Germany
(680)UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme Progress Report
Period of activity: 2005
UNESCO Chair For Entrepreneurship and Intercultural Management Host institution: The University of Applied Sciences Gelsenkirchen Report established by: Prof. Dr. Christine Volkmann, Chairholder
I. Activities 1. Academic activities
MBA Programme “Entrepreneurship and Innovation”
The development and implementation of an MBA Programme “Entrepreneurship and Innovation” at the Academia de Studii Economice din Bucuresti (ASE Bucharest, Romania) was another major outcome in 2005. At the beginning of the Programme 40 Students (20 female, 20 male) were selected out of more than 50 candidates.
The MBA Programme is taught by German and Romanian Professors and Lecturers in German language. A continuous exchange of knowledge and personal attendances of Professors and Lecturers as well as Entrepreneurs was initiated. One aim of the MBA Programme is to strengthen the Entrepreneurial Culture in Romania. Furthermore the MBA Programme can be seen as a contribution to the Bologna Process.
The UNESCO Chair places one Professor, Lecturer and in some cases an Entrepreneur for each MBA Module that has to be taught. Every Module will be taught by a German and a Romanian Professor or Lecturer. This can be seen as a knowledge-transfer from Germany to Romania.
Module 1:
Title: MBA Module: Marketing | Prof. Dr. Schmengler Duration: 11/04/2005 – 11/06/2005
Target groups: Postgraduate students
Geogr. coverage: Academia de Studii Economice Bucharest, Romania Module 2:
Title: MBA Module: Business Plan | Mrs Hövel Duration: 11/11/2005 – 11/13/2005 Target groups: Postgraduate students
Geogr. coverage: Academia de Studii Economice Bucharest, Romania Module 3:
Title: MBA Module: Business Management | Prof. Dr. Grote Duration: 11/18/2005 – 11/20/2005
Target groups: Postgraduate students
Geogr. coverage: Academia de Studii Economice Bucharest, Romania Module 4:
Title: MBA Module: Market Research | Prof. Dr. Spielkamp Duration: 12/09/2005 –12/11/2005
Target groups: Postgraduate students
Geogr. coverage: Academia de Studii Economice Bucharest, Romania Module 5:
Title: MBA Module: Scientific Research | Dipl.-Betrw. Tokarski Duration: 12/12/2005 – 12/15/2005
Target groups: Postgraduate students
Geogr. coverage: Academia de Studii Economice Bucharest, Romania
2.Conferences/Meetings
Title: UNESCO-CEPES and University of Applied Sciences Gelsenkirchen Conference 2005: “UNESCO Chair Award: Entrepreneurship and Intercultural Management”
Date: 06/02/2005
Place: University of Applied Sciences Gelsenkirchen Participants: 350
Title: UNESCO-CEPES and University of Applied Sciences Gelsenkirchen Conference 2005: “Entrepreneurship Education at Higher Education Institutions by International Comparison”
Date: 06/03/2005 – 06/04/2005 Place: Incubator Center Gelsenkirchen Participants: 61
3.Inter- university Exchanges
From: Academia de Studii Economice din Bucuresti, Romania To: University of Applied Sciences Gelsenkirchen
Person: Prof. Dr. Adrian Tantau Duration: 08/15/2005 – 09/15/2005
From: Academia de Studii Economice din Bucuresti, Romania To: University of Applied Sciences Gelsenkirchen
Persons: Two
Duration: September 2005 until September 2006 From: University of Applied Sciences Gelsenkirchen
To: Academia de Studii Economice din Bucuresti, Romania Persons: Four
Duration: September 2005 until September 2006
II. Impact
One major outcome in 2005 was the organization of the International UNESCO-CEPES and University of Applied Sciences Gelsenkirchen Conference 2005: “Entrepreneurship Education at Higher Education Institutions by International Comparison” and the “UNESCO Chair Award: Entrepreneurship and Intercultural Management” from June, 1 until June 4 2005.
350 Participants from 11 countries visited the UNESCO Chair Award Ceremony on June, 02 2005. Amongst these participants were nationally and internationally well-known people in the field of Entrepreneurship, like Prof. Dr. Robert Hisrich (USA) who is one of the Top-10 Entrepreneurship Professors in the world (his textbook “Entrepreneurship” is the most selling Entrepreneurship book worldwide).
Furthermore, many local, regional and national politicians attended, like Minister Wolfram Kuschke (Minister for Federal, European and Media Affairs of North Rhine-Westphalia at that time). One special guest was the former Federal Chancellor Dr. Helmut Kohl, who was the keynote speaker. The Awards Ceremony and therefore the topic “Entrepreneurship” and “Higher Education” as well as the UNESCO itself gained much public as well as media interest. The Awards Ceremony can be seen as a contribution to the social and cultural development in the Rhine-Ruhr-Area, because it helped stimulating the Entrepreneurial Culture and way of thinking.
The aim of the following conference “Entrepreneurship Education at Higher Education Institutions by International Comparison” on June, 03 2005 was the exchange of knowledge and interaction between Universities, Chairs and Professors in the field of Entrepreneurship. Furthermore the conference helped to exchange the newest research results and teaching methods. 61 well-known Professors and lecturers from eleven countries participated at the conference.
Another major outcome in 2005 was the development and implementation of an MBA Programme in Entrepreneurship at the Academia de Studii Economice din Bucuresti (Romania) by the UNESCO Chair. The MBA Programme was launched on October, 08 2005 and gained great media and public interest in Romania (Television and newspaper reports etc.).
