On 17-19 March, the Academy of International Business (AIB) Midwest Regional Meeting was held in Chicago as part of the Midwest Business Administration Association Conference. AIB Midwest Regional Chairperson Preet Aulakh served as editor of the proceedings, which has been recently published in the Midwest Review of International Business Research.

The role of economic and political institutions in economic development is a subject of great interest today, as many countries struggle with the transition from socialism to capitalism, and developing countries in Asia and elsewhere have experienced financial crises.

The troublesome state of Japan's economy is causing concern beyond the usual circle of academic specialists and policy makers in Tokyo and Washington. Even casual observers of Japan in business, government, and academia are curious about the seemingly intractable set of problems facing Japanese leaders.

Taking the perspective of the business and entrepreneurial sector, this presentation explores key milestones reached in the recent past and comment on unique features of the Turkish business and entrepreneurial scene. Where appropriate, contrast are made to business communities in other countries.

Designed primarily for faculty from business, foreign language, and area studies, the 13 days program includes seminars on European business and cultural issues, on-site visits to a variety of industries, and exciting side trips to Ghent and Bruges. Participants are exposed to the latest developments in European business issues through discussions with leading faculty and business experts, and develop an increased understanding of the function and structure of the European Union (EU).

The International Business Institute for Community College Faculty is a unique professional development program designed specifically for community and technical college faculty. The institute is designed to provide participants with the knowledge, experience and resources they need to internationalize general business courses and/or develop specialized international business courses at the two-year college level.

The seminars for Faculty Development in International Business (FDIB) program at The University of Memphis is designed to help faculty teach in a global context by infusing international material into new and existing courses.

International and Cross Cultural Marketing co-chaired by Preet Aulakh and Tamer Cavusgil, Michigan State University, explored issues on managing marketing across the world. It featured conceptual papers and empirical papers that highlight similarities or differences in marketing management practices, consumer behavior and infrastructure of individual companies are also welcome.

Elizabeth Pond is currently a contributing correspondent for The Washington Quarterly. She was a Woodrow Wilson Center fellow from 94-95 and a MacArthur. Research and Writing fellow from 91-93. She has had teaching appointments at Simmons College, Johns Hopkins and Bonn Universities. From 1967-88 she served as a foreign correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor in Europe, Moscow, Tokyo, and Saigon.

Nitin Pangakar from the National University of Singapore will talk about determinants of joint venture performance. He hypothesizes that there are three broad categories of factors that affect joint venture performance: location-specific factors; parent company characteristics, and characteristics of the joint venture (child) itself. In his presentation, Nitin will discuss the data he's collected and what his analysis revealed.