The GMRG 2004 meeting in Marmaris and Istanbul was just marvelous. In Marmaris we enjoyed the deep blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea on a boat trip. This included stopping at small unpopulated bays for dipping in the sea, occasionally swimming into barely illuminated caves, rock climbing (and jumping from them), and even an additional “banana boat ride” – see picture of the banana!”. Nights were beautiful as we could see the moon over the Mediterranean from our dining table on the terrace. This is not to say that we did not have very productive business meetings in Marmaris. We made a lot of progress discussing the questionnaire.

The part of the meeting in Istanbul was even better. We had very interesting presentations and plenary sessions for discussing GMRG research and administration-related issues. We also continued to have in-depth discussions of the questionnaire. We visited the Sabanci University and also had a plant tour of Arcelik –One of Europe's leading household appliances companies: Arçelik continued its international growth with a € 1.9 billion worldwide consolidated net sales in 2003, achieving a 10% increase compared to 2002. See www.arcelik.com.tr.

We had good food - day and night and always right by the Bosphorus. We visited historical sites (the guide was excellent!) and shopped some. The highlight, however, was the last night, the boat trip on the Bosphorus – there was not a single person not-dancing on that boat by 11 pm! -- Sukran Kadipasadglu

"Most of the members left Turkey after the Istanbul meeting loaded with their purchases from the grand market. Neva and I ventured into Anatolia to spend some nights in a cave, see the sights and visit Ankara. It was a memorable visit and one we would highly recommend. The scenery is exceptional, the hikes in the valleys exhilarating, the visits to the underground cities special, the exploration of the Hittite culture tremendously enlightening and the tremendous works of Ataturk (literally - father of Turkey) inspiring. If you guessed we liked it, you are right. We are glad that we took Sukran's advice to see more of Turkey. We second her recommendation." (Text taken from the Gazette Volume 9, Number 2, October, 2004).

Click here for Sukran Kadipasadglu's Photo Gallery !!!

The Presentations

• Tüsïad -- Sabanci University Competitiveness Forum
• On Om/Manufacturing Research
• Future of Global Manufacturing
• The Efficacy of Investments in Supplier Relationship & Environmental Management
• A Global Supply Chain Study for Speciality Chemicals (Presentation not available)
• Globalising Manufacturing Research (in relation to Production Economics)
• Globalising Manufacturing Research
• Panel Discussion
• How Competitive is U.S. Manufacturing?
• Use of RFID in Shipments between Shore Base Terminals and Oil Platforms in the Gulf of Mexico
• Creating an Environment Promoting Internationalization at Kansas State University

The Activities

       Derya Kadipasadglu, Ike Ehie, Sukran Kadipasadglu                 Pavel Dimitrov, Jack Wacker and Yar Ebadi

        Yar Ebadi, Peter Pinto and Chwen Sheu                               Attila Chikan and Nat Natarajan

The Meetings