On behalf of the Local Organizing Committee of the IAME 2008 Annual Conference, I am very pleased to welcome you to this Conference and the city of Dalian. Held in different countries each year, the IAME annual conference provides a valuable opportunity for the exchange of research and information in maritime and maritime-related issues. This year’s conference, IAME2008, is jointly organized by the University of Plymouth, UK and Dalian Maritime University, China. It is also the first time that the IAME annual conference has been held in mainland China.

It is a great pleasure for Dalian Maritime University (DMU) to host the IAME 2008 annual conference. DMU is the key maritime institution under the Ministry of Communications, China. It enjoys a high reputation internationally as an excellent centre of maritime education and training as recognized by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The University has an international vision regarding academic cooperation and exchange. Therefore, it is undoubtedly very encouraging that IAME 2008 annual conference will have the participation of many distinguished experts in the shipping and port industry from all over the world.

Dalian is a beautiful port city in Northeast China and an important international shipping center of Northeast Asia. As the model city of internationalized software industry and the finance center in northern China, Dalian has become an important outsourcing centre for multinational companies, which has given the city an edge for technology and scientific innovation and development.
We hope that in addition to benefiting from the informative programs of the Conference, you will also take the opportunity to explore the beautiful city Dalian. We wish you a very pleasant stay during the conference and a nice trip home with plenty of pleasant memories of IAME 2008.

Prof. Dr. Wang Zuwen
President
Dalian Maritime University
China

It is a great honour for the University of Plymouth, UK, together with Dalian Maritime University, China, jointly to organize the International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME) 2008 Annual Conference, which is generously hosted by Dalian Maritime University. On behalf of the University of Plymouth, I would like to extend my warmest welcome to you.

The University of Plymouth is one of the largest universities in the UK in terms of student population and the largest in the South West of England with over 30,000 students, almost 3,000 staff and an annual income of around £110 million. The University was recently ranked 35th out of over 100 universities the national university league tables published by the one of the UK’s leading newspapers, The Guardian, and is regarded as one of the top two modern universities in the UK.

Located in a city with a unique maritime history, the University of Plymouth has been traditionally strong in maritime education and research. In recent years, research and education in the maritime business field at the university have been further strengthened by the introduction of research and teaching in port economics and policy as well as logistics and supply chain management.

‘Internationalization’ has been one of the main strategic objectives of the university and we encourage our staff to communicate effectively and productively with their national and international colleagues. In this sense, the IAME Annual Conference provides an invaluable platform for some of the world’s most outstanding scholars to communicate with each other. The conference has the full support of the University of Plymouth.

I wish the conference every success and to further developing international partnerships.

Yours sincerely

Professor Wendy Purcell
Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive
The University of Plymouth
United Kingdom