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ANNUAL REPORT
2002 - 2003

CENTRAL ASIAN PRODUCTIVITY RESEARCH CENTER

PAGE COVER

Seen at the United Nations Development Program Entrepreneurship Support Project office on the campus of Ataturk University in Erzurum, Turkey are: (left to right): Prof.Oguzhan Bayrak, project coordinator; Prof. Osman Demirdogen, of Ataturk University and CAPRC advisory board member; Prof. Harry Lepinske, CAPRC chairman; and Prof. Nilgun Gencmehmetoglu, UNDP project expert.		Regional Activities Expanding Prof. Mehmet Baha Karan, director of the Financial Research Center (HUFAM), Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey and CAPRC advisory board member (left) and Prof. Harry Lepinske, CAPRC chairman., discussing plans for a joint conference scheduled in Baku in September, 2004
NEWS AT PRESS TIME CAPRC Invited to Tajikistan In late May, CAPRC was contacted by a representative of Tajikistan to introduce programs that have been successful in other Central Asian countries. As a result of a series of meetings in Chicago, five programs were set as priorities: 1. Visit Tajikistan to undergo an orientation program to better understand the educational system and its needs for modernization. 2. Focus on tourism development. 3. Conduct management seminars at the newly-established International Humanitarian University.	Azeri delegation members attending a seminar "Managing Government for Quality and Productivity" 4. Assist in the development of the YES Program - Young Entrepreneurs Society. 5. Establish a CAPRC Business Library. Boxes of business text books and teaching aids already have been shipped to Dushanbe. Watch for further developments at our website which you can find at www.caprc.org.	CAPRC Conference In Baku September 2004 The Central Asian Productivity Research Center will schedule a two-day conference with the theme "Managing for Quality and Productivity" on 22-23 Sept 2004 at the University of Economics in Baku, Azerbaijan. The conference will be followed by a co-sponsored event, with the theme :Regional Economic Issues and Economic Cooperation" organized by both CAPRC and the Finance Society of Turkey. 23-27 Sept. 2004 at the same venue in Baku. Co-chairmen for this conference are Prof. Mehmat Karan and Harry Lepinske. The five-member conference organizing committee now includes all Baku CAPRC advisory board members, Including: Samir Huseynov, Nargiz Yagiyeva, Elchin Ibadov, Aydan Abosova and Khatira Huseynova.

ANNUAL REPORT
2002 - 2003

CENTRAL ASIAN PRODUCTIVITY RESEARCH CENTER

PAGE 2

Azeri delegation members and U.S. international marketing students duscussing business opportunities in Azerbaijan.

Continued from page 1

Topics for the CAPRC conference will cover legal aspects of international business, entrepreneurship and small business development, managing education for quality, managing government for quality, economic development, understanding U.S. importers, and related topics.

Prof. Mehmet Karan, HUFAM director and CAPRC advisory board member (right) and Prof. Harry Lepinske CAPRC chairman (third right) are seen with students attending a CAPRC seminar focusing on international marketing.

The Finance Society sessions will be held on Friday, 24 September. The weekend will be spent visiting government and business facilities, followed by an orientation on Azerbaijan tourism.

Rooms are being reserved at the Irshad Hotel in Baku.

For more information:
email Lepinske@juno.com or visit our web site at www.caprc.org

Prof. Harry Lepinske, CAPRC chairman (second left) and Prof. Osman Demirdogen, CAPRC advisory board member (right) are seen with members of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Erzurum, Turkey, duscussing tourism development.

Summary of 2002-2003

2002 Activities

The 2002 summer months were used to develop a strong foundation for the next nine months .
Nov. 2002 participated in the "Lake Region International Trade Exhibition and Conference", held at the campus of Purdue University Calumet in Hammond, Indiana. CAPRC coordinated a pavilion-style exhibit, including the Turkish-American Chamber of Commerce, Azerbaijan Business

Forum, Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, and a CAPRC research display.

Hosted Gunel Javarova, an intern from Nakhchivan State University, Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.

U.S. interns, all university students enrolled in fall semester courses, continued revising the CAPRC Research Papers, which focus on those countries along the historic "Silk Road"

2003 Activities

To establish a closer relationship
with Azeris in the Midwest region of the U.S. CAPRC established the U.S.-Azerbaijan Business Forum, as a business development entity of CAPRC. Chairing this activity is Elchin Ibadov, who also is a CAPRC advisory board member.

