SIEM members & their activities

The research group started with 17 founding members at the Annual Meeting of the Association of Japanese Geographers (AJG) in March 2007. The group has been growing since then rapidly world-wide! Please find below a list of members who organized the 1st International SIEM Symposium. Information about members who contribute to regular meetings at the AJG level can be found in the News section of this web site.

Founding SIEM members who supported the 2010 SIEM International Symposium actively:
Prof. Satoshi Nakagawa (Kobe University)
Dr. Michael Plattner (University of Trier)

	Rolf D. Schlunze Presentation Title: Rolf D. SCHLUNZE is Professor for Intercultural Management in the Department of International Business Administration of Ritsumeikan University. His PhD is from The University of Tokyo and his post-doctoral research has focused on the locational adjustment of managerial systems. His work has been published in reviewed journals such as TESG, the Japanese Journal of Human Geography and the Annals of the Japan Association of Economic Geographers. In his conference presentations he is addressing issues of management and geography. He is adviser of the Euro-Asia Management Study Association (EAMSA) and is leading an international research group called Spaces of International Management and Economy (SIEM) founded in March 2007 at the Association of Japanese Geographers.
	Dr. Atsushi Taira Presentation Title: Global-local strategies of an industry complex in a local region of Japan: A case study of the glove-related industry in eastern Kagawa (tentative) Atsushi Taira got his Ph.D. from the University of Tsukuba and holds a professorship at the Faculty of Education, Kagawa University in Shikoku, Japan. His research interests cover corporate and management related topics within urban, economic, and social geography. He has contributed significantly with empirical research for a better understanding of the overseas operations of Japanese-affiliated firms within the local and global context.
	Masato Ikuta Presentation Title: Prof. Masato Ikuta's is an economic geographer doing research on Asian Mega Cities such as Tokyo, Osaka, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. He has published various articles and books on the economic development and regionalism of the Kansai region. Through his field research he investigated many actors at the corporate and governmental level within Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Canada. Growth triangles in Southeast Asia and the related urban and regional development policies in Malaysia is his recent research interest.
	Dr. Nathaniel O. Agola Presentation Title: Location based service technology innovations in Japan Nathaniel O. Agola, PhD in International Development (Business Economics), Nagoya University; Lecturer at Ritsumeikan University, Department of Business Administration and Graduate School of Management of Technology; Research interests include Technology management-product and service innovation, management of emerging technologies into markets, and innovative transfer of technology products and services across borders. Recent publications include value innovation as an operational strategy in international markets.
	William W. Baber Presentation Title: Adjusting to a distant space: Cultural adjustment and interculturally fluent support Will Baber has combined education with business throughout his career, teaching English to business students in Japan and Europe and working in economic development for the State of Maryland, Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED). In his work in international business attraction for DBED, he frequently encountered cross cultural conflicts and synergies. He studies these issues in the course of his master's degree and applies his theoretical and practical knowledge to the task of teaching business and English skills in Japan. Research interests include cross-cultural adaptation and interaction.
	Sawako Maruyama Presentation Title: Trading area and locational decision of Foreign affiliates in Osaka Prefecture Sawako Maruyama is a researcher at Osaka Prefectural Institute for Advanced Industry Development and an adjunct instructor at the School of Foreign Studies, Osaka University. She received her Ph.D. from the School of Economics, Nagoya University. Her research interest includes international economics and regional economics. In recent research she focuses on the empirical research on international trade and the activities of multinational enterprises. She also has an interest in the regional economies of Osaka/Kansai and Sweden.