IMPORTANT LINKS
Suriname Visa Application Procedures
Objective
The 17th World Business Congress of the International Management Development Association (IMDA) will be held in Paramaribo, Suriname from June 18-22, 2008, and is organized and hosted jointly by FHR Lim A Po School of Management in partnership with Maastricht School of Management (MSM). Scholarly papers, panel/special session proposals, and case study exercises for presentation and subsequent publication in the refereed congress proceedings are invited. In addition to sharing scholarship regarding global business issues, the congress offers an excellent opportunity to meet colleagues from around the world and exchange of information and ideas on a variety of global business topics.
Venue
Paramaribo is the capital city of the Republic
of Suriname, a former Dutch colony situated on the mainland of South America
just north of the Equator. The country is bordered in the South by Brazil,
in the north by the Atlantic Ocean, in the east by French Guyana and in the
west by Guyana. The name of the capital city, Paramaribo, stems from
‘Pamurbo’ , the name of an indigenous village dating back to the seventeenth
century. Paramaribo is an attractive city with few high -rises but with many
colonial style buildings, distinguishing the historic city center. In 2002,
because of its historical importance, the UN Cultural Organization (UNESCO),
placed the inner city of Paramaribo on the World Heritage List.
Suriname, formerly Dutch Guyana, became independent in November 1975. The
country name Suriname, is probably derived from the word ‘Surinen’, the name
of an Amer-Indian tribe which once lived in all three Guyanas. Suriname is a
democratic republic headed by a President. The National assembly has 51
Parliamentarians. The official language is Dutch, with the colloquial
language ‘Sranan Tongo’ as the ‘lingua franca’ and with words originally
from Africa, Portuguese, English and Dutch. Other recognized languages are
Sarnami – a Surinamese variant of Hindi, Javanese, Chinese, Maroons and
original languages of the indigenous people. Suriname became a full member
of Caricom, a regional integration movement in 1995. Suriname has
approximately half a million inhabitants, composed of different ethnic
backgrounds. Creoles (of African descent), Hindustani (of Indian descent),
Javanese ( originally from Indonesia/Java) , Chinese, Jews, Lebanese and
Europeans and later immigrants from Guyana, Haiti and Brazil are all part of
‘the melting pot’ of Suriname.
The country has a surface of approximately 164.000 sq.kms. A large part of
the country is covered by pristine tropical rain forest. In 2000, the
‘Central Suriname Nature Reserve’, comprised of 1.6 million hectar s of
primary tropical forest of west-central Suriname, has been added to the
World Heritage List of UNESCO by the World Heritage Commission. This
‘Reserve’ protects the upper watershed of the Coppename River , one of the
many big rivers in Suriname, running through untouched forests. This region
contains diverse aquatic and terrestrial ecological communities and is a
tropical wilderness area, considered to be one of the most pristine tropical
areas left in the world.
Preparations are well underway what seems to be an outstanding 16th World
Business Congress. Our colleagues at Maastricht School of Management (MsM)-
our host institution is doing an outstanding job in organizing the Congress.
At this stage, some of the highlights are as follows:
ANNUAL YEARBOOK
The Congress proceedings are published in a refereed yearbook made available after the Congress in Paramaribo, Suriname. IMDA Annual Yearbook is listed in Cabell’s Directory 10th edition. It is also intended that selected papers from the Congress proceedings will be published in a hardbound book form after the Congress. Papers selected to receive the Congress Best Paper Awards will be published in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Transnational Management (JTM) – a quarterly publication of the IMDA.
PROGRAM
Business people, public policy makers, consultants, and academics can choose from a wide range of topics within global business development. The Congress offers keynote addresses, formal paper symposia, case study presentations, special sessions, such as "Meet the Editors," and an industry leadership and public policy makers panel discussions as well as a Doctoral Research Seminar. Paid tours to a number of interesting sites in the close vicinity of Paramaribo will be available for Congress participants. A city of Paramaribo tour, spouses’ programs, a visit to tropical forest, a dinner party, and many other exciting social functions are planned as part of the Congress Program. To celebrate the academic and collegial successes of the Congress, a banquet dinner will also be held on Friday evening of June 20th, 2008.
REGISTRATION
Early registration must be received by May 1, 2008. The early registration fee is US$400 per person, which includes membership dues for 2008-2009. Full-time student registration fee is US$250 with a proper student ID and includes a subscription to the Association’s Journal of Transnational Management and the IMDA membership for 2008-2009. Late registration fees are US$100 above the early registration rate. Delegates who register at the Congress site are expected to pay an additional late fee of $50. The registration fee includes the receptions, Congress banquet, all social functions, all coffee breaks, and a copy of the congress proceedings CD (there is an extra charge for a copy of the hardbound version of the proceedings) and the program. Non‑Congress session attending spouses’ early registration fee is US$125 and late registration fee is US$150. For this fee, spouses may participate in all of the receptions, functions, congress banquet, and social events. It does not allow attendance at congress sessions. Once papers have been accepted and registered in the congress program or a delegate’s name has been listed in the program, registration fees are non‑refundable but substitute persons may attend instead in an emergency. Absolutely, no refunds are granted for non-attendance to the congress.
