Biography
David A.
Ralston
The
following paragraphs present a brief overview of my professional career.
I
began my career with the International Business Machine Corporation in 1969,
where I worked in the Management Systems area.
During my nearly ten-year tenure with IBM, I acquired an MA in Economics
and began my doctoral work, which I concluded in 1981.
After
graduating in 1981 from Florida State University with my doctorate degree in OB
Management, I joined the Management Department of the University of
Connecticut. While at UConn, I initiated my planned shift in emphasis to the
field of Cross-Cultural Management, after receiving tenure. I accepted a
visiting position at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1988. A second
visiting position at the Chinese University, in conjunction with numerous trips
to Hong Kong / China and other locations in Asia, resulted in developing a
number of research colleagues from the area.
My through-time collaboration with these colleagues has lead to a number
of research publications, as well as to the development of a study-tour course,
called Experiencing Asian Business and Culture. This course is offered
annually or bi-annually, and interested students at any U.S. university may be
eligible to take this course.
In
terms of research, I had expanded these interests and collegial contacts into
both Western and Eastern Europe by the early 1990’s. More recently my research
endeavors have expanded to include Latin America. A number of these international colleagues with whom I have and
do work are doctoral students or beginning faculty members. Thus, my research
collaboration has given me the opportunity to work in both a mentoring and
collegial capacity. Also, while my
collegial and research contacts span the globe, I am always interested in
meeting and talking with new individuals about potential future collaborative
efforts.
During
the decade of the ‘90s, I have also had the opportunity to present a number of
“International External and Management Development Programs” that are in
conjunction with my cross-cultural research interests. Some of these programs are identified in the
section of that title. Additionally, during this period, I worked as a member
of the team that brought a CIBER grant to the University of Connecticut and
served as a Project Director for the UConn CIBER program. I have also been active as a reviewer and
participant for the Academy of International Business and the Academy of
Management conferences, as well as several other conferences. Likewise, I contribute as an ad hoc reviewer for a variety of
management and international journals, and I currently serves on the Editorial
boards for the Journal of International
Business Studies, Journal of World Business, and Asia-Pacific Journal of Management. Over the past year I have also
been serving as a Guest Editor for the JIBS
symposium titled, “Partnership of Ideas for the New Millennium: The Reciprocal
Impact that Developing and Developed Economies Have on the Future of Business.”
At
the conclusion of the 1998-99 academic year, I resigned my position at the
University of Connecticut to join the University of Oklahoma faculty as
Professor and Michael F. Price Chair in International Business in June 1999.
Since then, I have been working with the International Relations Program and
The Price College of Business to develop our International Management program
that is being offered at our Tulsa campus.
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