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Luca Gnan (University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy) luca.gnan@uniroma2.it 

Massimiliano M. Pellegrini (University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Italy) massimiliano.pellegrini@uniroma2.it

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COMMUNICATION OFFICERS: 
Maria Claudia Angel Ferrero (IAE Montpellier, France) maria-claudia.angel-ferrero@umontpellier.fr 
Alessia Munnia (Università di Catania, Italy) alessia.munnia@phd.unict.it
Francesco Russo (Università di Catania, Italy) francesco.russo@phd.unict.it 

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PAST CHAIRS:
Luca Gnan (University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy)  luca.gnan@uniroma2.it
Marzena
				

			
			 Starnawska (University of Warsaw, Poland) mstarnawska@wz.uw.edu.pl
Matthias
				

			
			 Raith (Otto-von-Guericke University, Germany) 

			

				raith@ovgu.de
Massimiliano Pellegrini (University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Italy) massimiliano.pellegrini@uniroma2.it
Lucrezia
			
			Songini (Eastern Piedmont University, Italy) 

			

				lucrezia.songini@uniupo.it
				

			     

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PAST CHAIR & ENTREPRENEURSHIP SIG FOUNDER:

Hans
			Lundberg (Linnaeus University, Sweden) 
			
				hans.lundberg@lnu.se

For more information contact:  Patrick Spieth,  University of Kassel,  spieth@uni-kassel.de

SMEs growth strategies have been recently marked by increasing levels of internationalization. This evolution is not limited to exports or international outsourcing: it is indeed a brand new way of doing business. Internationalization of SMEs is challenging existing knowledge. Management scholars are invited to provide new perspectives on international entrepreneurial strategies of SMEs, their challenges and evolving business models, their relation to countries of destination, timing and entry mode, managerial tools, organizational structure, quality of acquired knowledge, relationships with multinationals and institutions. Theoretical contributions, reflections, and empirical analyses are welcome, provided they focus on SMEs

ST03_13

For more information contact: Lara Penco , University of Genoa, lara.penco@economia.unige.it

ENTREPRENEURSHIP SIG TRACKS

T03_07 - P2P Platforms and the Sharing Economy

The Sharing economy becomes grows at the rate of 35% per year. The COVID-19 lockdowns enhance the trend, as many rely on P2P activities, such as video conferencing to stay in touch. Zoom Video Communications reports 169 percent revenue growth for the three months ended April 30, 2020 and expectedly 355 percent for 2021 (Statista).

This track addresses three major types of entrepreneurship the sharing economy promotes

1. Platforms igniting transactions between pee

2. New startups supported by peers’ contributio

3. Social enterprises backed by communities for addressing social causes like poverty.

T03_07

For more information contact:  Djamchid Assadi , Burgundy School of Business BSB, France, djamchid.assadi@bsb-education.com, djamchid.assadi@bsb-education.com

T03_08 - From Entrepreneur to Manager: The Professionalization Process of SME

To create growth and increase the effectiveness of SMEs, professional entrepreneurial management systems play a pivotal role in developing entrepreneurial knowledge for opportunity exploitation, innovation, and human resource practices. The track addresses the entrepreneurial professionalization processes in SMEs from interdisciplinary and multi-level angles as important variables in the interplay between individual, organizational, and institutional cont

T03_08

For more information contact:  Giulia Flamini , Rome Tor Vergata University, giulia.flamini@uniroma2.it

T03_09 - Solo Self-Employment, aspects and challenges, particularly in the time of Covid-1

This track calls for papers on the self-employed without employees, an under-researched area in the field of self-employment, that describes a heterogeneous category of self-employment that range from successful high-earning freelancers to precarious, contingent workers, with little job security and low income.  As well as research on the characteristics and well-being of these workers, we are also interested in the factors that motivate entry into this mode of employment as well as transitioning out of solo self-employment into self-employment with employees.  Contributions on how solo self-employment is affected by the Covid-19 pandemic are also highly welcomed.

T03_09

For more information contact:  Martha O’Hagan-Luff , Trinity College Dublin, ohaganm@tcd.ie

T03_11 - Migrant Entrepreneurship Across Context

Migrant entrepreneurship is a vivid and important phenomenon, relevant due to (civil) wars, intercultural conflicts, and poverty. It is also directly linked to sustainable development challenges like lack of decent work, economic growth, and inequalities. Furthermore, migrant entrepreneurship is under additional pressure due to the CoViD-19 pandemic places and associated travel restrictions, collapsing markets, and physical distancing measures. In a nutshell, migrant entrepreneurship changes its face considerably and challenges the field of entrepreneurship. This track, thereby, encourages new perspectives and methods as well as novel research approaches to this field by addressing the individual-, group-, and family- dimensions.