Marziya Agayeva, director, international relations for Nakhchivan State University (right) is seen translating for Prof. Harry Lepinske, CAPRC chairman,
during ther Third Annual Small Business Conference held in May at NSU.

ANNUAL REPORT
2002 - 2003

CENTRAL ASIAN PRODUCTIVITY RESEARCH CENTER

PAGE 3

Professor Lepinske represented CAPRC at a "Trade and Investment Opportunities in Russia" conference held at the World Trade Center in Chicago on March 8, 2003.

Hosted a ten-member delegation from Azerbaijan and presented a seminar focusing on "Understanding Government Organizations in the USA."

With assistance from the prominent international law firm of Baker and McKenzie, CAPRC hosed a reception for the delegation and U.S. business and professional representatives interested in the Central Asian

Presenters seen at Nakhchivan Private University in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic are (left to right): Prof. Prof. Osman Demirdogen, of Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey, Prof. Jamal Husain, director of the Entrepeneurship Center, Purdue University Calumet, Hammond, Indiana, (translator) Prof. Harry Lepinske, CAPRC chairman, and Prof. Burcu Candan, Ataturk
University, Erzurum, Turkey

Working in cooperation with US International Marketing students , CAPRC presented a six-week seminar series focusing on "Business Opportunities in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgistan, Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Christopher Wager, a CAPRC advisory board member, completed work on the CAPRC web site: www.caprc.org. Presently he is upgrading the web site.

Prof. Yasar Sutbeyaz (left), rector of Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey, visits with Prof. Osman Demirdogen, faculty member and CAPRC advisory board member, and Prof. Harry Lepinske, CAPRC chairman.

Hosted Gasim Gasimov, an intern from Nakhchivan State University for a four week Management Orientation program.
Professor Harry Lepinske, CAPRC chairman, represented the organization at the Napoleon Hill World Learning Center conference. His topic was the "Global Economy and International Business Culture"

Regional meetings held and advisory board members to prepare the 2003-2004 schedule of activities.

US university students developed a timely report regarding Business Opportunities in countries located along the historic "Silk Road".

In May Professor Harry Lepinske met with educators in Turkey and Azerbaijan to discuss "Managing For Quality and Productivity in Education"

Chairman Harry Lepinske visited the United Nations Development Programs Entrepreneurship Center on the campus of Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey.

Chairman Lepinske also lectured at Ataturk University, met with representatives of the Chamber of commerce and Industry of Ezurum, and the Young Entrepreneurs Society.

Although CAPRC generally focuses on business development, in May CAPRC cosponsored the first "Ernest Hemingway Conference" on the campus of Nakhchivan State University, and helped establish the first and only Ernest Hemingway Research Center in all of Central Asia.

Co-sponsored the "Third Annual Small Business Conference" at Nakhchivan State University. Participating were Professor Harry Lepinske, along with two CAPRC advisory board members, Professors Osman Demirdogen and Burcu Candan, both from Ataturk University, in Erzurum, Turkey.

Introducing the business theme, "Say Yes to Business", Professor Lebinske introduced the concept of establishing units of the Young Entrepreneurs Society. A very active unit of "YES" in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is conducting managing orientation programs. Another unit is in the organizational stage in Baku. CAPRC has been invited to establish YES in Tajikistan.

Professor Lepinske presented a week-long seminar focusing on "International Marketing" at the Finance Research Center of Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.

ANNUAL REPORT
2002 - 2003

CENTRAL ASIAN PRODUCTIVITY RESEARCH CENTER

PAGE 4

A Central Asian exhibit, sponsored by the Central Asian Productivity Research Center, at the Lake Region International Exhibition and Conference held 8 November, 2002, at Purdue University Calumet, Hammond, Indiana, was highlighed by aTurkish-American Chamber of Commerce exhibit. Welcoming visitors were (Prof. Osman Demirdogen, of Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey, and Hal Tezcan, immediate past president of the TACC.

A series of meeting were held in May to establish guidelines for several major projects scheduled in 2004. (For more information, please refer to the feature article on page 1 of this report)

Respectfully submitted,

Professor Harry Lepinske
CAPRC chairman

Welcoming visitors at the Azerbaijan Business Forum exhibit: were: Elchin Ibadov, of Baku, a CAPRC advisory board member, and Ulviya Bashirova, also of Baku and a CAPRC volunteer.