FROM THE EDITOR

TERRY R. RAKES, Decision Line Editor Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Aloha!

As the annual meeting approaches, I hope you are all as excited as I am about the exotic location and the terrific program that Mike Showalter and the Program Committee have developed for us. I also hope that you have taken advantage of the availability of the conference program on Internet (see the Editor's Column, , July 1994). The program has been updated since the preliminary program was printed in July. Given our keyword search capabilities and the location feature in Internet, on-line access makes for a very efficient way to browse the program.

With the approach of the annual meeting, I would like to take this opportunity to share with you the reservation process for meal functions at the meeting. The Institute's Board of Directors has asked that I remind everyone of this process in an attempt to avoid any potential dissatisfaction. Larry Ritzman gave an explanation of the problem in his President's Letter in the March 1994 issue of .

When people pre-register . . . for the conference, they indicate whether they will attend the luncheon. As the meeting approaches, many change their minds because of airline reservations, or even because of the weather on the day of the luncheon. History shows that anywhere from 40 to 91 percent of the people who say they will attend the luncheon actually do so. For the San Francisco meeting, 877 people said that they would attend. We committeed to the hotel for 625 meals, but only 385 people actually ate a meal. The result was that the Institute was charged $25 for each of the 240 meals not eaten, for a total loss of $6,000. If we had committed for all 877 meals, the loss would have been even larger at $12,300. We are not good stewards for the membership if we allow such waste, and seek that illusive middle ground where everyone gets served without too many wasted meals.

While Larry's comments focused on the luncheon, the same problem exists for the meeting breakfast. The Institute must attempt to estimate what percentage of those who initially plan to attend a meal function will actually do so, and must inform the hotel staff of this days in advance of the meal.

In spite of the difficulties in estimating attendance, the Institute has done an excellent job in the past of balancing member satisfaction and member service against waste. It is, however, almost inevitable that we will find ourselves in a shortage situation at some time in the future. If this happens to you, I would ask that you be patient and understanding.

While choosing to miss a meal function does not entitle you to a refund, if you're present at the meal function and have to be turned away at the door because of a seating shortage, you will be reimbursed. As always, being prompt for the meal function increases your chances of getting a good seat. But if you cannot be seated, please tell one of the staff and they will help you.

Turning our attention back to the newsletter, I am pleased to announce that in the near future we will be initiating a new feature column on international issues. This column will serve not only as a forum for important issues related to the international aspects of business and business education, but will also serve as an information conduit to keep you abreast of the international activities of the Institute.

I am especially pleased to announce that Bob Markland (University of South Carolina) has agreed to be the feature editor of this new column. Bob has served the Institute in many capacities, including program chair, journal editor, and president, and he is also well-versed in international issues that affect the Institute. He has traveled and lectured abroad extensively, served as program co-chair for our very successful Korea meeting, and has long been a strong advocate for internationalization of the Institute. If you have ideas or would like to volunteer to write something for the new column, I'm sure Bob would be most happy to hear from you.

Recently, Hal Jacobs ( Managing Editor) and I have been having conversations about the label "newsletter" for . While a rose by any other name smells the same, we all know that labels can have a big impact on marketing and image. As we promote ourselves to the world outside the Institute and follow the concept of continuous improvement of , we wonder if a change in labeling from "newsletter" to "magazine" might be warranted. This is an internal discussion that is most unofficial, but since it affects your "newsletter," I would welcome your opinion. If you have one, feel free to send an e-mail to either Hal (dsihhj@gsusgi2.gsu.edu) or me (trrakes@vtvm1.cc.vt.edu). Aloha!