Dear Reader !

  The business environment in Azerbaijan will continue to change very rapidly. To succeed in an increasingly competitive and fast-paced global marketplace both large and small companies will need entrepreneurial and innovative decision makers who can deal effectively with complex and ambiguous problems that defy easily identifiable simple solutions.

Several years ago Georgia State University, Atlanta , USA and Azerbaijan State Oil Academy , Baku Azerbaijan formed a partnership for the development of business education in Azerbaijan . The J. Mack Robinson College of business at GSU is nationally recognized for its MBA Program. The Azerbaijan State Oil Academy is well respected for its expertise in engineering and technical fields. The collaboration of these two universities draws upon the strengths of both institutions to develop managers to more effectively compete in the market driven global economy, especially to benefit the oil industry in Azerbaijan . Our aim was to design a rigorous curriculum that would prepare a select group of energetic young men and women for management in a market place that reflects the increased importance of productivity, participatory decision-making, complex and sophisticated financial analysis, management of rapidly evolving new technologies and heightening competition.

The MBA program was launched in 1998 in accordance with the joint project “Partnership to Develop the Master of Business Administration (MBA) Program and Faculty Capabilities at the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy (ASOA)” The project was initially funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the Department of State of the USA.

Now it is my pleasure to introduce you to the third harvest of our MBA Program. The men and women whose resumes are included in this booklet are scheduled to graduate from our Program in January 2005. Each one of them was carefully screened before being admitted to the MBA Program and they are in the process of completing a very demanding curriculum taught by a group of highly respected faculty members who bring to their classroom unusual depth and breadth of expertise in such areas as operations management, finance, marketing, computer technology and business strategy.

If your company is planning to recruit dynamic new talents for prospective managerial positions, I would urge you to consider these young men and women. I am confident that you will be very pleased with your selection.

Professor Bijan Fazlollahi
Project Director, Institute of International Business
Georgia State University