Thai American Business Program Conference
US and Thailand:  Business at the Crossroads
Marriott Inn and Conference Center    March 2-3, 2009 

Agenda

Monday, March 2
March 2nd activities for the conference have been cancelled due to inclement weather.
2 p.m. - 5 p.m. Registration at hotel  
3 p.m. - 5 p.m. Involvement of Local Community in Education Porntip Kanjananiyot, Executive Director, Thailand-United States Educational Foundation (TUSEF)
"Fullbright 175th Anniversary Thai-U.S. Friendship Award" recipient for 2008, Sakol Suethanapornkul, University of Hawaii
5 p.m. - 7 p.m. Welcome Reception G.“Anand” Anandalingam, Dean, Robert H. Smith School of Business
Damrong Kraikruan, Charge-d'affairs, a.i., Royal Thai Embassy

March 3rd activities will go ahead as scheduled.

Tuesday, March 3 (Location: UMUC)
Topic Speaker(s)
9 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Registration &
Continental Breakfast		  
9:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. Welcome and Introductions Patricia Cleveland, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs, Robert H. Smith School of Business
G.“Anand” Anandalingam, Dean, Robert H. Smith School of Business
Damrong Kraikruan, Charge-d'affairs, a.i., Royal Thai Embassy
9:45 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Plenary Session Murray Hiebert, Senior Director for Asia, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. Break  
10:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Session 1
Entrepreneurship for Changing Times
Entrepreneurship Opportunities in Thailand Dr. Robert Baum, Associate Professor, Robert H. Smith School of Business
Entrepreneurs' Characteristics and Firm Decisions: Evidence from the Richest People in China Tanakorn Makaew, PhD Student, Robert H. Smith School of Business
Minwen Li, PhD Student, Robert H. Smith School of Business
Being the Nexus, Social Networking Across Borders and Cultures Dr. Oliver Schlake, Tyser Teaching Fellow
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Luncheon and Keynote Ambassador William Itoh, Director, Washington International Programs , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
1:30 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Session 2
Logistics & Supply Chain, Implications for Thailand
Introduction to Thai Strategic National Supply Chain Competitiveness Audi Methodology Dr. Sandor Boyson, Research Professor, Co-Director, Robert H. Smith School of Business Supply Chain Management Center
Thai Supply Chain Situation/Benchmarking Analysis Josef Hapli, MBA Candidate, Robert H. Smith School of Business
Thai Supply Chain Cost Competitiveness Brendon Weiss, Vice President of Portfield & Lowenthal, LLC & MBA Candidate, Robert H. Smith School of Business
Attracting a Critical Mass of Global Supply Chain  Service Companies Lisa Harrington, President, Harrington Associates & Sr. Research Fellow, Robert H. Smith School of Business Supply Chain Management Center
Conclusions: Building Thailand's Overall Supply Chain Competitiveness  
3 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. Break  
3:15 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.
Session 3
Marketing & Branding
Creating Thailand's Brand Identity for the 21st Century Dr. P.K. Kannan, Associate Professor, Robert H. Smith School of Business
Dr. Rebecca Hamilton, Associate Professor, Robert H. Smith School of Business
Thailand's Country Brand Performance Steven Santangelo, Senior Director of Consulting, FutureBrand
4:45 p.m. - 5 p.m. Wrap-up Patricia Cleveland, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs, Robert H. Smith School of Business
5 p.m. - 6 p.m. Cocktail Reception  
6 p.m. - 8 p.m. Networking Dinner Dr. Sathaporn Opasanon, Faculty of Commerce and Accountancy, Thammasat University