当代最伟大的12位企业家

12. 默罕穆德•尤努斯

公司名称：Grameen Bank

建议：小馈赠，大影响

    70年代初，默罕穆德•尤努斯在孟加拉国一所大学的教室里教授经济理论。但在吉大港大学（Chittagong University）的校园外，他看到的是极度的饥饿和贫困。他热切地希望能为当地民众做点什么，由此引发了一个简单但极具影响的举动：尤努斯为吉大港大学附近一所村庄中赤贫的编篮匠人提供了一笔27美元的借款。

    他无法相信这一小笔钱所产生的兴奋和激动。对于每日生活支出仅几美分的人们，几美元就可以改变他们的人生——很多时候确实如此。这笔钱用于支持和发展那些极微型企业，最终帮助很多人摆脱了贫困。更让尤努斯意外的是，编篮匠人最终还了钱——而且是按时还款。后来，他从一个村庄到另一个村庄，寻找所有需要融资的创业项目。

    直到1983年，尤努斯才成立了Grameen Bank银行，帮助倡导、传播微型贷款概念。到2006年尤努斯获得诺贝尔和平奖时，Grameen Bank已向孟加拉7.3万个村庄的近700万人发放了贷款。更重要的是，71岁的尤努斯帮助推动了全球性的微型贷款运动。Grameen模式推广到了全球100多个国家，帮助了数百万人。

    虽然这家银行无法根除贫困，但它改善了很多人的生活。同等重要的是，尤努斯的理念激励了无数的年轻人投身于全球社会事业。

    注：公司销售额和员工人数都摘自公司最近提交的10K或20F表格，市值统计截至2012年3月19日。

    译者：老榆木/早稻米

12. Muhammad Yunus

Company: Grameen Bank

Advice: Small gifts can equal big impacts.

    In the early 1970s Muhammad Yunus was teaching economic theory to students in a university classroom in Bangladesh. But outside the campus of Chittagong University, all he saw was crushing hunger and poverty. His desire to do something to help the local citizens led to a simple but powerful gesture: Yunus loaned $27 to destitute basket weavers in a village next to his university's campus.

    He could not believe the excitement the small amount of money caused. For people living on pennies a day, just a few dollars could transform their lives -- and in many cases it did. The gift was used to support and expand these very small businesses, and that helped many overcome their poverty. Much to Yunus' surprise, the basket weavers actually paid off the loans -- and on time too. He then moved from one village to the next, finding all sorts of entrepreneurial projects to fund.

    It wasn't until 1983 that Yunus founded Grameen Bank, the institution that helped pioneer and spread the concept of microcredit. By the time Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, the Grameen Bank had outstanding loans to nearly 7 million poor people in 73,000 villages in Bangladesh. More important, Yunus, 71, helped create a global movement toward microlending. The Grameen model moved on to more than 100 countries worldwide and helped millions.

    While the bank could not eradicate poverty, it lifted many lives. No less critical, Yunus' idea inspired countless numbers of young people to devote themselves to social causes all over the world.

    Notes: Company revenues and employee numbers taken from the most recent 10K or 20F filed by the company; market value as of 3/19/2012.