World Cup Postcard from Argentina -- 1 Month and 1 Day

On June 11, 2010, the 2010 World Cup began and that was the same day that we mailed a postcard to ourselves from Buenos Aires, Argentina, where I spoke at the ALIO-INFORMS conference.

Remember that today is July 12, 2010, the day after the ending of this World Cup in South Africa. I am pleased to report that the postcard that we sent to ourselves (since we love to track how long deliveries can take) arrived today! It took 1 month and 1 day and, strangely enough, it had a side trip to Mexico. Perhaps it was because Argentina beat Mexico in this World Cup?!

We started getting messages from relatives and friends in the past 10 days or so that our postcards to them from Buenos Aires were trickling in.

I wish that there had been a GPS tracker on this card because I am sure that the journey that it took was fascinating from a transportation point of view.

Above is what we are calling our infamous World Cup postcard. We whited out our address, which was present, so that was not the excuse for this extreme snail mail delivery.

At least it did arrive, finally!

Spain Beats Germany so It's Spain vs. The Netherlands in the 2010 World Cup Final

Germany just lost to Spain with a brilliant goal header giving Spain a win with a score of 1-0.

The final game will take place this Sunday in South Africa with The Netherlands playing Spain for the World Cup championship. This will be Spain's first World Cup final appearance.

I studied both Spanish and German so did not favor either team.

Amazing, though, to have 2 European soccer teams be the finalists of this great World Cup tournament in South Africa.

FIFA President apologizes and goal-line technology

The FIFA President, Sepp Blatter, has apologized for the refereeing calls at the 2010 World Cup, and has acknowledged that both England and Mexico were shortchanged a goal each in their elimination games recently.

We, as spectators around the world, have also been stunned by what our eyes perceived to be erroneous calls by the referees even against the United States in two games.

The idea of goal-line technology is getting increasing credence according to The New York Times. Interestingly, before this World Cup started, Blatter was adamant against video replay — and other forms of in-game technology.

“We want to keep football as a game of the people with a human face, so we don’t want technology on the field of play because we want to maintain the spontaneity of football — played, administered and controlled by human beings,” Blatter said.

Now that the 2010 World Cup has identified the top 8 remaining teams, Blatter is now quoted in The Times as saying:

“It is obvious that after the experiences so far at this World Cup,” “it would be nonsense not to reopen the file on goal-line technology.”

At least he apologized and is willing to admit the (obvious) oversights by the referees in several games.

The damage has been done but Sepp Blatter had the courage to admit that errors were made. I wish that some heads of professional and even youth sports organizations would do the same.

From the World Cup to the World Expo

After the painful loss today of the US soccer team to Ghana's at the World Cup in South Africa, resulting in the US team being eliminated, I thought that I would offer some distraction by posting the above photos taken at the World Expo which is now taking place in Shanghai, China.

But, first, I would like to congratulate the US soccer team and their coaches for their extraordinary efforts. You won the hearts of our country and we are tremendously proud of how well you played.

Congrats to Ghana for being the only African country left representing this continent at this stage of the World Cup.

The above photos were taken recently by relatives of a doctoral student of mine who visited the World Expo in Shanghai and I thank them for allowing me to share them with you. Several of my collaborators are now also in Shanghai and I hope that over the summer I will be able to post additional photos.

The first photo is of China's pavilion (and interestingly in yesterday's New York Times there was a two page photo spread and ad for this World Expo). The second one is especially lovely at night, I am told, and the color and images change. The third photo is of Estonia's pavilion. The fourth photo is of the World Exposition Museum. The fifth is an artwork with four monkeys, which is a symbol of families' happiness. The bottom photo is the Qatar pavilion.

Although China did not qualify for the World Cup I am hearing marvelous things about its World Expo.

Professors and the World Cup

Being a professor means that one has students, colleagues, and friends from around the world.

During the 2010 World Cup that is taking place now in South Africa there has been a lot of drama, unexpected victories, and unexpected losses.

I have heard recently from friends who are from Chile, The Netherlands, Brazil, Argentina, Egypt, Italy, China, Cape Verde, Ukraine, and other countries, all of whom are intently following the various games and upsets (as well as dubious calls by the refs, the incidents of good sportsmanship and the opposite, and all the various trials and tribulations and the associated drama).

