16 - Challenges for Entrepreneurs from Conflicting Values

Summary

This chapter discusses the challenge for entrepreneurs brought about by value conflicts. Value conflicts bring about a major challenge for entrepreneurs, both within a country and between countries. This type of challenge might come from the government or the public. The failure of the airship industry is a typical example where the entrepreneur was caught between the United States and Nazi Germany. This chapter emphasizes that serious value conflicts have always existed between China and the United States but were obscured by the good wishes of both sides in the past. As opposing values have manifested themselves, entrepreneurs of both China and the West face bigger challenges than they have over the past 40 years. The entrepreneur may fail not because their products are not accepted by consumers but instead blocked by the government and nationalism.