Some mentioned qualities such as ambition, competitiveness, resilience, idealism, and optimism. James Root, the most cynical, wondered if there was a more debased word in the English language. Mr. Kenny pointed out that entrepreneurship is not responsible for most of Asia's current large companies, which tend to be spin-offs from other powerful companies or projects by previously successful businesspeople. This is in part due to a lack of funding, as venture capital has only recently become available for early-stage projects. Another barrier is the continuing importance of connections, which tends to favor established interests.
Governments also create opportunities and barriers for entrepreneurship.
One point of debate concerned the existence of a particular Asian style of entrepreneurship. While there was little disagreement with Mr. Feng's assertion that entrepreneurship runs in Chinese blood, there were variations of opinion on the nature of this entrepreneurship. Mr. Wang argued that while the American entrepreneur is idealistic and iconoclastic, the Asian entrepreneur is more practical and financially motivated. Mr. Root invoked Confucian values in order to explain why Asian businesspeople might be less willing to risk failure and engage in maverick behavior. Not only do the familial responsibilities associated with Confucianism inhibit risk-taking, but the respect for authority and hierarchy discourage challenging or bypassing the establishment.