International Academic Research Conference on Small & Medium Enterprises - Vietnam SME

We invite full papers/abstracts/case studies in all areas of research in Business Studies with greater focus and emphasis on small & medium enterprises. In addition to paper presentations and discussions, this upcoming conference will include invited lectures/panel discussion on contemporary topics on SME’s, Global Business, Economics, Finance, Management and Social Sciences.

CONFERENCE OBJECTIVES:

The upcoming conference in Vietnam Maritime University, Hai Phong, Hanoi City is aimed at giving a fresh fillip to the small and medium enterprises in Vietnam, with a focus to emphasize on its significance in improving the manufacturing & services sectors in the country. SMEs are the incubators for entrepreneurial ventures and innovation. Management legendary Peter Drucker’s word of wisdom is very much relevant, here.

“The creation of new ideas/processes (innovation) will lead to change in an enterprise’s economic or social potential!” [P. Drucker, ‘The Discipline of Innovation’, Harvard Business Review, Nov-Dec, 1998, 149]

Small & Medium Enterprises! The Catalysts for Growth!

‘Small businesses are essential for economic growth because they account for over 95% of businesses worldwide and provide more than half of all jobs’. Yet 200 million businesses worldwide don’t have the financing necessary to invest and create new jobs. – Source: SME Finance Forum.

SMEs play a very active role in the economic growth and development of a nation. More particularly, the role of SMEs in manufacturing, job creation, support to major industries, contribution to exports and ensuring social order and equity is considered very crucial and necessary for any nation. Keeping these aspects in mind, most of the global economies accord top priority to entrepreneurship, new and innovative business ventures not only in urban centres but in villages as well.

SMEs could take any form. They could be traditional, cottage and village industries. SMEs serve a large number of poor people in the society by offering employment opportunities.

Vietnam Offers Great Support to SMEs

Research statistics published on SMEs in Vietnam indicates that they have registered robust growth in the past and account for over 97% the total number of enterprises in the country. Also, SMEs create more than half million of new jobs; use more than 51% of the labor force and contribute to 40% GDP. (Source: Key Determinants of SMEs in Vietnam. Combining Quantitative and Qualitative Studies – research paper published by Uyen H. P. Phan, Phuong V. Nguyen, Kien T. Mai & & Thao P. Le of School of Business, International University—VNU-HCMC, Vietnam. Paper published in Review of European Studies; Vol. 7, No. 11; 2015 ISSN 1918-7173).

Further, in Vietnam, the government offers a lot of incentives and support to Medium and Small Enterprises. Currently, there are about 333,835 enterprises functioning in Vietnam constituting 97.73% of total enterprises in the country and offer 5,129,980 jobs (46.75% of total employment). Source: GSO, 2012. SME Finance Forum. www.smefinanceforum.org

Against this backdrop, the upcoming conference in the beautiful city of Hai Phong in Vietnam makes an attempt to achieve the following objectives;

a) Identify and analyze the major issues/challenges being faced by SMEs, particularly, from the developing and emerging economies;

b) Systematically identify the most important contributory factors that would assure sustainable and inclusive economic growth with the help of SMEs;

c) Identify the different funding opportunities and assistance that can be offered to SMEs to make them more profitable and sustainable;

d) Provide an ideal platform for researchers, economists, bankers and practitioners who have considerable experience in dealing with the problems of SMEs to share their research and practical experiences with academicians/industrialists/entrepreneurs from other parts of the world;

e) Offer suitable solutions to ensure an orderly growth of SMEs and thereby bring prosperity and sustainable economic development to the World, in the long-run.

Others Details

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