T03_11

For more information contact/ Beata Glinka , University of Warsaw, Faculty of Management, b.glinka@uw.edu.pl

T03_12 - Female entrepreneurship

More than thirty years have passed since the first study on female entrepreneurship has been published and since then an outpouring of research on the topic has emerged. Interestingly, to date, some pioneering scholars are contributing to moving ahead the field by reframing the established research questions, by proposing possible new research directions, by employing new empirical methods and theoretical approaches or by investigating new contexts. This track aims to encourage the adoption of new perspectives in the study of female entrepreneurship, able to demolish or confirm the established knowledge, as well as to investigate new issues on female entrepreneurship

T03_12

For more information contact:  Sara Poggesi , Tor Vergata University, sara.poggesi@uniroma2.it

T03_14 - Resilience of SMEs and FBs, what can we learn from them in times of crisis

One of the most common mantras in recent years is that organizations are subject to a highly dynamic and unpredictable environment, as also proven by the recent financial crisis of 2008 and the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizations are increasingly required to be able to change, to anticipate or adapt to external changes. The scenario driven by the COVID-19 pandemic seems to have come to remove any doubt about the veracity of this mantra: organizations are de facto living uncharted times and facing unexpected challenges. It is, therefore, necessary to understand how to cope with the environment, becoming more and more familiar with elements such as flexibility and resilience. In this regard, SMEs and family businesses (FBs) represent undoubtedly an example to observe and study. Several studies already confirmed that SMEs and FBs are, indeed, more flexible and resilient if compared with larger companies or non-family businesses. The reasons can be found in the informal mechanisms adopted in these organizational forms to coordinate and control people; the sharing of values and the presence of elements such as social capital and familiness; the long-term orientation; the commitment of the entrepreneur and the family owner, as well as the employees, to the firm. Through this proposal, we aim at drawing as many lessons as possible from the crisis (such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic) and investigate if the challenges imposed to SMEs and FBs can be transformed into new opportunities for developing new strategies of growth, innovation and long-term survival.One of the most common mantras in recent years is that organizations are subject to a highly dynamic and unpredictable environment, as also proven by the recent financial crisis of 2008 and the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizations are increasingly required to be able to change, to anticipate or adapt to external changes. The scenario driven by the COVID-19 pandemic seems to have come to remove any doubt about the veracity of this mantra: organizations are de facto living uncharted times and facing unexpected challenges. It is, therefore, necessary to understand how to cope with the environment, becoming more and more familiar with elements such as flexibility and resilience. In this regard, SMEs and family businesses (FBs) represent undoubtedly an example to observe and study. Several studies already confirmed that SMEs and FBs are, indeed, more flexible and resilient if compared with larger companies or non-family businesses. The reasons can be found in the informal mechanisms adopted in these organizational forms to coordinate and control people; the sharing of values and the presence of elements such as social capital and familiness; the long-term orientation; the commitment of the entrepreneur and the family owner, as well as the employees, to the firm. Through this proposal, we aim at drawing as many lessons as possible from the crisis (such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic) and investigate if the challenges imposed to SMEs and FBs can be transformed into new opportunities for developing new strategies of growth, innovation and long-term survival.

T03_14

For more information contact:  Damiano Petrolo , University of Rome Tor Vergata – Hasselt University, damiano.petrolo@uniroma2.it

T03_15 - Entrepreneurial education, academic entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial university

Universities should update their knowledge, modernise their study programmes, and harmonise their research activities with the needs of industry and the private business sector, but they also need their feedback and support. This call highlights the key role of universities in the national innovation system from the perspective of academic entrepreneurship, joint R&D, stronger industry cooperation, entrepreneurial education, and under the new challenges with Corona crises under the " new realities". We would like to open a discussion about current concepts, actions, and proper approach toward an entrepreneurial university, and present some criticism as well as supporting opinions. Entrepreneurship is an economic and social phenomenon, a research object, and, an academic and teaching subject that deserves special attention in this challenging time.

T03_15

For more information contact:  Marina Dabic, Nottingham Trent University and University of Zagreb, Faculty of Economics and Business, marina.dabic@ntu.ac.uk