09/07/2013
Sabancı University hosted the 2013 annual meeting of the Academy of International Business (AIB), the leading international organization of business. The 55th annual meeting of the AIB took place between July 3 and 6, 2013 at the Istanbul Hilton.
Sponsored by Sabancı University as well as Koç University and Özyeğin University, the meeting began with the introductory remarks of Coca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent. An award ceremony was held during the opening ceremony on Wednesday, July 3, 2013 at the Istanbul Hilton, where the International Executive of the Year Award 2013 was presented to Muhtar Kent.
“No risk means no reward”
Muhtar Kent began by saying that he was accepting the award on behalf of all Coca-Cola employees. Kent emphasized that a brand is a promise to the consumer and a good brand is a promise kept, explaining how the characters of companies are shaped according to consumer behavior.
Muhtar Kent called for the golden triangle of businesses, governments and civil society (including universities) to act in order to resolve global issues, and continued on the importance of sustainability for Coca-Cola, explaining that the company’s initiatives on sustainability focused on water, women and health. Kent said that clean water was a severe issue on a global scale, with 50% of the hospitalized population suffering from health issues related to the lack of clean drinking water. Muhtar Kent then discussed their projects for empowering women in developing nations. Kent said, “We must leave a sustainable world to the new generation. We must continue our efforts and keep the promises we have made to our consumers.” Muhtar Kent also said that no risk would lead to no reward.
This year’s meeting is held under the theme “Bridging the Divide: Linking International Business to Complementary Disciplines and Practice” with papers discussing the integration of international management theory with the practice in business, and possible interdisciplinary dialog and integration methods to propose solution to complex management issues today.
The local host of the conference, Sabancı University School of Management Dean Professor Nakiye Avdan Boyacıgiller said:
“The AIB conference is of particular importance to the business and academic circles of Turkey. I believe internationalization to be one of the most challenging goals for Turkish businesses in the near future. This will be one of the critical issues in AIB this year and will be analyzed in depth in terms of both strategic management and human resources. Participants from 62 countries will provide a diverse range of examples and perspectives. Meanwhile, I hope that this conference will facilitate further discussion of international management in Turkey, where we are lagging behind in terms of academic achievement, and help to provide new international cooperation opportunities. Having spent many years for the effort to bring the AIB conference to Turkey, I would like to wish all participants success.”
Panel discussions on Turkey
The conference had 195 sessions where more than 700 papers will be presented, including four special sessions on the position of Turkey in the world of international business. “Turkey as a Place to do Business: Comparative Perspectives,” chaired by Ahmet Kirca, was on Thursday. “Turkey Today: Three Contemporary Views on the Political and Economic Context of Turkey,” chaired by Nakiye Boyacıgiller, was on Friday morning. On Friday afternoon, Gabriele Suder, chaired, and Janet Murray, Co-Chair have organized a Women in the Academy of International Business (WAIB) panel titled “Women in Business in Turkey.” On Saturday, Danica Purg chaired the session “Hidden Champions: The Innovative Companies from CEE and Turkey with a Global Reach.”
About the AIB:
The Academy of International Business (AIB) is the leading association of scholars and specialists in the field of international business. Established in 1959, today, AIB has 3575 members in 87 different countries around the world. Members include scholars from the leading academic institutions as well as consultants and researchers. We welcome members from developing countries, newly industrialized countries, as well as industrialized countries to join. The AIB is the leading global community of scholars for the creation and dissemination of knowledge about international business and policy issues. The AIB transcends the boundaries of single academic disciplines and managerial functions to enhance business education and practice.
Please visit https://aib.msu.edu/events/2013 for more information.
