AIB 2009 San Diego Conference Program - Academy of ...

Greetings from the Host School President
June 2009
Dear Academy of International Business members:
As President of San Diego State University, it is my pleasure to welcome you to
“America’s Finest City.” We are honored to serve as the local host for the 2009 meeting
of the Academy of International Business (AIB). Not surprisingly, SDSU’s location is
key to many of our greatest attributes: a global perspective, derived in part from our
strategic access to the Pacific Rim and Latin America; an entrepreneurial spirit; diverse
and talented faculty and students; distinctive academic programs (many of which
were created based on creating partnerships to address the needs of local industries);
and application-oriented research. San Diego State’s mission is to produce graduates
with the cultural competence and critical thinking skills necessary to make informed
decisions in our increasingly complex and global society.
Founded in 1897, SDSU is the largest university in San Diego and the third largest
in California. Our campus community is home to more than 35,000 students and
nearly 6,500 faculty and staff. San Diego State University, like the global marketplace,
is characterized by rapid change. High demand for an SDSU education (for fall 2009 we had over 56,000
applications vying for approximately 7,000 spots) has produced increasing levels of student achievement
and enabled us to recruit faculty and staff of national and international renown. These individuals—who
are deeply committed to discovery and the advancement of scholarly work—comprise our greatest asset:
intellectual capital that can be capitalized upon to address the world’s most pressing problems. These
qualities are the reason behind our ranking as the No. 1 small research university in the country for two
consecutive years by Academic Analytics. We take great pride in San Diego State University being home to
“minds that move the world.”
As home to one of the first centers of its kind, the Center for International Business Education and Research
(CIBER), I want to acknowledge CIBER’s Dr. Gangaram Singh, Mark J. Ballam, and Siv Lang Lim for their
diligence in preparing to host the 2009 AIB meeting. In addition to this team, you will have an opportunity
to meet SDSU Provost Nancy A. Marlin and Dean of our College of Business Administration Gail K. Naughton.
Their dedication to academic rigor and commitment to internationalizing our campus has helped San
Diego State gain a national reputation as a university of the highest caliber.
San Diego State University boasts top-ranking programs including international business and
entrepreneurship. (Our undergraduate international business program is the largest in the country.) SDSU
also remains actively engaged with those we serve, leading to our establishing a number of new programs
such as the global MBA, sports MBA, joint Ph.D./MBA in life sciences and MS regulatory affairs in response
to the growing needs of our region.
We are grateful for this opportunity to introduce you to many of SDSU’s dedicated teacher-scholars, their
important research and academic programs. Serving as host to such a prominent group of international
scholars and business leaders is indeed flattering—and recognition of our sustained commitment to high
quality teaching, research and community service.
On behalf of all my colleagues, I welcome you to San Diego and offer my best wishes for a successful and
stimulating conference.
Sincerely,
Stephen L. Weber, President
San Diego State University
6 Is the World Flat or Spiky? Implications for Global Strategies AIB 2009 Annual Conference San Diego, USA June 27–30