Contact:
Derek Moscato, Beedie School of Business, 778.782.5038; drmoscat@sfu.ca

One of the world’s largest gatherings of scholars devoted to international business will converge on Simon Fraser University and host city Vancouver next summer.

SFU’s Beedie School of Business was named as host institution for the 2014 summit during the recent 2013 annual meeting of the Academy of International Business (AIB) in Istanbul, Turkey.

The event features a combination of academic plenaries, panels, and papers devoted to global management and international business topics.

The conference, which attracts over 1,000 attendees annually from universities around the world, will be co-chaired by Beedie professors Eric Gedajlovic and Chang Hoon Oh. Venues for the event include SFU’s downtown campus, the Vancouver Convention Centre, and the Westin Bayshore Hotel.

Daniel Shapiro, Beedie School dean, says: “International business is a key research focus for our faculty. Given Vancouver’s global investment linkages and its distinct fusing of cultures from around the world, I have no doubt the city will serve as the perfect backdrop for international business scholars to collaborate, network and engage.”

Shapiro notes that Vancouver’s reputation as one of North America’s most internationalized cities makes it an especially relevant destination for conference attendees. “Vancouver has emerged as a dynamic hub for international trade, technological innovation and sustainable resource development, areas of focus that are, not coincidentally, central to our mission at Beedie.”

SFU’s Beedie School has a longstanding tradition of excellence in international business scholarship. The school was ranked among the top two business schools in Canada, and in the top 40 business schools worldwide in a 2010 report detailing the top world business schools measured by scholarly impact in international business (the Academic Ranking of World Business Schools survey).

The Academy of International Business is the leading association of scholars and specialists in the field of international business. Established in 1959, AIB currently has over 3,500 members in 87 different countries around the world. Members include scholars from the leading global academic institutions as well consultants, researchers, and government and NGO representatives.

Simon Fraser University is Canada’s top-ranked comprehensive university and one of the top 50 universities in the world under 50 years old. With campuses in Vancouver, Burnaby and Surrey, B.C., SFU engages actively with the community in its research and teaching, delivers almost 150 programs to more than 30,000 students, and has more than 120,000 alumni in 130 countries.

---

About the AIB 2014 Vancouver Crest

The unique, Northwest coast-inspired crest for the Academy of International Business 2014 Annual Meeting in Vancouver features the wolf, representing intelligence and leadership. The wolf is a pathfinder, the forerunner of new ideas, and a patient teacher — attributes that guide and inspire next year’s conference. Within a wolf pack, there may be individualism, but there is also a predominant sense of family.

The crest was created by highly accomplished Cree/Metis artist James Michels, whose work is held in high esteem by other artists and knowledgeable collectors. James apprenticed with acclaimed Coast Salish artist Joseph Campbell and spent considerable time observing various master artists at the K’san Native Art School. His bentwood boxes and stunning carved panels can be regularly viewed in most of the major galleries of Northwest Coast artwork in both Canada and the United States.