Abstract Submission Closed on 30th June 2007

The ISBE 2007 Conference theme is "INTERNATIONAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP – stimulating smarter successful small business world-wide", which builds on the renewed emphasis both nationally and internationally on entrepreneurship in small, medium and large organisations. The theme of the Conference is based on the Scottish Executive’s policies to build a ‘Smart Successful Scotland’ – however, this theme is also applicable to many countries around the world and it has stimulated world-wide interest. The diversity within the field of small business and entrepreneurship lies at the heart of growth in economies and the continuing emergence of new areas (e.g. social enterprise) present exciting challenges to policy makers, practitioners, educators and researchers.

A key aim of ISBE 2007 is to continue the ISBE aim to bridge the gap between theory and practice in entrepreneurship and SME development and to highlight the practical and policy implications of recent research and experience. Another ISBE aim is to engage and share experiences with a wider international community, recognising that entrepreneurs now operate on a global stage. Improving understanding of the contexts, policies and practices will not only inform support for SMEs domestically but also prepare them for the challenges on a wider global stage. Best practices should be disseminated world-wide and this Conference aims to do so.

Presentations are invited on the following main themes, although other topics associated with the overall conference theme of International Entrepreneurship would also be welcomed. Preference will be given to papers that draw out the practical implications for entrepreneurs, the small business support community and policy-makers.

The key themes to be addressed in nine parallel tracks at the 2007 ISBE Conference in Glasgow are:

A - Advancing entrepreneurship education and enterprise

B - Business birth-rate strategy – stimulating start-ups

C - Community, ethnic, minority, rural and social enterprise

E - E-entrepreneurship, e-business and e-learning

I - Innovation, technology transfer and knowledge networks

M - Management, skills development and growth issues

S - Supporting small business development world-wide

V - Small business finance and financial management

W - Women’s enterprise & family enterprise development

Parallel tracks will focus on each of the above themes, with a series of sessions devoted to more specialist topics within the theme. Click here for the list of topics or request Information Sheet (NG740) from the secretariat. Potential contributors are asked to categorise their paper under one of the above themes, although papers on other relevant topics will be considered. Experts in the respective fields will chair all sessions, which will be designed to facilitate open discussion, dissemination of information and feedback to presenters.

This Conference recognises the importance of learning and sharing experiences from varying perspectives and welcomes contributions that approach themes from different points of view. Papers from outside the UK are most welcome and some sessions will be devoted to Developing Economies.

The key groups recognised as having a particularly relevant contribution to offer include:

An outline of the requirements and submission timetable for each type of paper is provided below, with a link for fuller information. All Abstracts accepted will be published in the Conference Handbook and all complete papers will be published on the Conference CD. All papers accepted will also be submitted to the Editors of all relevant Small Business and Entrepreneurship Journals to consider for publication. Click here for more details.

To be accepted as refereed papers they should be of a publishable standard. Following the refereeing process, papers may be accepted subject to satisfactory completion, reclassified as a discussion paper or declined. This decision will be reviewed at each stage of the process i.e. abstract, full paper, revised (final) paper. Accepted refereed papers will be clearly identified as such throughout the programme.

Discussion papers will describe ongoing or planned research and will give an insight into current research thinking and activities. They are an opportunity for authors to present their work and receive some feedback prior to developing the research for publication. Ideas presented in developmental papers will however still be subject to quality control and acceptance by Track Leaders.

These papers and visual presentations will enable practitioners to highlight excellent and distinctive practice in enterprise creation and development. There must be evidence of the effectiveness of the practices presented and papers will be subject to quality control and acceptance by Track Leaders.

Papers from international contributors are welcome on all of the themes and categories listed above. Authors should demonstrate the wider applicability of their work by making links to existing theory and literature or to international policy debates.