SECOND INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE
Knowledge Management • Beirut, June 2-3, 2000

Five keynote speakers are invited from abroad:

Dr. Rolf Wigand (USA) is a professor in the School of Information Studies and Director of the Center for Digital Commerce at Syracuse University, New York. He is former director of the Graduate Program in Information Resources Management and an internationally known researcher, consultant and speaker on electronic commerce and e-business, electronic markets, information management, information policy, and telecommunications. His research interests lie at the intersection of information and communication business issues, the role of newer information technologies and public policy.

Wigand researches electronic markets, disintermediation and the impact of digital commerce technologies on firms, markets and professions. He has recently studied the digital commerce transformation of industries (e.g. the real estate industry) and has developed new business models and strategies that successful firms pursue within the field of digital commerce.

Wigand has taught in several universities in the US, Mexico and Germany. He has been consultant to corporations such as IBM, Carrier, Corning, AT&T, Motorola, Ford, and others. He is the author of three books and over 90 articles, book chapters and monographs. His most recent book – which was translated to Japanese and German – is Information, Organization and Management: Expanding Markets and Corporate Boundaries. Wigand holds several editorial positions as well.

His presentation is titled: "Knowledge Management in an e-Business World."

Dr. Joseph V. Julian (USA) is the Chairman of the Joint Eastern Europe Center for Democratic Education and Governance. He was also Vice President for Public Affairs at Syracuse University. He is a known international researcher and speaker in areas of civic competence. He has spoken about civic purposes of education, democratic values and school curriculum, government and citizen participation, democratic institution building in Central and Eastern Europe, economic reform and civil society, political theory, constitutional law and civil liberties, administrative law, jurisprudence, and judicial policy making.

Julian has taught in the U.S. and Russia and has written multiple articles, book reviews, and manuscripts. He is a member of several professional associations including the Council for Advancement of Citizenship (Board of Directors), Kettering Foundation, American Political Science Association, The New York State Political Science Association, and the Study Circles International (Board of Directors).

His presentation is titled: "The Knowledge Economy: Who is in Charge?"

Dr. Piero Formica (Italy) is an economist, former member of the Economic Prospects Division OECD Paris, He is also director of the initiative "International University for Entrepreneurship" and professor of Economics of Innovation and Business Policy at the post-graduate course of corporate business, University of Bologna-Italy. He has been visiting professor at the Curtin Business School, Curtin University of Technology (Perth).

Formica is an expert on the European Union (DG XII, XII and XVI) and international adviser to the Zernike Group (the Netherlands), an international consultancy company for the commercialisation of innovation and know-how, and Telecom Italia. He is also member of the IASP (International Association of Science Parks) Scientific Committee and has acted as President of the Scientific Committee for the IASP World Conference in Bordeaux 1994, Rio de Janeiro 1996, and in Perth 1998.
He is partner of the Knowledge Management Entovation Network and of SPICE, an international network of Science Parks and Incubators experts. Economic journalist for the major Italian newspapers (Il Sole-24 Ore, Corriere della Sera, Repubblica) and writer, among his works in the field of business strategy and management of innovation: TECNOPOLI - Luoghi e sentieri dell'innovazione, ISEDI, Torino 1991; MUTANTI AZIENDALI - Imprese, centri di innovazione e parchi scientifici nell'era tecnopolitana, CUEN, Napoli 1994; The Economics of Science Parks (edited with Mauricio Guedes), IASP- ANPROTEC- AURRP, Rio de Janeiro, 1996; INNOVATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - University-Enterprise Partnerships in Action (edited with Jay Mitra), Oak Tree Press, Dublin-London 1997; Delivering Innovation- Key Lessons from the World-Wide Networks of Science and Technology Parks (edited with David Taylor), IASP, Malaga 1998, Innovazione in salsa bolognese, Editrice Compositori, Bologna, 1999.

His presentation is titled: "Market Creation in the Dotcom Economy".

Dr. Sami’ Al-Banna is the chief architect and director of strategy of the CSC’s Knowledge Program (CKP). CSC is a $10 billion global IT service of 60,000 professionals in over 700 offices worldwide. The Knowledge Program integrates knowledge management practices and services; cultural and organizational change; and, acceleration and leveraging of innovations. Al-Banna has over 30 years of experience in computer science, management consulting, and systems engineering. He specializes in business knowledge strategy, knowledge systems, and systems architecture.

Al-Banna has served as senior program manager of the Technology Services Group of Andersen Consulting. He has also been technical director of Yourdon Group. Before that, he served for eight years as a senior advisor to the UN Headquarters on information systems as enablers of social and economic development, reaching 28 countries. Before the UN, he served for seven years as a management consultant and transfer of technology specialist with Team Int’l in the Middle East and Africa.

Early in his career, Al-Banna served for 10 years as a faculty member of the School of Engineering, Columbia University, New York, doing teaching and research in applied mathematics, computer science, and automated engineering design methods.

His presentation is titled: "Implementing a Successful Knowledge Management Program."

Dr. Claudia Lux (Germany) is director general of the Central and Regional Library of Berlin, Germany. She is the past director of the State Library of Berlin, and was a Scientific Librarian in the same library, in charge of the East Asia collection. She had an extensive academic preparation in Social Science, Economics and Sinology at Universities of Berlin, Bochum, Lawrence, USA, and Beijing, China. This fact coupled with her professional experience prepared her to become a well-known speaker, researcher and consultant. She is well versed in topics such as: Efficiency and financing of libraries, fees and charges, management strategies, change management, knowledge management, and staff development. She is also a consultant in areas of high interest to organizations such as, organizational structure, library automation, new technologies, retro-cataloguing, grey literature and global media development, projects for digitalization, virtual libraries, cooperation between small and large libraries, cooperation between archive, library, documentation and virtual information agencies.

Lux holds responsibilities in various organisms: German Libraries Association executive board (Deutscher Bibliotheksverband), Board of Library and Information of Goethe Institute, Standing Committee of Management and Marketing in IFLA, Executive Board of the International Federation of Libraries Associations and Institutions, Editorial board of the library journal "Bibliothek, Forschung und Praxis"

Her presentation is titled: "Knowledge Management between Local Need and Global Info."