McGill International Entrepreneurship Conference

The College of Business and Economics at the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) organized the 18^th McGill International Entrepreneurship Conference, 2015 (MIEC), on Sunday March 1^st in the College of Information Technology on the Maqam Campus. Pofessor Geralyn McClure Franklin, Dean of the College of Business & Economics and invited researchers and other participants were all present. The conference aims to cast a spotlight on both international entrepreneurship and small businesses.

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Professor Geralyn McClure Franklin summarized the aims of the conference thus: “the conference aims to gather the decision-makers from government agencies, institutions, and innovative experts from educational institutions and research and development centers, as well as practitioners from leading companies, to provide an effective channel of communication to enrich debate and stimulate the exchange of views on innovation and entrepreneurship.”

In the conference program Professor Franklin highlighted the seminar intended for Ph.D and DBA students which addressed important issues, opportunities and challenges in the field of entrepreneurship. Professor Gary Knight of Willamette University, USA; Professor Sören Kock from the Swedish School of Economics, Finland; Professor Hamid Etemad of McGill University, Canada; Dr. Khalid M. Al Khazraji from Al Kawthar Investment LLC, UAE all addressed the past, present and future role of entrepreneurs in the GCC Economy.

The program also included a panel discussion on issues related to career management geared specifically to student needs and involving speakers with expertise in the field, such as Dr. Yehya Al Marzouqi, Executive Director, Strategic Learning & development Tawazun, UAE; Mrs. Farida Al Awadhi, CEO of CINMAR.