Wuhan, situated in the heart of China, is the capital of the Hubei province with a population of about 9.1 million (per 2006 census). It is a modern and energetic metropolis with unlimited possibilities,and a commercial centre of finance, industry, trade and science, with many international companies located here. Having scientific, technological and educational institutions such as Laser City and the Wuhan University, the city is also known as an intellectual and innovation Centre. Situated at the crossroads of central China, Wuhan is also a transportation hub for air, railway as well as ferry traffic. The distance from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou is more or less equal. And the giant Yangtse River (Chang Jiang), the world's third longest river, and the Han River pass through the city, and devides the cities into 3 towns: Hankou, Hanyang, and Wuchang.
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Inaugural International Conference on
Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice Relevant to China
Monday-Tuesday 9-10 July 2012 (main conference) Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
&
Wednesday-Friday 11-13 July 2012 (optional subsidiary seminars & workshops)
On a Yangtze River Cruise Ship
Call for Papers
Jointly organised by:
Lancaster University Management School (UK)
The Economics and Management School of Wuhan University (China)
Significance of the Topic
China is already the second largest economy in the world. Entrepreneurship and innovation is increasingly important to the Chinese economy, particularly in times of economic turbulence and slowdown in the world and a new phase in growth of Chinese economy, as signified in the 12th five year plan where innovation is one key target (China Daily, 27 October 2010). But entrepreneurship and innovation research in China is still in its infancy. For example, in a review of the literature from 11 leading English language journals spanning 26 years of research, Yang and Li (2008) found only 68 articles that focused on entrepreneurship in China. China is often perceived as "world factory" but for the economy, and particularly the manufacturing sectors, to remain vibrant, innovation in processes, products and services is crucial. The Chinese government recognizes this fact and emphasizes the critical role of public policy in fostering innovation, particularly indigenous innovation. Despite China’s remarkable modernization, the legacy of centralized planning and ownership, culture, authoritarian political system and monopolistic business environment may hamper this goal of innovation (Wall Street Journal, 8 October 2011). It appears that China has still some distance to travel before becoming a global innovation power (Wall Street Journal, 28 July 2011). Challenges remain and questions for researchers, practitioners and policy makers who are interested in China and its capacity to innovate and generate new enterprise are formidable.
Scope
This conference is jointly organized by Lancaster China Management Centre/Institute of Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development of Lancaster University Management School and the China National Research Centre for Industry-University-Research Collaboration/Economics and Management School of Wuhan University. It is focused and seeks to enhance our understanding of theory, practice and policy on innovation and entrepreneurship relevant to China. It offers the opportunity to access recent research into the processes of innovation and entrepreneurship in different organizations which are relevant to China in its new development phase. Uniquely, the conference aims to provide a common forum within which two strands of research can come together. The first is critical and reflective research embedded directly in the China experience covering culture, education and training, policy, policy implementation, technology transfer and inter and intra firm arrangements. The second is the research outside of China which has the potential to inform the theory and practice of innovation and entrepreneurship in China. This is a rich repository of relevant experience from both advanced and developing economies. The conference is designed to bring these two strands together and to generate insights for theory, including new research areas, policy and practice.
This inaugural conference welcomes and seeks to bring together not only academics but also policy makers and practitioner delegates from China, UK and other parts of the world. It will create a ‘theory-practitioner’ community with a shared interest in China and in the development of innovation and entrepreneurship. It will be a learning opportunity for all participants and will provide a sound basis for future conferences and collaboration.
Keynote Speakers (Scholars, Industrialists and the Chinese Government Officials)
Prof Alistair Anderson, Robert Gordon University, UK(confirmed)
Prof Kenneth Boyer, Fisher College of Business, Ohio State University, USA (confirmed)
Prof David Brown, Lancaster University Management School, UK (confirmed)
Prof Li Cai, Vice President, Jilin University, China (confirmed)
Prof Jian Li, Chair of University Committee, Wuhan University, China (confirmed)
Prof Xinchun Li, Management School of Sun-Yat-Sen University, China (confirmed)
Mr Wengeng Liang, President, Sany Group Co., Ltd, China (TBC)
Prof Oded Shenkar, Fisher College of Business, Ohio State University, USA (TBC)
Prof Yuli Zhang, Dean of Nankai University Business School, China (confirmed)
Senior officials from the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, and Wuhan Municipal Government (TBC)