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NOTE:
Tracks A, I, M and W are now full, but we can still accept abstracts
for Tracks B, C, E, S and V until Friday, 4th July 2008. After this
date please e-mail secretariat@isbe2008.org
to check availability.
The
ISBE 2008 Conference theme reflects the new ISBE mission statement
namely "INTERNATIONAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP - promoting excellence
in education, research and practice".
The
theme of the Conference also reflects the growing interest in entrepreneurship
both nationally and internationally. Entrepreneurship is now applicable
to small, medium and large organisations in many countries around
the world and it has stimulated world-wide interest. The diversity
within the field of small business lies at the heart of growth in
many economies and the continuing emergence of new areas presents
exciting challenges to policy makers, practitioners, educators and
researchers alike.
The
key themes to be addressed in nine parallel tracks at the 2008 ISBE
Conference in Belfast are:
A
- Advancing entrepreneurship and enterprise education
B - Business creation and development - stimulating start-ups
C - Community, ethnic, minority and social enterprises
E - E-entrepreneurship, e-business and e-learning
I - Innovation, incubation, networks and knowledge transfer
M - Management, skills development and growth issues
S - Supporting small business development world-wide
V - Venture capital, finance, taxation and regulation
W - Women's enterprise & family business development
Presentations
are invited on all the above main themes, although other topics
associated with the overall conference theme of International Entrepreneurship
would also be welcomed. Nine parallel tracks will focus on the above
themes, each with six sessions devoted to more specialist topics
within the theme. These topics are listed on the Track
Themes & Topics page and on a separate Information Sheet
(NB840). Experts in the respective fields will chair all sessions,
which will be designed to facilitate open discussion, dissemination
of information and feedback to presenters.
A
key aim of ISBE 2008 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 business practices should be disseminated
world-wide and this Conference aims to do so with sessions in most
Tracks devoted to presentations and discussion of international
experience.
Preference
will therefore be given to papers that contrast research results
with practical experience, thereby acting as a bridge between the
theory and practice of entrepreneurship whilst also highlighting
policy implications. Discussion papers and practical presentations
are also welcome.
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:
-
Researchers
investigating the context, processes, behaviours and metrics
of entrepreneurship
-
Educators
& Trainers determining the nature, content and delivery
of knowledge, skills and CPD
-
Policy
makers influencing the context, funding and support
- nationally, regionally and locally
-
Practitioners
assisting in the start-up, development, growth, support &
decline of enterprises
-
Advisers,
Consultants & Mentors offering guidance and advice
in a variety of contexts
-
Support
Agencies & Financiers engaged in incubation, creation,
development and growth
-
Networks
& Representative Bodies providing networking opportunities
& information dissemination
Contributions
can be accepted in one of three different categories:
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- Practical
Papers/Presentation
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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 most
relevant Small Business and Entrepreneurship Journals to consider
publication.
ALL
PAPERS
Authors should aim to produce a high quality paper that adds to
existing knowledge of enterprise creation and development. Acceptance
decisions on all papers will be based on relevance to the Conference
theme, quality of content and contribution to knowledge. More detailed
criteria are provided in the appropriate guidance notes, which provide
advice on structure, content and format.
Abstracts
for all papers must be submitted via the website Author
Log In page following instructions on the Abstract
Submission Guidelines page. At
least one author must log-on to submit the abstract and register
and must then attend the whole Conference as a full delegate.
The
full registration fee is payable when the paper is submitted. If
the paper is rejected for any reason then the fee will be refunded
in full.
Completed
papers should be no more than 20 pages (approx 7,000 words) and
must be in the specified format for publication. Papers that receive
a conditional acceptance must satisfy all of the conditions before
final acceptance. Only ONE paper can be accepted from any one lead
author or no more than ONE paper can be presented by any one co-author
to avoid conflicts in scheduling.
Refereed
Papers
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
Discussion papers will describe ongoing or planned research or education,
with an insight into current research thinking and educational activities.
They are an opportunity for authors to present their work and receive
some feedback prior to developing their final paper for publication.
Ideas presented in such discussion papers will however still be
subject to quality control and acceptance by Track Leaders.
Practical
Papers/Presentations
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.
International
Papers
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. The criteria
for content and format must still be followed.
Click
here for Submission Deadlines
IMPORTANT
NOTE: We cannot guarantee your submission will be reviewed or
accepted if it is received after the deadline
dates.
There
will be several sponsored awards that relate to the specific tracks
and also to academic research, education, and practice or policy
orientation.
PUBLICATIONS
All Abstracts accepted will be published in the Conference Handbook
and all complete papers will be published on a Conference Proceedings
CD. All papers accepted will be submitted to the Editors of all
relevant Entrepreneurship and Small Business Journals to consider
for publication. Copyright is held by authors.
PRIZES
Substantial cash prizes will be awarded for the best paper in each
Track and in a small number of special categories. Prize winners
will be announced at the Gala Awards Dinner. Certificates and cheques
will be presented by the Track Sponsors and photographs will be
taken of the winners to use for publicity purposes.
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