October 11, 2004

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HONOLULU – In 1982, an author and futurist named John Naisbitt published his book, Megatrends, which became a runaway sensation, spending 60 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list. In this book, Naisbitt correctly predicted:

• The shift from the industrial age to the information age;
• The advent of national economies into a global economy, now called “globalization,” a term that was not familiar during that period; and,
• Networks as a way of radically transforming and increasing public access to goods, services, and data on a global scale (known as the “Internet”).

By special engagement, the Japan-America Institute of Management Science (JAIMS) will host a public forum featuring Naisbitt from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Thursday, January 20, 2005 at the Halekulani Hotel in Honolulu.

At the forum entitled, “Evolutionary Trends and Future Mindsets,” Naisbitt will present material from his latest book, The Elephant in the Boa Constrictor (to be published in 2005), and will discuss the new Megatrends shaping these early years of the 21st century.

“We are pleased to bring to Hawaii this renowned author and futurist,” said JAIMS President Glenn Miyataki. “The Hawaii community and participants from Japan will benefit from the insights of John Naisbitt, who regularly advises major corporations around the globe.”

Naisbitt authored a number of significant books in addition to Megatrends. In his books and talks, Naisbitt discusses the major technological and social revolutions that were put into play during the last two decades of the 20th century, and he explains how they will be absorbed and perfected in decades to come. Several of these revolutions include information technology, economic reform in China, the unification of Europe, and America as an empire.

In his 40 years of business experience, Naisbitt has been an executive with IBM and Eastman Kodak, as well as a successful entrepreneur. He studied political science at the University of Utah, Harvard University, and Cornell University. He holds 15 honorary doctorates in the humanities and sciences and has been a visiting fellow at Harvard University; and in 1991 and 1992, he was a visiting professor at Moscow State University. He is currently distinguished international fellow at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia, in Kuala Lumpur. Naisbitt is the first non-Asian to hold this appointment. He is also on the faculty at Nanjing University in China.

In conjunction with the forum, JAIMS and Naisbitt will also lead a roundtable discussion for senior executives from Japan, the United States and other countries. Attendance at the roundtable is by invitation only.

Event sponsors include aio Group, Proudfoot Japan, AIG Hawaii, First Insurance Company of Hawaii, GGP Ala Moana LLC, Hawaiian Host, Inc., Imanaka Kudo & Fujimoto, and Island Insurance Companies, Ltd.

JAIMS (Japan-America Institute of Management Science), a nonprofit postgraduate institute in Hawaii Kai, has been a pioneer in intercultural management education since 1972. Over 20,000 participants from more than 50 countries have come to JAIMS to study intercultural business management, cross-cultural communications, business language, and information technology. Through a network of extensive business and alumni relationships spanning the world, JAIMS provides program participants valuable internships at many prestigious companies throughout the United States, Japan, and China.

For more information, please contact Roxanne Kam, special assistant to the president, at (808) 396-7130, fax at (808) 396-7111, or e-mail at rox@jaims.org.