From the Editor.

Well, this is it. This is the last issue of the Review of Business that I will edit. I retired at the end of the Spring 2000 semester, and by now, I am enjoying the change. I have been in school nearly all my life; it is time to explore the real world. No, I do not intend to look for another job. I just want to take advantage of some of the things that I was too busy to do in the past.

There is a wealth of literature on how to retire. Plus everyone keeps asking what am I going to do when I retire. I do not think you sit down and plan to the nth degree for retirement. It evolves after you leave the job; at least, I hope this is the case. Most of the people I know who are retired are busier now than when they were working; however, they are happier. They are doing what they want to do when they want to do it. That is my idea of nirvana.

I enjoyed working with the referees and the authors over the years. I met a lot of people, and most of them I have never seen. Via the mall, the telephone (which is better than e-mail) and now e-mail, I was able to interact with people all across the country and some outside the U.S. This was the fun part of the job, and I will miss it a lot. To all my friends out there, I wish you well.

I regret that I was not able to get the Review of Business back on track. Because of internal problems, we are farther behind now than ever. We have enough papers plus several special issues to carry us through the end of 2000. The papers need to be processed, and the issues printed. Hopefully, this will be done soon, and the Review of Business will be up to date again.

We have an interesting set of papers for this issue. First, the paper by Keller and Olson examines the effectiveness of outdoor adventure programs. To quote: "learn to sail a tall ship while honing and developing the skills needed to be a leader in the 21st century." They question whether all the physical outdoors activity translates to anything worth while in the indoors corporate world.

Next, there are two papers on ISO 9000, the quality standards program that began in Europe. ISO 9000 certification is suppose to guarantee quality goods and services all along the production process to the end product. The certification program is popular in Europe and is rapidly catching on in the U.S. Lankford presents the basic elements of 9000 and the certification process. Barnes questions whether all firms need to be certified. Sometimes, it is sufficient for a company to adhere to the quality standards without going through the costly certification process. Good business sense is the key to finding the answer.

The article on international counterfeit marketing by Delener is a timely topic. With all the modern technology today, it is easy to copy a product and market it as the real item. Businesses lose a tremendous amount of money each year to counterfeit as well as goodwill. When consumers are ripped off, they often fault the original manufacturer. Delener offers some timely solutions to the problems of international counterfeiting.

The next paper compares investment strategy with betting on Super Bowl games. Given the way the markets have behaved recently, the analogy with the game of football seems appropriate. Kochman discusses inefficient securities prices and concludes that market participants over react to important events both on and off Wall Street.

Stoever discusses the problems facing foreign investors in developing countries. He distinguishes three different types: investments in extractive industries, such as mining, manufacturing for home market or export, and service industries. He contrasts the various problems and catalogues the similarities and differences of the three types of investments. The presentation will be useful for multinational investors when negotiating new investments in developing countries.

Finally, there is a report on the internship program in the Peter J. Tobin College of Business at St. John's University. The program definitely benefits all participants. Students get a head start in the job market when they graduate. Businesses convey their training needs to the university, and university administrators use this information to revise academic programs. This article will be of interest to the graduates of St. John's, some who may have participated in the program. Other universities may find it helpful for starting or revising their internship program. If there are businesses that want to get involved, let us know.

I am happy to be leaving, but I am sorry this is my last issue. Together, we made the Review of Business into a respectable business periodical. This is a worthwhile legacy for all those involved.

Charles Little

St. John's University