Marquette Marketing Professor Named Fulbright Scholar Released: July 12, 2006 Dr. Syed H. Akhter, professor and chair of marketing at Marquette University, has been named a Fulbright Scholar for the fall semester to study the effects of globalization on Caribbean businesses. Starting in September, Akhter will spend three months based in the Department of Management Studies at the Cave Hill campus of the University of the West Indies in Barbados. Akhter will examine how the entry of foreign-based firms has affected the competitive position of local firms, how local businesses have responded, and what Caribbean firms can do to improve their competitive positions both domestically and internationally. The small size of Caribbean countries make them ideal candidates for studying the effects of globalization on the performance of small firms, according to Akhter, research that can then be extended to the experiences of small economies around the world. Akhter’s research interests include globalization, foreign market entry strategies, e-commerce, and consumer psychology. He has published in leading international business and marketing journals including the Journal of International Business Studies, the European Journal of Marketing, the International Trade Journal, Business Horizons, the Journal of Direct Marketing, and the Journal of Advertising. Akhter has published two books, Global Marketing: Concepts, Strategies and Practices (Cincinnati: South-Western College, 1994) and Strategic Marketing (Cincinnati: Atomic Dog Pub., 2006) and has guest edited special issues of the Journal of Direct Marketing on international direct marketing and a special issue of the Journal of Interactive Marketing on international interactive marketing. Akhter also serves as a consultant and conducts global marketing and strategic planning seminars internationally. Since 1952, Marquette has had 74 Fulbright Scholars, including this year’s recipients.  The traditional Fulbright Scholar Program sends 800 U.S. faculty and professionals abroad each year. Grantees lecture and conduct research in a wide variety of academic and professional fields.  Dr. Stephen Heinrich, director of graduate studies in the College of Engineering at Marquette, has also been given a Fulbright Scholarship for the upcoming school year. Akhter received his M.B.A. with a concentration in marketing from Western Illinois University in Macomb and after two years of teaching, joined Marquette as an instructor in 1979. He then earned his Ph.D. in business administration from the University of Oklahoma in Norman and returned to Marquette in 1985.   Office of Marketing and Communication Contacts Anne Broeker Senior Media Relations Specialist Phone: (414) 288-0286 Send e-mail