Doctoral day – Tuesday 7th November 9:30-5pm
Conference ‘proper’ – Wednesday 8th November 1pm start to Friday 10th November 1pm finish
Abstract submissions are now closed.
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Sustainable Growth in Unexpected Places
Since the pioneering work of Edith Penrose growth has taken centre stage in entrepreneurship research. Furthermore, Joseph Schumpeter argued that change arising from entrepreneurship is critical for development. New firms may deliver radical innovation but, for these to make impact, they need space for growth. These ideas are still valid, but they need to be developed and nuanced. The 2023 ISBE Conference will be a significant opportunity to engage in incremental impact along this exciting intellectual and practical journey.
First, dynamic entrepreneurship must draw on available human capital to empower people into new technologies and prepare them for Industry 5.0. Growth and innovation must emerge in unexpected places: in underprivileged local areas, among ethnic minority communities facing existing barriers, in areas of social exclusion, among those that are not well connected to infrastructures and social networks.
Second, dynamic businesses should be supported to seek strategies to improve lives through upgrading of skills, better living conditions, and better health outcomes. This needs to be aligned to growth and enabled by it, as articulated in the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals
Third, business growth needs to be socially and environmentally sustainable, centred on the challenges posed by climate change and the climate emergency. Turning growth into sustainable development is about the contribution of entrepreneurship to the social good, and more widely to the UN SDGs. This requires self-conscious engagement, alongside research to help understand the factors which enhance possibilities for and overcome barriers to development-oriented growth in challenging places.
Fourth, sustainable growth implies that entrepreneurs and small businesses form local partnerships with public, third, and private sectors to create solutions to these grand challenges. Transformational impact will be enhanced by evidence- and theory-based research, that offers improved and refined frameworks for understanding growth opportunities in a fast-changing environment. In summary the key areas for societal impact-oriented growth are: i) inclusivity, ii) sustainable business practice, iii) sustainable communities, and iv) reduced inequalities.
ISBE 2023 aims to inspire passionate debate, to stimulate creative solution-focused thinking and to provide collaborative and cooperative spaces to engage in dialogue on these issues. We extend a warm welcome to join us in this endeavour in the surroundings of Aston University at the very heart of the vibrant city of Birmingham.
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Conference Chair: Dr Elinor Vettraino