Dr. Thomas Boyle, Assistant Professor of Business and Director of the MBA program at Seton Hill University, was invited to serve as the keynote speaker for the Fourth Chinese Management Innovation Conference in Qingdao, China. The conference will be held September 27th – 29th. The Conference is designed for leaders from administrative institutions at all levels, senior managers from enterprises, experts and scholars. Approximately 500 participants are expected.

"With the entry of China into the World Trade Organization, opportunities may emerge to develop joint MBA programs in order to improve the management levels of Chinese managers and executives as well as facilitate the growth of entreprenurial ventures," Dr. Boyle said. "Entrepreneurship and management innovation are key themes in this conference."

Qingdao, China is the largest industrial base in the Shangdong Province. The city is an open harbor city known for contemporary industry, sea research, foreign trade and tourism. Qingdao is an important base of light industry and of the textile and chemical industries. The output value of the rubber industry ranks second in the country and its profit margins third.

The Conference, which is held twice annually is supported by the United National Development Program (UNDP) and the International Federation of Scholarly Associations of Management (IFSAM). The Conference is sponsored by the China Academy of Management Science (CAMS) and the China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchange's Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade.

Dr. Boyle has served a speaker at a number of conferences including: the Babson College-Kaufman Foundation 18th Annual Entrepreneurship Research Conference at the University of South Carolina where he presented his paper "Leadership Practices Common to Entrepreneurs in Technology Transfer Start-ups" (1999) and the Business and Economics Society International Conference in Paris, France where he presented his paper "Identification and Development of Entrepreneurial Talent" (2001). In addition, he has served as chair of the Entrepreneurship Panel for the Business and Economics Society International Conference (2001) and as an editorial board member of the Entrepreneurship Journal at the University of Central England.

Dr. Boyle was named a Babson College Fellow in Entrepreneurship (Babson is ranked the number one U.S. school in entrepreneurship by US News and World Report) and a Samuel M. Walton Students in Free Enterprise Organization Fellow. He also received an award for the Outstanding Conference Participant at the Business and Economics Society International Conference in Paris, France. He has served as chair of the entrepreneurship division of the Association of Management/ International Association of Management, a member of the Regional Advisory Board for the University Center for International Studies (UCIS) at the University of Pittsburgh and a board member of the International Entrepreneurship Forum at the University of Central England.

Dr. Thomas Boyle received his BA from Youngstown State University, and his MAT and doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Boyle's teaching and research focus is on entrepreneurship. Before joining Seton Hill, he was Assistant Professor of Business at Penn State University-Altoona where he developed the first entrepreneurship program in the entire Penn State University system. He is a visiting Professor of Entrepreneurship in the MBA program at the Monaco Business School, University of Southern Europe-Monaco.