Last modified: Tuesday, September 4, 2007
IU to present China business expert in Indianapolis and Bloomington this Friday
Kapp led the U.S.-China Business Council from 1994 to 2004
Robert Kapp
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 4, 2007
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Business professionals, economic leaders, scholars and students in Indianapolis and Bloomington will have an opportunity Friday (Sept. 7) to hear from one of the nation's leading experts on China at events in both cities.
From 1994 to 2004, Robert Kapp was president of the U.S.-China Business Council, the leading business association representing American industry in the People's Republic of China. Today, he heads Robert A. Kapp and Associates, a consulting firm for companies pursuing business development with and in China.
Kapp's visit is sponsored by the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) in IU's Kelley School of Business and the newly created Research Center for Chinese Politics and Business (RCCPB) in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures.
In Indianapolis, Kapp will speak at a luncheon on the subject, "Will U.S.-China Relations Survive an American Election Season?" The event will begin at 11:30 a.m. in the ballroom of the University Place Conference Center, 850 W. Michigan St. Registration for the lunch, $40 for the general public and $25 for IU faculty and students, can be done through CIBER's Web site at https://www.kelley.iu.edu/ciber/eventitem.cfm?ID=149. For further assistance, call 812-855-0056.
Later in Bloomington, Kapp will speak at the inaugural event of the Research Center for Chinese Politics and Business on the topic, "Then and Now: Some Longer-Term Perspectives on Politics and Business in China Today." The free event will begin at 4 p.m. in the Persimmon Room of the Indiana Memorial Union, 900 E. Seventh St. More information about this event is available at https://www.indiana.edu/~rccpb/Events_Colloquium Series.html.
"Just like every other state in the country, Indiana's exports and imports with China have grown over the past few years and China is probably the fastest growing export market for products from Indiana, both agricultural and manufacturing," said Scott Kennedy, director of the Research Center for Chinese Politics and Business and an associate professor in the departments of East Asian Languages & Cultures and Political Science. "The purpose of our new center is to promote research that is at the crossroads of politics and business in China, something that Dr. Kapp has deep knowledge of."
"Having access to experts who can share first-hand experience and long-term insight is critical for Indianapolis businesses' interested in growing their global presence," added Barbara Flynn, professor of operations management at Kelley-Indianapolis and the CIBER's director. "One of our key goals for the IU Center for International Business Education and Research is to become a key conduit in sharing this type of actionable and timely information."
Kapp has been widely recognized in the United States and China as a leader in the effort to sustain strong, mutually respectful relations between the two nations. His work also led him to the field of corporate social responsibility, and he was the initiator of The U.S.-China Legal Cooperation Fund -- a corporate-supported program bringing assistance to worthy bi-national projects in the area of development of China's legal system.
He also serves as senior China advisor to Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis LLP, a global law firm with more than 20 offices in North America, Europe and Asia. He also is a senior advisor to Monitor Group and a China program advisor for the Asia Foundation, a respected nongovernmental organization headquartered in San Francisco.