As I had mentioned in an earlier blogpost, the 2010 World Cup began while I was at a conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

At the finals of the previous World Cup, in 2006, I was at a conference in glorious Erice in Italy and we watched Italy beat France and then this entire town, which is on the island of Sicily, erupted in celebrations and fireworks. Amazingly, the morning after, I flew back to Boston safely on Alitalia from Naples without incident and enjoyed a delicious meal on the plane.

During the World Cup in 2002, my family and I were living in Innsbruck, Austria, while I was on a Fulbright.

Above are photos taken in Erice during the finals back in 2006.

What a difference 4 years make in terms of World Cup play!

Research Capacity Building as a Prerequisite for the Competitiveness of a National System of Innovation

The first UMass Amherst INFORMS Speaker Seminar of the Spring 2010 semester is this Friday, February 19, 2010! Please join us, if you can.

As the Faculty Advisor to this award-winning student chapter and its Speaker Series, I, and the chapter, are delighted to have Professor Mzamo P. Mangaliso, of the Department of Management, Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts Amherst, as our first speaker of 2010!

Professor Mangaliso will speak on: Research Capacity Building as a Prerequisite for the Competitiveness of a National System of Innovation: Perspectives from the National Research Foundation.

Dr. Mangaliso is an Associate Professor of Management at the Isenberg School of Management, where he is a former Director of MBA Programs. His research interests focus on corporate strategy, decision-making under uncertainty, and international and comparative management. His service contributions consist of organizing and presiding over management conferences around the world; refereeing articles for international management journals and conferences, serving on editorial boards of a number of journals, and as special issues editor. He has also served on the boards of international bodies such as the Luxembourg, Austria-based International Institute for Applied System Analysis (IIASA), and as a member of the Kyoto-based Science and Technology in Society (STS) Forum. His numerous scholarly outputs have appeared in refereed journals, conference proceedings, and as book chapters.

He has authored two books: A co-edited volume, Prophesies and Protests [Amsterdam: Rosenberg Publishers 2007], and Strategic Choice Under Uncertainty [Lanham, MD: UPA / Rowman & Littlefield, 2009]. Over the years, he has received numerous accolades. At UMass these include being selected as a Lilly Teaching Fellow and, subsequently, as a TEACHnology Fellow, and winning the 1999 Distinguished Teaching Award. Nationally, he is a Fellow and past President of the Eastern Division of the Academy of Management.

Professor Mangaliso was inducted into the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) in 2008. From 2006 to 2008 he was the President and CEO of National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa.

Professor Mangaliso holds a B.Sc. in Chemistry and Physics (University of Fort Hare, SA), an MBA (Cornell University), and a Ph.D. in Strategic Management (University of Massachusetts).

PRESENTATION TITLE: Research Capacity Building as a Prerequisite for the Competitiveness of a National System of Innovation: Perspectives from the National Research Foundation

Abstract: This paper is predicated on the proposition that investment in research capacity building is directly related to the economic performance of any National System of Innovation, and hence to the creation of prosperity and wealth of a given nation. The paper is largely based on the observations and experiences derived from the years of my presidency of the National Research Foundation. Since the onset of democracy in 1994, South Africa has embarked upon a course of simultaneously restoring the competitiveness of its National System of Innovation while, at the same time, attending to issues of racial/gender equity and social justice. The new government created the NRF as an agency to support and promote research at all South African Higher Education Institutions. The support comes in the form of funding, human resource development, and the provision of national research facilities. The ultimate goal was to contribute to the economic prosperity and well-being of all South Africans. The paper
discusses some of the key programs that were put in place, outlines the progress made towards them, discusses some of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, and concludes by suggesting lessons that can be learned from the South African experience.


Date: Friday, February 19, 2010
Time: 11:00AM - Noon
Place: Room Isenberg School of Management, UMass Amherst, Room 112

The announcement for this talk can be found at:
http://supernet.som.umass.edu/informs/speakernew.html

The UMass Amherst INFORMS Student Chapter website:
http://student.som.umass.edu/informs/