series profiles 96 men and women of Asian descent who have made significant contributions to the business profession and to the larger Asian American community in the US. The book offers substantial entries (two to three pages) about a wide variety of entrepreneurs and businesspersons, from the 1880s to the early 21st century. The profiles, based largely on secondary sources, were written by four California-based freelance writers. The biographical sketches are organized alphabetically and include information on birth and death, education, positions held, awards and honors, early years, career highlights, a list of sources for further reading, and for most, black-and-white photos. An appendix arranges leaders by field. Selection criteria are somewhat unclear and omissions are noticeable; for example, David Sun, who with his partner John Tu made labor history by giving generous bonuses to their employees when they sold their company (Kingston Technology Corporation) in 1996, was not selected, but Tu was. Nevertheless, this good introduction to Asian American business leaders deserves space in academic and large public libraries. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. General and academic collections. K. T. Wei University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

This is the second book in Greenwood's Distinguished Asian Americans series, joining Distinguished Asian American Political and Governmental Leaders RBB S 1 03. Although The Asian American Almanac (Gale, 1995) includes biographical sketches of 19 Asian Americans who gained prominence in the business field, this work is the first reference source to focus entirely on business leaders from the Asian American community. Business leader, according to the author, is defined broadly to include those who showed determination and perseverance while overcoming prejudices, learning the English language, and succeeding in the world of commerce. Other factors in her selection of the subjects include philanthropic activities, differing personal philosophies, and ethnic and regional diversity. Nautica Apparel cofounder David Chu, Toys "R" Us CEO Robert Naksone, and PepsiCo president Indra Nooyi are among the individuals included. The 96 profiles are arranged alphabetically by surname and include information compiled from secondary sources between 1999 and 2001. Many include photographs, and all point the reader to other sources for additional reading. The sketches are simply written and organized to provide full name at birth, education, positions held, honors and awards, and career highlights. The appendix lists subjects by field, such as "Cosmetics," "Financial Services/Insurence," and "Tourism." An index helps the reader find articles by a key term (Charley's Steakery, daisy-wheel printer, andapan Society, for example). A finding aid to locate subjects by country of origin would be useful. Although readers will need to do additional research to analyze why these individuals have been so successful, this will be a useful source for identifying American entrepreneurs with Asian backgrounds. Recommmended for high-school, public, and academic libraries. --Ray Olson Copyright 2003 Booklist