ManaGlobal Winter School, Liège-Belgium 11 and 12 December 2023

The MANAGLOBAL project explores the local management methods used in African and Arab countries by confronting them with the challenges of globalization. In particular, it aims to highlight the differences between international management standards and local ways of doing things. Particular attention is paid to the processes of glocalization or hybridization that lead to articulations, each time specific and contextual, between local and global practices. The objective of MANAGLOBAL is to contribute to research on glocal management through surveys conducted by a team of African, Arab and European partners, including researchers, business leaders and institutional decision-makers.

The next MANAGLOBAL Winter School will mainly focus on the conditions for the establishment of entrepreneurial ecosystems. According to Stam (2015, p. 5), an entrepreneurial ecosystem can be defined as ‘a set of interdependent actors and factors coordinated in such a way that they enable productive entrepreneurship in a given territory’. Interesting collaborations can thus be established with schools and universities, research centers, large companies, public authorities, professional associations, etc. on a local scale, often in the framework of transnational institutional partnerships. Such territorial anchoring is a guarantee of the sustainability of the entrepreneurial adventure. Here are some examples of issues that could be explored during the Winter School:

• Which forms of physical and social proximity between local actors can support entrepreneurial innovation in the South as well as in the North?
• What is the role of public authorities and academic institutions in such territorial dynamics?
• What is the role of large companies in such territorial dynamics?
• What are the efficient forms of governance of entrepreneurial ecosystems?
• Are these efficient forms of governance different in the South and the North?
• What are the critical elements that can undermine the efficiency of entrepreneurial ecosystems in the South and the North?
• To what extent can the entrepreneurial ecosystem help an economic activity to move from the local scale to the global scale?
• Is integration into an entrepreneurial ecosystem a necessary step for entrepreneurial activity?
• How do entrepreneurs – current or future – perceive their insertion in a local entrepreneurial ecosystem?

The Winter School will be an opportunity to compare experiences and initiatives from the North and South (Cao & Shi, 2021) and to better understand the dynamics at work. We intend to compare the contributions of researchers – from both doctoral students and senior professors – and professional testimonies on the conditions of success of entrepreneurial ecosystems, also exploring the role and responsibilities of the University in this perspective (Matmati et al., 2019).

The Winter School will take place on 11 and 12 December 2023 in the premises of HEC Liège/University of Liège, 14 rue Louvrex in Liège.

Contributions will be welcomed in both English and French. They will be spread evenly over the two days in order to facilitate exchanges in the same language.

Proposals for contributions (maximum 500 words) should be sent to f.pichault@uliege.be by 15/09/23.

References

Cao, Z. & Shi, X. (2021). A systematic literature review of entrepreneurial ecosystems in advanced and emerging economies. Small Business Economics, 57, 75-110

Matmati, M., Chapelet, B., El Ghazali, I., & Pichault, F. (eds.) (2019). University-business collaboration for innovation in the Maghreb. France, Editions Campus ouvert.

Stam, E. (2015). Entrepreneurial ecosystems and regional policy: a sympathetic critique. European Planning Studies, 23(9), 1759-1769.

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