Adams Presents at Prestigious Fuji Institute Conference

SALISBURY, MD---Dr. Stephen B. Adams, assistant professor of management in the Franklin P. Perdue School of Business, recently attended the 28th International Conference on Business History at the Fuji Institute for Training and Education at Susono-shi, Shizuoka Prefecture, at the base of Mt. Fuji.

This invitation-only conference featured only six participants, including Adams, from universities outside Japan.  This year’s theme was “The Global Development of Telecommunications Industry: Networks and Equipment Businesses, 1900-1950.”  Therefore, invitations went to authors of prominent books involving telecommunications. 

The conference featured 11 research papers that dealt with the national experiences of Denmark, The United Kingdom, Germany, France, the United States, China and Japan.  Adams presented a paper titled “Department Store of Electrical Apparatus’: The Abandoned Path of the Bell System’s Manufacturer, 1882-1925” that explored aspects of the American experience.  All participants spoke English but two translators were present to assist with the difficult and specific terminology involved.  All of the conference papers will be published in an English language book. 

The secluded facility allowed the participants to spend much time together.  All meals, for example, were eaten together in a separate dining room with a view of Mt. Fuji.  At night, a bar downstairs provided an atmosphere for more relaxed international conversation.

“It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Adams.

And indeed it was.  No individual may be invited to the conference more than once. For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU Web site at www.salisbury.edu. "