The College of Business Administration is proud of its support of the Pan-Pacific Business Association (PPBA) since it emerged from two US.-Japan Business Conferences held at the University of Nebraska in 1981 and Tokyo, Japan in 1983. These conferences led to the formation of the PPBA in 1984 with the first PPBA Conference being held in Hawaii that same year.

The basic goal of PPBA is to provide a forum for scholars, executives, and government officials from Pacific-Rim countries to discuss important issues relating to a better quality of life in this region. Emphasis has been placed on more effective utilization of human resources, technology, and multilateral economic activities across borders.

The primary focus of PPBA has been its annual international conference which usually attracts 500 participants from more than 30 countries. The conferences have been held in such locations as Hawaii, Malaysia, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Australia, China, Malaysia, Canada, Thailand, New Zealand, Japan, Fiji, and Chile. PPBA publishes its annual conference papers in its Proceedings.

Objectives of PPBA:

• To provide management scholars, executive, and government officials from the Pacific countries an opportunity to discuss industrial and trade policies of their respective countries.
• To help management scholars and practitioners assess the adaptability of various new management approaches to their own business environments. Emphasis is placed on networked organizations, e-globalization, productivity improvement, total quality management, employee empowerment, modern technology-based management systems, and world-class organizations.
• To help business practitioners and scholars gain an understanding of the socio-cultural background of the economies and businesses in various Pacific countries.
• To facilitate the development of research and the exchange of ideas for promoting international economic activities in the Pacific region.
• To assist in the establishment of export education programs through cooperative arrangements with regional and world trade center sand bilateral and multilateral trade associations.

For information on PPBA, please contact the president of the association, Dr. Sang Lee, at:

Nebraskans lead charge in Pan-Pacific Conference - Featured in the October 18, 2001 Scarlet Newspaper