From its foundations as a marginal topic the entrepreneurship field has experienced a remarkable
evolution. Today it is arguably one of the most vivid fields of business research. However, with
growing size and maturity there may have come a moment to pause and to reflect about how it may
complete its transition from a phenomenon-driven field to a field with its own theoretical debates.
In this context strategic entrepreneurship has been proposed to be a natural resort and a next step for
entrepreneurship research. It combines the challenges faced by both the entrepreneurship and the
strategy field. While the entrepreneurship field could benefit from stronger theoretical underpinnings,
the strategy literature may be in search on new phenomena and uncharted waters to advance.
Strategic entrepreneurship involves simultaneous opportunity-seeking and advantage seeking
behaviors and results in superior firm performance. On a relative basis, smaller entrepreneurial
ventures are effective in identifying opportunities but are less successful in developing competitive
advantages needed to appropriate value from those opportunities. In contrast, larger established firms
often are relatively more effective in establishing competitive advantages but are less able to identify
new opportunities. In the light of these seemingly opposing views, strategic entrepreneurship is
proposed to be a unique, distinctive construct through which firms, whatever their size, are able to
create wealth.
For this year’s Rencontres we therefore invite papers on the edge between entrepreneurship and
strategy, dealing with issues of imagination, ideas, invention and innovation. We invite any paper
with a contribution to the discovery or creation of new things, with advances from which society
benefits through new value. For further guidance we suggest the following themes to be considered:
1.
Strategy versus Entrepreneurship
What is strategic entrepreneurship and its underlying constructs? How is strategy formation integrated
with entrepreneurship to create value? What are the independent and joint value adding properties of the
two constructs?
2.
Creativity, Imagination and Opportunities
What and who creates opportunities? Can creativity be a group process? How does creativity contribute to
innovation? To what extent is creativity inherited? What can we learn from behavioral sciences about
opportunity development?
KMU-HSG, Dufourstrasse 40a, CH-9000 St.Gallen, Phone +41 71 224 71 00, Fax +41 71 224 71 01, www.kmu.unisg.ch
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3.
Risk and Uncertainty
Which is more important to entrepreneurship: uncertainty or risk? What conceptions of risk are useful in
studying entrepreneurship? How do entrepreneurs perceive, assess and manage risk?
4.
Innovation
How and why does innovation arise? How can we better understand the process(es) that create innovation?
What resources are necessary to create innovation?
5.
Change
How can innovations be monitored for their effects? What are the primary issues in preparing an
organization for change? What forms of change are likely to be effective?
6.
Technology
What is the role of technology in strategic entrepreneurship? How does the development and introduction of
new technology contribute to competitive dynamics?
7.
Entrepreneurial Actions, Innovations and Appropriabilitiy
How should the value of innovation be allocated among inventor, developer, user and consumer? What are
the roles and values of patents and copyrights? How valuable are patents to new firms where products are
imitated by large, established competitors?
8.
Behavioral Characteristics of Entrepreneurial Activity
What have we learned of human behavior that has application to entrepreneurship as a process and can be
applied by professional management? What are the cognitive properties of entrepreneurial behavior, and
individual entrepreneurs?
9.
Entrepreneurship and Economic Growth
Which types and forms of entrepreneurship have the greatest long-term effects on economic growth?
10. Social Role of Entrepreneurship
How can social entrepreneurship best be practiced? What is required to simultaneously produce economic
and social value?
Michael A. Hitt, Texas A&M University, has confirmed his participation as a key note speaker at the
Rencontres de St-Gall 2010.
The selection of topics is purposefully kept broad given our intention to start a new type of dialogue
about how we understand, research and teach entrepreneurship. We look forward to receiving full
papers by July 1st 2010 to Walter Weber ([email protected]). As usual, the papers will be
distributed before the conference.
Looking forward to welcoming you all of you in St. Gallen
Prof. Dr. Urs Fueglistaller, Prof. Dr. Thierry Volery, Prof. Dr. Thomas Zellweger
Duration
Monday, September 6, 9:00h to Wednesday, September 8, 16:00h
(Welcome Cocktail on Sunday evening, approx. 18:30h)
Field of study
SMEs, Entrepreneurship and Family Business from the
perspective of economics, business management and sociology
Participants
By invitation; university professors, senior members of research
institutes, experts in the research fields
Objectives
Discussion of relevant research topics
World-wide transfer of knowledge
Identification of emerging themes
Development of joint research projects
Exchange of information and experience
Number of participants
approx. 45, by invitation
Conference language
English (only)
Conference format
Each participant will have access to the papers before the conference
and can read them. There is no individual presentation of the papers
by their author. Papers are summarised by a session chairperson and
discussed in plenary sessions.
Conference proceedings
The papers will be printed as conference proceedings.
Conference fee
CHF 500.- (including meals, coffee breaks and excursion)
Payment
St. Gallische Creditanstalt, CH-9004 St. Gallen, Account 89.409.05,
Swift CASGCH22, IBAN CH4906900016008940905
Venue
“WBZ” – Weiterbildungszentrum der Universität St. Gallen, Holzweid,
CH-9000 St. Gallen, http://www.wbz.unisg.ch Tel. +41 71 224 20 12
Hotel
To be selected (see the hotel registration form distributed later)
Dead lines
July 1st 2010, for the submission of paper and the hotel registration
Format of papers
Papers should not exceed 25,000 characters. Papers may be prepared
according to the “Author Guidelines” from JSBM’s website, see
www.blackwellpublishing.com/jsbm –> “JSBM Style Guide”. The papers
will be distributed to Rencontres participants more or less “as is”. Please
include your full name, title, function, organisation and location. We will
use these details for the conference proceedings.
(Thank you very much in advance for meeting the deadline!)
KMU-HSG, Dufourstrasse 40a, CH-9000 St.Gallen, Phone +41 71 224 71 00, Fax +41 71 224 71 01, www.kmu.unisg.ch