FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE THUNDERBIRD TO HOST ROUND ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASETHUNDERBIRD TO HOST ROUND-TABLE DISCUSSION ON COPING WITH THE CRISISCommunity, business leaders invited to attend free session(GLENDALE, Ariz.) Jan. 29, 2009 — Businesses and individuals who don’t fully understand the scopeand magnitude of the current economic crisis could face dire professional and individual consequences,according to Thunderbird School of Global Management faculty members who are hosting a round-tablediscussion, “Maintaining Your Wits in a World Turned Upside Down,” Feb. 5, 2009 at Thunderbird.The panel will touch on a wide range of issues facing individuals and organizations during these toughtimes, including the causes of the crisis, its impacts on the country, businesses, individuals and practicalsolutions for weathering the storm professionally and personally.“It's not business as usual,” says Roe Goddard, Ph.D., an associate professor of global management atThunderbird. “The world has been turned upside down, and these are scary and uncertain times. Thecapacity to get through it and come out ahead will require a very specific set of skills and understandingthat will equip managers to lead and negotiate creatively in this particular environment.”As the crisis continue to claim victims, the impact on the physiological, behavioral and psychologicalresponses from individuals could magnify the fallout and have lasting consequences for individuals,their companies and the greater community, according to Christine Pearson, Ph.D, a professor ofmanagement and expert in crisis management and workplace civility.“The current global challenges will require well-defined competencies and a broad education on notonly the intellectual or strategic level, but also along the psychological, and behavioral dimensions,”Pearson says.Leading the discussion is Thunderbird Professor Karen Walch, Ph.D, an expert in cross-culturalnegotiations, communications and sociology. “Thunderbird’s expertise in teaching managers andcorporate executives to lead with the global mindset that allows them to manage effectively in differentsocial, economic and political environments, has never been more relevant,” Walch contends. “It isthose very traits that will help individuals and companies succeed in today’s volatile economicmarketplace.”The event will begin at 1:10 p.m. with a roundtable discussion among the faculty experts and then willopen for questions and comments from the audience. The presentation will be held at Thunderbird’sGlendale campus on the southeast corner of 59th Avenue and Greenway Road. The panel discussion isfree to the public and open to the media.Members of the public interested in attending must RSVP to Barbara Stevenson at 602-978-7327 orbarbara.stevenson@thunderbird.edu.

Members of the media are asked to contact Brian Camen at 602-978-7922 or Carol Sunnucks at 602-978-7272 if you are planning to cover the event. Professors will also be available for a brief questionand answer session with media representatives following the presentation.-30-About ThunderbirdFounded in 1946, Thunderbird is the first and oldest graduate management school focused exclusively onglobal business. It is regarded as the world’s leading institution in the education of global managers and hasoperations in the United States, Latin America, Asia and Europe, including Russia. Ranked No. 1 ininternational business by the Financial Times, U.S. News & World Report, and The Wall Street Journal/HarrisInteractive 2007 Business School Survey, Thunderbird is dedicated to educating global leaders who createsustainable prosperity worldwide. The school’s programs facilitate the development of the global mindset,which is critical to managing effectively in different social, economic and political environments. More than38,000 students have graduated from Thunderbird, and its alumni live and work in more than 140 countries.For more about Thunderbird, please visit: www.thunderbird.edu.