Professor Alakent was born in Izmir, Turkey and lived there until 2002. She received her doctorate degree from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2006. She taught at the University of Texas at Arlington and Chapman University in Orange, CA before she joined faculty here at Cal State East Bay in 2008. Her research interests focus on organizational restructuring, emerging markets, and corporate political strategies. Her articles have appeared in such journals as Journal of Managerial Issues, Journal of Management Studies, Strategic Management Review, Business and Society and the Journal of Strategy and Management. She is living in Alameda, CA with her husband and two sons.XSandip Basu