This is the 17th year that UOG’s SBPA leadership organized the annual international conference with Nagoya University, 16th-year partner; Osaka Metropolitan University, sixth-year partner; and Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, 11th-year partner.

The conference brought together more than 80 scholars from 32 universities in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Philippines, China, and Guam. 

The first day was held on March 13 as an in-person conference at satellite venues in Nagoya, Osaka, and Tokyo while also allowing for virtual participation. 

The second day was held on March 17 at the Westin Resort Guam in Tumon where virtual participation also took place.

Both days of the conference opened with remarks by UOG Senior Vice President and Provost Dr. Anita Borja Enriquez, SBPA Interim Dean and professor of economics Dr. Roseann Jones, and conference co-chair and UOG professor of economics Dr. Claret Ruane.

“SBPA students displayed professionalism – they persevered, they presented, and they represented SBPA well. I am proud of our students and of our faculty mentors who have demonstrated unassailable support for student admission into the world of academic scholarship with bright minds sharing informed perspectives,” according to Dr. Jones.

Conference co-chairs and administrators from partner universities in Japan also gave their welcoming remarks.

On the first day, SBPA faculty Leila Kabigting, chair of the Business Administrator Division Professional Master of Business Administration (PMBA) program, chaired the Tokyo satellite venue. Joann Diego, assistant professor of human resource management, co-chaired the Nagoya venue with Dr. Akihiro Noguchi of Nagoya University. Ruane co-chaired the Osaka satellite venue with Mineo Tsuji of Osaka Metropolitan University. Undergraduate students Denzyl Ngiralmau, Jamie Freitas and Thor Hauerbach from UOG and Yoka Kohara from Osaka Prefecture University assisted in each satellite.

On the second day, SBPA faculty Kenneth Choie, professor of practice in business, and Corey Ross, assistant professor of marketing, served as session chairs.

The annual conference contributed to UOG’s Para Hulo’ goal of leading as a partnership university. It also strengthens UOG’s Memorandum of Understanding for academic exchange with Osaka Metropolitan University and research collaboration agreement with Nagoya University.

This year’s ICBEIT was co-sponsored by the Omicron Delta Epsilon International Honor Society for Economics-UOG Chapter and the Society of Economics at the Osaka Prefecture University. Other sponsors included Triton Investment, a student-managed investment fund at UOG and Fair Smile, a student organization at Kobe Gakuin University that advocates for fair trade.

Research presentations included:

Topic: Oceans of energy within Micronesia adult learners in education: University of Guam partnerships within Micronesia and the Western Pacific

• Dr. Joann C.E. Diego, Assistant Professor of Human Resource Management, UOG-SBPA
• Dr. Jackysha N. Green, Assistant Professor of Elementary Education, UOG-SOE

Topic: Tax morale of Japanese taxpayers 

• Dr. Martha Suez-Sales, Associate Professor of Accounting, UOG-SBPA
• Dr. Katsuyoshi Okabe, Kyushu Kyoritsu University

Topic: Accounting education in English as a foreign language for instructors and students: Final report

• Dr. Suez-Sales 
• Dr. Akihiro Noguchi, Nagoya University 

Topic: Analysis of Financial Statements of SMEs during the COVID-19 pandemic

• Dr. Suez-Sales 
• Dr. Okabe 

Topic: A study on the student-management investment fund at the University of Guam

• Dr. Kabigting 
• Mr. Hauerbach 

Topic: Guam’s financial performance before and after the pandemic

• Dr. Doreen Crisostomo-Muña, Professor of Accounting, UOG-SBPA
• Sheena Miranda, Accounting Undergraduate Student, UOG-SBPA
• Dona Silang, Accounting Undergraduate Student, UOG-SBPA

Topic: Implementing a wellness plan into an organizational HR strategy utilizing the six dimensions of wellness

• Undergraduate students in Business Administration-Human Resource Management Denzyl Ngiralmau, and Jamie Freitas, mentored by Dr. Diego

Topic: The effects of contract liability recognition regarding stored value cards and loyalty programs on revenues

• Undergraduate students in Accounting Wella De Dios, Paula Regine Gozon, and Solmars Torcelino, mentored by Dr. Suez-Sales

Topic: Doing business in Mexico: The case of Hyundai

• Undergraduate students in Business Administration Michael Andrada, Heidee Bacani, Katherine Navato, Angelia Piper, William Romero, and Donovan Sova, mentored by Dr. Kabigting.

Topic: Doing business in Japan: The case of Costco

• Undergraduate students in Business Administration Lewis Billimon, Jhenela Esguerra, Diane Salvador, Sean Cyril Solangon. and Darnel Taman, mentored by Dr. Kabigting.

Topic: Palau’s decisions and land tenure: A unified global identity?

• Grace C. Donaldson, Master of Public Administration alumna and current Ph.D. Student in International Affairs at Ritsumeikan University

Topic: Rooting resiliency: Surveying farmers in the Western Pacific Region

• Elvira Gisog, Extension Assistant II, UOG-CNAS
• Mary Catherine Wiley, UOG-CNAS
• Dr. Kuan-Ju Chen, Assistant Professor of Agricultural Economics, UOG-CNAS
• Dr. Tim C. Dela Cruz, Assistant Professor of Family & Consumer Sciences, UOG-CNAS
• Dr. Rita Sharma, Assistant Professor of Psychology, UOG-CLASS
• Dr. KristiAnna S. Whitman, Guam Behavioral Health & Wellness Center

Topic: Information management need for non-commercial organizations

• Prof. Roland San Nicolas, Associate Professor of Library Science, UOG-RFK Library
• Dr. Kevin K.W. Ho, University of Tsukuba
• Dr. Dickson Chiu, University of Hong Kong