The first two CPBIS/IPST Technobusiness forums, held in 2004 and 2005, brought together players from industry and academe who shared a belief believed that a deeper understanding of issues residing at the intersection of business and technology is critical to the future well-being of the forest products industries. The success of these meetings has led to a decision to follow them with a third Technobusiness Forum. It will take place at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center on September 25 and 26, 2007.

The program will include panels examining enterprise transformation from several different perspectives: from an overarching management perspective, key differences between dominant and dying companies; from an essential core systems perspective, how enterprise transformation, driven by value deficiencies that result in new work processes, is determined by management’s decision making abilities in the context of social networks; from an applications perspective, how to know your enterprise is ready, transformation risks, options that have worked and why, and optimal business conditions for success.

In addition to the above, CEO panels will afford opportunities for CEOs from different industries to share experiences and insights that are related to or drive enterprise transformation and that have applicability that is not limited to a single industry. Finally, forest products industry CEOs will address issues that impact their industry in particular.

Details and registration information will appear in future issues of this newsletter.