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The Southeast Asia chapter of the Academy of International Business organized its 2001 Annual Chapter Conference with good attendance. For the year of 2002, the regional Conference will be held in Shanghai, China, and there are several new initiatives under consideration. This brief report summarizes these activities and projects:

1. Conference Report 2001
   The political tensions surrounding the Indonesian Presidency notwithstanding, the AIBSEAR 2001 conference went ahead calmly and professionally during 4-6 July in Jakarta's Kempinski Hotel. The Graduate Programs of Universitas Indonesia and the University of Wollongong hosted the conference. Sponsors of the conference include the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce, and Industry, Prasetiya Mulya Business School and the Association of Small Business Consultants of Indonesia. Professor Tim Turpin (Acting Chapter Chair) and Professor Wahyuning Ramelan (Indonesia) presided at the conference opening ceremony.

   The theme of the conference was Business Alliances for Knowledge and Development: inter-firm, inter-sectoral and cross-cultural challenges in the Asia Pacific. Over one hundred participants attended the conference, with 54 from overseas, 52 from Indonesia, and three invited speakers. The international participants were almost exclusively academics while the local Indonesians included academics, business executives and students. The conference ran over 3 days with four concurrent sessions, including a site visit to Texmaco Industrial Complex on the last day for all international participants. Proceedings of the Conference in CD format with an IBSN number: 086418 6525 were distributed to participants.

2. Next Year's Conference
   The 2002 AIB Southeast Asia Regional Conference with the theme: WTO and Global Competition: A New Era for International Business, will be held on July 18-20, 2002 in Shanghai, China. The 2002 Academy of International Business Southeast Asia and Australia Regional Conference is co-hosted by the Hong Kong Institute of Business Studies, Lingnan University, Hong Kong and Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.

3. New Initiatives
   The establishment of a formal communication channel between the chapter and its members is on top of our priority list. Thus, a newsletter with Chapter news as well as research notes is being planned for launching in March 2002. With China's pending accession to the WTO, there should be a lot more international business activities coming from countries in the region. With the existing AIB membership in Southeast Asia and Australia approaching 250, we are targeting for a membership drive to bring the number to 300. A proposal will be presented to the AIB Executive Board for renaming the Chapter as the Southeast Asia and Australia Chapter.

4. Financial Position
   With the US$300 surplus carried from last year, we expect to have a balanced budget for the year 2002. Lingnan University will provide limited support for printing, copying, and mailing costs.

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