This week I had the honor of hearing Dr. Vijay Mahajan speak at the Texas Enterprise Speakers Series about his latest book The Arab World Unbound: Tapping into the Power of 350 Million Consumers. Mahajan spent 3 years of traveling the region and interviewed over 600 local and multinational companies like Coca-cola and Unilever already doing business in the large and growing market. He breaks down stereotypes about the people and culture and demonstrates how globally connected and vibrant the Arab markets are.

The Financial Times says "Prof Mahajan's excitement about the Arab world is almost palpable...he is a fine writer and he presents factual details, statistics and concepts in a breezy, easy to read manner."

This is Mahajan's third book about consumers markets in developing countries. Also check out The 86 Percent Solution: How to Succeed in the Biggest Market Opportunity of the Next 50 Years and Africa Rising: How 900 Million African Consumers Offer More Than You Think.

I'm currently reading Jack Plunkett's new book, The Next Boom: What You Absolutely, Positively Have to Know About the World Between Now and 2025. Jack is the CEO and publisher of Plunkett Research a leading provider of industry sector analysis and research, industry trends and industry statistics. The book is a refreshingly optimistic take on the world economy (and honestly that is exactly what I need right now). Plunkett "persuasively demonstrates the emerging trends, technologies and changes that will lead to a new period of substantial economic growth in emerging nations as well as many of the world's leading economies. He presents a panorama of carefully documented developments in areas including energy, health care, education, demographics, trade, technologies and the rapidly-growing global middle class - showing how trends in America and around the world have tremendous synergy that will lead to a long-term surge in global business. This book will help you understand how to best position your business, your investments and your career to benefit from the coming era of global growth." (Amazon) Definitely pick up the book and also check out The Next Boom video series available on YouTube.