I teach business the way I lived it

My story

From business to the classroom

My first job was at IBM in Thailand. Over the years, I helped run companies. I was a company director, sat on a company board, and helped businesses buy other businesses in different countries.

Then I went back to school, earned my doctorate at Cleveland State, and started teaching. I have taught at Cleveland State, Virginia Tech, Emporia State, and now North Dakota State.

So when I teach, I don't just teach from the book. I tell my students what really happened when I did this work myself.

I'm also a Thai professor teaching American students. That makes me a living example of cross-cultural business, and we talk about it in class.

What I research

How culture shapes work

Most of my research asks why the same thing helps in one place and fails in another. Some questions I'm working on:

• Refugees and immigrants at work. What helps newcomers find jobs that fit them and build careers in a new country?
• Global virtual teams. What do people expect from working across borders online, and what actually happens?
• Rewards and engagement. When does money motivate people, and when doesn't it?
• Culture and investment. How do culture and law shape where companies put their money?
• Students and AI. How do students from different cultures judge what counts as fair use of AI?