April 6, 2009

 

 

 

 

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The 2009 Pre-Conference Policy Forum is the fifth in a series offered as a pre-conference event to the Annual World Conference of the International Council for Small Business (ICSB). The first ICSB Policy Forum was held in conjunction with the 50th anniversary conference in Washington, DC in 2005, followed by forums in Melbourne, Australia in 2006; Turku, Finland in 2007; and Halifax, Canada in 2008.

 

The 2009 Policy Forum on Entrepreneurship Research is aimed at policy makers as practitioners, as well as researchers interested in applied policy-related research. The programme will focus on two main themes: Entrepreneurship Policy at a time of Economic and Financial Crisis and Policy Implications of GEM Findings. The Forum will include panel presentations featuring distinguished international speakers, as well as discussion sessions to share experiences on these topics.

 

The discussion sessions will address 3 key issues; (1) The effects of the crisis on the SME sector, (2) The policy responses of government, (3) Evidence of the impact of the adequacy of the response. Each panellist will have approximately 15 minutes to introduce the topic, as we intend to make the forum as interactive as possible. For more information please contact the ICSB International Office.

 

 

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This panel will bring together researchers from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) representing four countries. For ten years, GEM has collected data on entrepreneurial attitudes, aspirations and activity. Sixty four countries have participated in GEM so far, making this the largest on-going study of entrepreneurial activity in the world. GEM measures the rate and characteristics of nascent, early-stage, and established entrepreneurs through a survey of at least 2,000 adults in each participating country. National teams also interview national experts, such as government officials, investors, entrepreneurs, and academics, to determine the factors influencing entrepreneurship: factors such as infrastructure, education and training, finance, and government support.

 

This session will present an overview of the highlights of GEM research across the global dataset. Panelists will then provide in-depth case studies of four countries representing different regions and economies. Unique aspects of entrepreneurial perceptions, motivations, and actions, and factors influencing these, will be provided for each case. The discussion will identify implications for policy, academics and practice, and consider how countries can stimulate and support the entrepreneurial energy that is deemed necessary for their economic health.

 

The panel session will consist of four parts (1) highlights of the most recent GEM results across the dataset, (2) case studies of four countries by GEM national team members, showing the rates and characteristics of entrepreneurship, and implications for policy, academics, and practice, (3) reaction to the presentations by the discussant, and (4) discussion among audience members and the participants, facilitated by the moderator.

 

Moderator:

Donna Kelley, Babson College, USA

Panelists:

José Ernesto Amorós, Universidad del Desarrollo, Chile

Hyunsuk Lee, Seoul National University of Technology, Korea

Abdul Ali, Babson College, USA

Fourth Panelist: TBD

Discussant:

Lois Stevenson, ICSB Past-President

 

 

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The 2009 ICSB World Conference presents a golden opportunity for participants to explore Korea, a vibrant innovation-led economy with a strong and modern infrastructure, highly skilled workforce, and exceptional educational resources. Seoul is recognized the world over as a historically cultural setting, which has been the capital of Korea for more than 600 years, and is currently the metropolis of 10 million people. Being one of the world's largest and most advanced cities, Seoul serves as the political, economic, and educational hub of Korea. The city lies in a natural basin, surrounded by a series of mountains and hills, and its grandeur and magnificent scenic beauty make it one of the most attractive metropolitan cities of the world.

 

As the mayor of Seoul, Se-hoon Oh states, “Seoul is a global city of the convention industry with the past experience of successfully hosting major international events such as the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 3rd Asia-Europe Summit.” He added that “guests and participants were very satisfied with the state-of-the-art convention facilities, comfortable accommodations, the wide range of delicious foods and the warm hospitality of the Seoul's citizens.”Mr. Oh guarantees that guests and participants “will be impressed with state-of-the-art convention facilities and a vibrant city where 600 years of tradition and cutting-edge IT meet.”

 

Aside from the bustling pace of life and modern architecture, a number of invaluable cultural assets exist in Seoul. Seoul has grown in strides for the last 30 years, and is now taking off as an internationally famed city where tradition and modern technology converge. Various international events take place in Seoul because of its strong melting pot of traditional and modern beauty. The organizing committee believes that the mixture of this environment will serve as a strong foundation for leading discussions at the World Conference.

 

 

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ICSB and ECSB have announced the activation of a new wiki, dedicated to establishing one of the world's richest on-line communities for entrepreneurship and small business studies. As an extension of the ICSB's global mission, the wiki is a first step in developing the potential of internet enabled collaboration to foster interaction among a worldwide membership. It takes just a few minutes to join, and once registered you can edit almost any content in a peer-to-peer, unsupervised, open-source fashion. For example, users can add or improve definitions in the encyclopedia, start new collaborative activities in workspaces, add links, promote events and also create your own personal blog page. Please visit our Wiki at www.icsb.org/wiki.

 

 

Author Spotlight Dr Thomas Henschel PhD, MBA, Dip. Kaufmann		Announcements World Conference News for Participants
Dr. Thomas Henschel is a Lecturer in Accounting at Edinburgh Napier University, UK. He was until 2008 a senior lecturer/assistant professor at Hochschule Merseburg, Germany and HTWK Leipzig, Germany. Thomas has worked in auditing and financial roles in Germany. He was senior accountant at Ernst & Young and subsequently head of the accounting department for a construction firm before moving into academia. Thomas's research interests are in the use of business planning and risk management by Small and Medium-sized Enterprises.   Dr. Henschel will be presenting his paper 'Implementing a holistic risk management in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises' at the 2009 World Conference under Track No. 13 Restructuring and Revitalization.For more information on this study, please contact Dr. Henschel via email at heinze-henschel@t-online.de		Call for Entries for 2009 Doctoral Student Best Paper competition. If you have submitted an abstract for ICSB 2009 and are currently enrolled asa doctoral student, please contact the ICSB International Office here to apply. Please visit our conference website here to complete your early registration before April 30, 2009. The ICSB 2009 E-Bulletin's second edition will be distributed on April 20, 2009. We will continue to operate on a two-week schedule until the conference date.