A. Coskun Samli – författare

Despite the accelerating pace of globalization, it is impossible to ignore the marginalization of the developing world, as billions of people continue to slip deeper into poverty. While many theories, policies, and practices have been proposed to help redress the disparities between the "haves" and the "have-nots," only recently have proponents of sustainable economic development and entrepreneurship discovered each other. In this provocative and timely book, A. Coskun Samli fills the gap by making the connections explicit and arguing that entrepreneurship may be the only hope for countries that have fallen into the trap of relying on foreign aid and bowing to the pressures of multinational conglomerates driven by short-term profit-maximizing goals. Samli builds the case that some cultures are more entrepreneurial than others, and demonstrates the importance of creating the right conditions, infrastructure, policies, and educational systems that inspire and support new business creation.

This book argues that the strength of our dynamic society is a market economy, which functions well only if positive and constructive marketing practices are performed. It offers innovative alternatives for achieving economic progress and outlines strategies to create conditions for equal opportunity. The American economy has transitioned from a “survival of the fittest" to "survival of the fattest" mentality, focusing less on the people and quality of life and more on the amount of dollars to be gained. The divide between the 1% and 99% leaves lower-income individuals at a significant disadvantage and threatens both economic and societal advancement.

The author offers clear, intelligible solutions to accomplish this such as eliminating discrimination, providing opportunities for new ideas and industries, enhancing quality of life, and encouraging more competition so that radical innovations can emerge and make a positive difference. This book will appeal to leaders and researchers across marketing, economics, management, and accounting looking for answers on how to get the American economy back on track.

The recent global financial crisis has intensified concerns over how nations—both developed and developing — can revitalize economic growth and ensure opportunity for prosperity to all citizens. Many analysts and policymakers alike are looking to new business creation and the promotion of entrepreneurial practices as a panacea, or at least as a partial solution. A. Coskun Samli has argued in his two most recent books that the current model of globalization tends to marginalize the poor and that developing countries must rely on local business development, rather than exogenous forces, such as aid, loans, and trade, to catalyze growth. This third book in his trilogy argues that a "bottom-up" approach is necessary for developing countries to participate in globalization—but is not sufficient. He proposes that the economic goals of a country, a region, or a company are fulfilled first and foremost by a properly designed and maintained infrastructure, encompassing both physical elements, such as transportation and communication systems, and qualitative elements, such as functioning educational, legal, and governing institutions. In Infrastructuring, Samli analyzes the experiences of a variety of countries, including China, India, Ireland, and South Africa, to highlight the role that infrastructure plays in economic development, and considers its implications for such timely issues as new business creation, productivity, and supply chain logistics. Moreover, he outlines practical approaches to infrastructure management and policy oversight.

It is impossible to measure the full economic and psychological benefits of the sewing machine, the polio vaccine, or the Internet. What we know is that these products have changed our lives for the better, generating net benefits well beyond the metric of corporate profits.  As forces such as financial market volatility and fragmented markets demonstrate the fragility of the global economy, the imperative to develop products and services that contribute to the well-being of the many—rather than the few—is more pronounced than ever.

In this book, A. Coskun Samli explores this imperative of an “innovation culture” and how it can be encouraged at all levels, from the individual to the nation or region.  He argues that without a global innovation culture, committed to generating socially valuable products, we are likely to face a deteriorating quality of life, as wealth is concentrated at the top.  Integrating insights from management, economics, policy, and psychology, Samli demonstrates how creativity can be channeled into innovation and innovation can be channeled, in turn, toward economic development.  He discusses how national policies can be oriented toward encouraging such socially beneficial innovations as sustainable energy, communication technology, and medical discoveries.  The aim is to promote the development of products and services that improve quality of life and generate profits for those who invest in them.  He argues that all innovations, whether radical or incremental, must demonstrate social value in order to be truly profitable.