To register, complete the attached registration form and submit it with your Congress registration fee to Executive V.P. & Director, International Management Development Association, P.O. Box 216, Hummelstown, PA 17036, USA. Please make check, money order, or travellers’ check payable to International Management Development Association (IMDA) drawn in U.S. dollars. Please make it sure that your check contains micro‑encoded banking information, including the ABA routing number at the bottom of the check. If paying by Master Card or Visa, provide your credit card number and date of expiration. Please be advised that there is a charge of US$50 for non‑U.S. issued bank drafts or checks. To avoid processing charges, IMDA recommends payment by money order or credit card. If a third party credit card is used, credit card holder’s signature as well as his/her consensus is requested. This letter of authorization must be attached to the registration form.
TOPICS
Each paper submitted for consideration should have a global/international orientation and must be scholarly in content. Manuscripts submitted must be complete papers, ready for blind review, to be included in the congress proceedings. A work-in-progress may be reviewed and considered for presentation, included in the program even though not published in the Congress proceedings. Manuscripts should be submitted to the appropriate track co-chair by March 15th, 2008 in a form outlined in the Call for Papers (http://www.imda.cc ) .
SPECIAL SESSIONS AND PANELS
Proposals for special sessions and/or panels are invited and must include: a) a short summary of the issues to be discussed, b) rationale for inclusion of the topic in a special session/panel, c) names, addresses, and qualifications of participants, and d) a letter indicating that session/panel participants' approval has been obtained. Special session/panel presentation papers will not be published in the congress proceedings unless they go through the usual blind review process. Submit your proposals by March 15, 2008 to Dr. Richard Nelson, Manship School of Mass Communication, Louisiana State University, 220 Johnson Hall, Fieldhouse Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-7202, USA, Tel: (225) 578-6686, Fax: (225) 578-2125, E-mail: rnelson@lsu.edu
IMDA OUTSTANDING INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR AWARD
One award is made each year to an international businessperson who is widely recognized as having made outstanding contributions to international business practice or policy in the region or country in which the Congress is held. A nomination letter outlining the qualifications of the nominee should be sent electronically only by May 1, 2008, to Hans R. Lim A Po, LLM, Dean-Director, FHR Lim A Po Institute for Social Studies, 3, 8-10 Lim A Po Street, Paramaribo, Suriname, Tel: +597-422524, Fax: +597-422567, E-mail: hanslimapo@fhrinstitute.org or Dr. Ronald S.J. Tuninga, Director Dean, Maastricht School of Management, Endepolsdomein 150, 6229 EP Maastricht, The Netherlands, Tel: +31-43-3870820, Fax: +31-43-3617237, E-mail: tuninga@msm.nl
The awardee will be expected to make a presentation to the congress on international business issues. Selection will be made by IMDA’s Executive Board.
Click here for Call for Papers
Hotel Booking Notice
The congress hotels are Torarica Hotel & Casino and its annex Eco Resort Inn.
Torarica Hotel & Casino is an upscale, well-established 4 star resort hotel located in Paramaribo. The hotel is situated along the Suriname River and with its Royal Conference Hall, it constitutes a perfect location for international conferences. The hotel is within walking distance from the beautiful Palm Tree Garden and the “Waterkant” right next to the old Fortress Zeelandia. A ten minutes walk takes you into the downtown area (Unesco World Heritage list - symmetry in wood). Torarica Hotel & Casino offers 132 rooms with TV, WIFI, telephone with direct, local and international connection, air-conditioning, safety deposit box, hairdryer, iron and board, 110 volts, drink set-up and a fruit platter upon arrival. Its tropical garden, outdoors tennis courts, sauna and jacuzzi are all there for you to enjoy. A jetty overlooking the river enables you to watch a tropical sunset.
Torarica Hotel & Casino standard room is US$ 120.00* and executive room rate is US$ 148.00.
Eco Resort Inn is the perfect combination of architectural history and natural comfort in Suriname. This 3 star hotel, also located along the Suriname River, is in walking distance from the historical center of Paramaribo and the entertainment area with many restaurants, bars and terraces. The hotel features 122 rooms, a bar, a Riverside cabana, a terrace, a tropical garden, free car parking and a 24 hours check-in service. Eco Resort Inn, the annex, is a 3 minutes walk away from the main hotel.
Eco Resort Inn: standard room US$ 73.00* and executive room US$ 78.00.
The Congress rates are valid for the days before and after the Congress. Rooms are offered on a first come first served basis at these rates only through June 1st, 2008. All room rates are on the basis of single or double (max. 2persons) occupancy and include taxes, breakfast, free use of all facilities and free bus transportation from and to the international airport. All resort facilities of Torarica Hotel & Casino are available to guests of Eco Resort Inn, free of charge. For direct bookings or reservations, indicate ‘IMDA CONGRESS 2008’ : Torarica Hotel & Casino, Attn. Claire Antonius, Marketing & Sales, Email : c.antonius@torarica.com or marketing@torarica.com Website : www.torarica.com Tel: +597-471500 ext.5385, Fax : +597-421618, +597 - 8807706
Planned OPTIONAL TOUR
Suriname offers attractive eco - and nature tours to the interior, ranging from one - to ten days. Participants interested in these tours should access www.surinametravel.com, which is the website of the designated Conference Tour Operator - Access Suriname Travel.
Email : access-travel@cq-link.sr Tel/fax : +597-424522
