But, as is the case in many endeavours, the extraordinary performance of an individual or organisation easily eclipses underlying forces. Olympic champions such as Ma Lin, the Chinese table tennis star, or Michael Phelps, the US swimmer, take the limelight, but they are the pinnacle of a tremendous strength and depth of the entire country in their disciplines. In business, Porsche of Germany and the best wineries in France produce world-class products. But they are at the top of an entire industry in their respective country or region.

Similarly, the reality is that a group of business schools in Asia-Pacific has risen steadily in international rankings over the past six years.

In 2003, there were two business schools in the FT MBA rankings in greater China, ranked 90th and 59th respectively. By 2006, these two had risen to 21st and 47th, with none from India and south-east Asia. In 2009, four business schools in the region are ranked among the top 25: Ceibs, 8th; the Indian School of Business, 15th; Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 16th; and Nanyang Business School, 24th. In all of Asia-Pacific, there were no schools in the FT top 50 in 2003, whereas there are six in 2009.