The MBA Programme is in German language and contains 20 different Modules and lasts two years of study part time beside the regular work. The UNESCO Chair placed many German Professors and Lecturers within the MBA Programme for teaching. For the first time they taught without getting any compensation. At the starting point 40 students were selected out of more than 50 candidates. This keen demand for the MBA Programme may have some impact in the local and regional economy and scientific development because of the well educated MBA students. It also has an impetus on the social side because there is a huge knowledge-transfer from Germany to Romania. The MBA Programme is a contribution to the Bologna Process since it is: a Masters Programme, designed according to ECTS, modular and it fosters the mobility of students and the international competitiveness and gives stimulation to the labor market.
III. Forthcoming activities
The implementation of the MBA Programme in Entrepreneurship at the Academia de Studii Economice din Bucuresti (Romania) was a first major step but the Programme has to be established and stabilized within the next years. Therefore it is necessary to build a solid financial basis. This can be done by keeping the interest for the MBA Programme on a high level and generate continues demand and therefore high numbers of enrolled students. For this reason e.g. new marketing materials will be developed.
Within the year 2005 Prof. Dr. Volkmann and her staff member Mr. Tokarski already visited Romania several times to ensure the strategic and operative direction and the quality. These exchanges will be continued for the next years to keep in touch with the Professors, Lecturers and Programme Managers in Romania.
Further on there will be an exchange of German Professors and Lecturers within the Programme. In addition to that, successful Entrepreneurs should be integrated within the Programme, so that they can teach their experiences. Within the first two years, almost every MBA Module will be taught by a German and a Romanian Professor, Lecturer and in some cases in addition by an Entrepreneur. Therefore the UNESCO Chair has to identify, contact and acquire Professors, Lecturers and Entrepreneurs who are interested in teaching at the Academia de Studii Economice din Bucuresti, Romania.
Another major outcome in the year 2006 will be the publication of the German textbook “Entrepreneurship – Gründung und Wachstum” (Entrepreneurship – Start-up and Growth) which will be published at the well-known German publishing house Lucius&Lucius/UTB in October 2006. [ISBN: 3825227413] This textbook is a contribution to the German Entrepreneurship literature because there are still gaps. Currently there is a demand for integrated textbooks within this field. But the textbook will also be used for teaching purposes within the MBA Programme in Romania as well as in MBA and Bachelor Courses in Germany.
Entrepreneurship Certificate
More forthcoming activities are the development and implementation of an Entrepreneurship Certificate at the University of Applied Sciences Gelsenkirchen as well as the granting of an Entrepreneurship Award. The Entrepreneurship Certificate is a short, special curriculum which will be developed. Participants of all faculties may attend at the Entrepreneurship courses to receive an Entrepreneurship Certificate at the end. The aim of that tool is to foster the Entrepreneurial Spirit.
Entrepreneurship Award
The Entrepreneurship Award should honor Entrepreneurship Chairs and their methods and ways of teaching Entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship Chairs may apply until June 2006 for the award. A jury of experts will choose the best Entrepreneurship Chair. It is planned to grand the Award within an official ceremony at the University of Applied Sciences Gelsenkirchen in late 2006 or early 2007. The award is supported by the Minister of Innovation, Science, Research and Technology of North Rhine-Westphalia Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart. So the Award as well as the topic of Entrepreneurship will surely gain public media interest.
IV. Development prospects
The following actions should obtain a stable permanent status of the Chair in the structure of the University of Applied Sciences Gelsenkirchen. The UNESCO Chair for “Entrepreneurship and Intercultural Management” is supported by Prof. Dr. Schulte, Rector of the University of Applied Sciences Gelsenkirchen. Further on the UNESCO Chair is located at the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, so that (intellectual) synergies may be used between these two areas. The UNESCO Chair holder Prof. Dr. Volkmann is Chair member of the academic society FGF “Förderkreis Gründungsforschung e.V. Entrepreneurship Research”. For this reason Prof. Dr. Volkmann is able to promote the UNESCO Chair and its aims within the FGF network. The UNESCO Chair is therefore interconnected with the FGF and the
Beside the FGF network the UNESCO Chair sets up its own UNESCO Chair network. The focus of the network actually lies on Romanian partner universities like the Academia de Studii Economice din Bucuresti (Romania), because the MBA Programme should be established there within the next years and this requires focused efforts. But first enhancements of the network and activities were already made in 2005. The UNESCO Chair applied e.g. for a TEMPUS project called “Entrepreneurial Thinking and Behaviour in Central and South East Europe (ETICS)” within a consortium of different western, central and eastern European universities like the University of Wuppertal (Germany), University of Klagenfurt (Austria), University of Skopje (Macedonia), University of Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina), University of Tuzla (Bosnia and Herzegovina), University of Ossijek (Croatia), University of Novi Sad (Serbia), the Middle East Technical University (Turkey) and the Academia de Studii Economice din Bucuresti (Romania). But it is not clear if the TEMPUS application will lead to a final TEMPUS project.
Publications Teaching Materials
Title: Entrepreneurial Studies: Start-Up and Growing Businesses - Managing Entrepreneurial Growth
Author(S) Prof. Dr. Christine Volkmann & Kim Oliver Tokarski Publisher(s) Self published
Year 2005
Language(s) English Revenues None
Book:
Project: Development of a German textbook on
“Entrepreneurship: Gründung und Wachstum (start-up and growth)”
