Some of the world's top management researchers listen intently to a presentation at the Atlanta Competitive Advantage Conference. July 7, 2009 - (ATLANTA) - The Department of Managerial Sciences and the Robinson College of Business was a lead sponsor of the sixth annual Atlanta Competitive Advantage Conference held recently at various venues in Atlanta including Robinson's Executive Education Center in Buckhead. The event brought together some of the world's top management researchers to share cutting-edge ideas, foster collaborative research efforts and  build a worldwide network of researchers dedicated to advancing the state of knowledge about competitive advantage. Bill Bogner, associate professor in the Department of Managerial Sciences at the Robinson College, was again one of ACACs lead coordinators. The conference was also sponsored by the college's Herman J. Russell Sr. International Center for Entrepreneurship, Emory's Goizueta Business School, Georgia Tech College of Management, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and Beckmill Research. Other Robinson faculty on the Conference Coordinating Committee were Asli and Ilgaz Arikan, both associate professors in the Managerial Sciences Department; Greg Henley, Director of the Herman J. Russell Center For Entrepreneurship; and Robinson Associate Dean Irene Duhaime. Again this year Robinson sponsored a reception and dinner at the Executive Education Center for conference attendees. The dinner featured remarks by Dean H. Fenwick Huss and a presentation by renowned management expert Jay Barney of the Ohio State University, who spoke on the potential of strategic management models and frameworks when applied to public policy issues ranging from local schools to development programs in emerging economies. This was the sixth annual conference and the sixth time the Robinson College has been a sponsor of the event.

The largest business school in the South and part of a major research institution, the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University is located in Atlanta, an epicenter of business and a gateway to the world. With programs on four continents and students from 150 countries, the college is both worldwide and world class. Its part-time MBA program is ranked number seven in the nation and has been in the top 10 for 14 consecutive years. The college has 200 faculty, 7,400 students and 65,000 alumni. Noted for an emphasis on educating leaders, the Robinson College of Business and Georgia State University have produced more of Georgia's top executives with graduate degrees than any other school in the nation.