JOURNAL OF MIDWEST INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS RESEARCH
VOLUME XX
2006
Proceedings of the Annual Meeting
Academy of International Business - Midwest Chapter
Program Co-Chairs
Anthony C. Koh, University of Toledo
and
Vern Terpstra, University of Michigan
Held In Conjunction With
The MBAA International
Annual Meetings
Chicago, Illinois
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface iii
Acknowledgement from the Editors v
Introduction vi
Listing of Conference Papers viii
List of Reviewers xi
About the Academy of International Business (AIB) xii
Author Name Index 303
Officers of the Academy of International Business - Midwest Chapter, 2006
President: Juan Meraz, Missouri State University
Program Co-Chair: Anthony C. Koh, University of Toledo
Program Co-Chair: Vern Terpstra, University of Michigan
Treasurer: Christopher Ziemnowicz, Concord University
External Business Development: Chen W. Ferguson, Miami University-Ohio
External Business Development: Robert Moussetis, North Central College
Proceedings Co-Editor: Christopher Ziemnowicz, Concord University
Proceedings Co-Editor: Anthony C. Koh, University of Toledo
Past President: Bindu Vyas, Kings College
Journal of Midwest International Business Research
Volume XX
© 2006 Academy of International Business - U.S. Midwest Chapter
Session participants during the 2005 AIB-Midwest meeting.
PREFACE
1
These are the proceedings of the 2006 Midwest AIB conference in Chicago. They are chapters in the much larger volume of international business of the 21st century. Chicago is now merely a neighborhood in the new global village. As Friedman’s book says, “The World is Flat.” Indeed, AIB meetings reflect our interaction with the forces of globalization. In 2004, AIB was scheduled to meet in Istanbul, until a bombing there caused the meetings to move to Stockholm. In 2005, the meetings were in Quebec, and 2006 meetings are scheduled for Beijing, recognizing the powerful rise of China in the international world of business.
Even the MBAA is not limited to the Midwest as its original name suggested. MBAA conferences now have a national and international constituency. In recent years, participants have come from all 50 states and 24 foreign countries.
The world of the 21st century is the new world of globalization. We are neighbors internationally in a way that was not true before. Television, the Internet, multinational corporations, and increasing immigration/emigration are some of the factors creating the new “global village.” Since we cannot escape from or separate ourselves from this global neighborhood (example 9/11) we must be acquainted with it and learn to live in it peacefully and profitably, both as businesses and as individual citizens.
These proceedings represent various views and analyses of the global village of the 21st century. The papers look at situations, both problems and opportunities, facing firms today and discuss how firms can respond, or are responding, to survive and succeed. Hopefully, they will help us understand better the opportunities, challenges, and problems facing business in the global marketplace. As firms understand the economic, political, and cultural variables affecting their operations, they can be both more successful and contribute more to their customers. Such analyses can also be helpful to us as citizens of the global village.
We trust these proceedings will be a useful addition to your library -- and a potential source of follow-up for future interaction.
Vern Terpstra
Program Co-Chair, 2006 AIB-Midwest Chapter
Professor Emeritus of International Business
University of Michigan
Vern Terpstra’s international experiences have contributed to both his publications and his teaching. During his career, he has served as a visiting professor for institutions in the Congo, China, Indonesia, England, the Netherlands and other countries on three continents. He has written more than 55 books and articles, as well as co-authored with Ravi Sarathy a textbook in International Marketing.
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