The new millennium is characterized by fragmentation of markets, short life-cycle of products, and intense competition. The business environment of the 2nd decade of the new millennium and beyond shows no signs of slowing down in radical discontinuous change and fast pace, global orientation, importance of service, Internet boost, knowledge intensity and innovation, and global market entry of small entrepreneurial firms. As leading edge continues to reside in firm’s ability to leverage and utilize knowledge, innovate, and act entrepreneurially, SMEs, family businesses and service organizations around the world and the developing world in particular (especially the GCC) must undergo strategy rethink.

In the new economy, organizations that have honed the skills of managing knowledge and developing value-adding innovations would compete successfully. Creating and sustaining knowledge and innovations are key outcomes of inter-organizational collaborations and relationships, particularly for SMEs which lack the resources to develop such capabilities internally. Research into these dynamics and processes are of particular interest. Also the current growth in domestic outsourcing, offshoring, franchising, non-ownership services, public-private sector partnership, and other forms of business relationships and models involving entrepreneurial SMEs and family businesses need more researcher attention. ‘GCSMES-6’ would bring together researchers, practitioners and policy makers to deliberate on these and other issues around the conference theme.

Manuscripts should be sent to gcsmes6@uob.edu.bh (with cc to admin@gcsmes.org). Submissions in the form of case study, conceptual, empirical and practitioner papers are invited in the following (but not limited) tracks.

Accounting

B2B

Branding

Competitiveness and Performance

CSR, Ethics and Governance

Cross Cultural Issues

CRM and e-Business

Customer Engagement and Relationship Marketing in SMEs

Entrepreneurial Marketing

Environmental Quality Management and Sustainability & Green business

Family Business

Finance

Franchising and Outsourcing

Gender and minority issues

Healthcare services

Human Resource Management

ICT and Innovation

International Business/Management
Internationalization of Small Firms

Indigenous Entrepreneurship

Knowledge Management & Entrepreneurship Education

Legal Issues

Mindfulness & Entrepreneurship

Multinational and Transnational Enterprise

Operations Strategy

Small Business Marketing Research

SME/Entrepreneurial Marketing Strategy

Service Innovation

Social Entrepreneurship

SMEs, Economic Development & Sustainability

Supply Network Management

Tourism and Hotel Research



Women-owned Businesses