Italy2017-Keynote Speakers

Global Conference on Services Management (GLOSERV) is pleased to have the following keynote speakers:

DR. LEVENT ALTINAY
Professor @ Oxford Brookes University

Dr. Levent Altinay is a professor in the Faculty of Business at the Oxford Brookes University and the Editor-in-Chief of the Service Industries Journal. Altinay’s research interests are in the areas of entrepreneurship, strategic alliances and international business. Using primarily qualitative methods as well as mixed methods, he is particularly interested in how entrepreneurs start up and develop their businesses and also how firms establish partnerships internationally. His work has been published in Journal of Business Research, International Small Business Journal, Journal of Small Business Management, Journal of Services Marketing, The Service Industries Journal, Annals of Tourism Research and Tourism Management. Altinay was a member of the Business & Economics Panel in Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2014 in Hong Kong. He sits on the editorial boards of more than twelve journals including Journal of Business Research and Journal of Services Marketing. He is also the Associate Editor, Europe, for Journal of Service Theory and Practice JSTP (formerly MSQ) and International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. Altinay has strong record of attracting blue chip external funding, including funding from the ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council) and the British Academy. Altinay has co-authored strategic management, entrepreneurship and research methods textbooks.


DR. PO-JU CHEN
Associate Professor @ University of Central Florida

Dr. Po-Ju Chen, a Fulbright Scholar in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, joined the University of Central Florida (UCF) in 2002 after receiving both her Doctorate and Master’s degrees in Leisure Studies and Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management from Pennsylvania State University.

Dr. Chen teaches a broad range of subjects including research methodology, consumer behavior, entrepreneurship leadership and strategic management, innovation and creativity, sustainability, hospitality marketing, human resources management, event management, information technology, tourism management and tourism geography. Dr. Chen specializes in consumer behavior and entrepreneurship, with an emphasis on generational studies, sustainability and cross-cultural research in hospitality and tourism. Her experience and knowledge have enabled her to teach abroad as a two-time US Fulbright Scholar (University College of Northern Denmark, 2012; Salzburg University of Applied Science, 2015), as well as a visiting professor at the University of Aruba, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and City University of Macau, and Shanghai Polytechnic University.

Po-Ju’s accomplishments include research resulting in publishing articles in several leading academic research journals. Her publications have received over 1,500 citations and have earned several awards and recognitions for academic contributions. To name few, the 2015 Fulbright Research Core Program Award to Austria (Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation), the 2010 UCF Research Excellence Award, the 2012 John Wiley & Sons Award for Innovation in Teaching (presented to only 19 global recipients as of 2017), the 2013 UCF Keeper of the Creed Award, and the 2017 Shanghai City Foreign Distinguish Scholar Award. Currently she is the Associate Editor of consumer behavior for the Journal of Global Scholars in Marketing Science, and Assistant Editor of the International Interdisciplinary Business – Economics Advancement Journal. She is the incoming co-editor of the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Cases.


ELLIOTT FALCIONE
Executive Director @ Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau

Elliott Falcione, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,  spent the first six years of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Club.  Since his years working for the Pirates, Elliott has spent the last 23 years working for Manatee County Government serving a community that he dearly loves.

Aside from his years of working in Manatee County, he feels his bio should entail his philosophies and not his few accomplishments.

  • If you are a leader, then consistently lead.
  • If you fail, fail fast and make corrections so you don’t make the same mistake twice.
  • If you focus on humility and maintain an unselfish mindset, you will no doubt build strong life-long relationships.
  • Work experience and education are important, but great people skills and work ethic can help you excel in your career.

DR. FEVZI OKUMUS
Professor @ University of Central Florida

Dr. Okumus is a Professor in the Hospitality Services Department at the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management. He received his Ph.D. in Strategic Hotel Management from Oxford Brookes University, UK. He has a Master of Science degree in International Hotel Management from Oxford Brookes University, UK and a Bachelor of Science degree in hospitality and tourism from Cukurova University, Turkey. He worked in the hotel industry before becoming an educator. He joined the Rosen College of Hospitality Management in 2005 and was the founding Chair of the Hospitality Services Department from 2007-2013.

Dr. Okumus’ teaching and consultancy areas include strategic management, leadership development, strategic human resources management, hotel management, international hospitality management and introduction to hospitality and tourism.

His research areas include sustainability and green practices, strategy implementation, competitive advantage, knowledge management, hotel management, lodging operations, crisis management, cross-cultural management, destination marketing, information technology and developing countries. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management (IJCHM), one of the top-tier journals in the hospitality field with an impact factor of 1.407. He also serves on the editorial boards of 18 international journals and is a frequently invited speaker at national and international conferences.