Archive for the ‘Hisrich, Robert’ Category

Robert Hisrich Ph.D.

 As organizations, industries and consumers become more dynamic, corporate entrepreneurship becomes more important. While entrepreneurship has traditionally been viewed as private sector phenomenon, corporate and social entrepreneurship has developed in a number of different domains such as not-for-profits, for profits and public sector organizations.  Entrepreneurship is a universal concept and can be applied in small and medium enterprises (SMEs), large and multi-national organizations as well as social ventures, enterprises, communities and governments.  Entrepreneurship is not limited to a select group of people, any person with the right mindset, drive and motivation can develop an entrepreneurial perspective.  This perspective and mind set identifies a need and transforms it from a creative and innovative idea into reality. 

 In most industries, nations and markets, entrepreneurs challenge existing assumptions and look to generate value in more innovative and creative ways.  Entrepreneurs change the way business is conducted by identifying opportunities and successfully filling them.  Organizations need to renew themselves in order to sustain competitiveness.  This can take such forms as championing innovative ideas, providing necessary resources or expertise, or institutionalizing the entrepreneurial activity within the organization’s system and process.

 Corporate entrepreneurship is an important activity for all organizations to undertake in today’s hypercompetitive environment.

Robert D. Hisrich, Ph.D. is the Garvin Chair of Entrepreneurship and Director of the Walker Center for Global Entrepreneurship at Thunderbird School of Global Management.  He is the author of numerous publications and books including the textbook, Entrepreneurship; the most widely used text on the subject, published in nine languages.  A self-described serial entrepreneur, Dr. Hisrich has established and sold numerous companies.

by Robert D. Hisrich Ph.D.

I am in one of my favorite cities in the world, Vienna, Austria. The art, music, people and of course, the kitchen and wine are excellent. I have been coming to Vienna since 1984, first as a tourist, then each month in 1989 while living in the Soviet-controlled Hungary, and then regularly thereafter doing research and seminars at Wirtschafts University, the Vienna University of Economics and Business, and the Technical University of Vienna.

Vienna is well geographically positioned to engage in business in many of once-controlled economies such as Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania and even Russia and Ukraine.

I am presently doing seminars for two days in a program I helped create on Entrepreneurship and Innovation. This is a 30-hour master’s program, which I call a vertical. Many European universities have introduced these in a variety of functional areas such as finance, marketing, supply chain, human resources and outsourcing. MIT in the U.S. just introduced a 30-hour master’s degree program in finance and I hope to introduce a 30-hour master’s degree program in Global Technology Entrepreneurship and Management in Fall 2011.

The 30-hour master’s program is an alternative to the MBA program and allows a participant to lock step through a specialized curriculum with no electives in less than one year. I am convinced this is the future of business education, as many individuals, particularly those with science and engineering backgrounds, want shorter specialized degrees instead of the MBA.

Students in this program mainly have science, math, statistics or engineering degrees and want to innovate and either be an intrapreneur in their present company or start their own company as an entrepreneur. This is the same appeal and type of student who would be attracted to our proposed Master of Global Technology Entrepreneurship and Management. As you can imagine, they are a fun group to teach.

Robert D. Hisrich, Ph.D. is the Garvin Chair for Entrepreneurship and Director of the Walker Center for Global Entrepreneurship at Thunderbird School of Global Management.  His textbook Entrepreneurship is the most widely used text on the subject and is published in nine languages.  A self described serial entrepreneur Hisrich has established and sold numerous companies.

By Robert Hisrich, Walker Center director

I am thrilled to be in Vienna serving as the keynote speaker at the commencement of the graduating class for the Technology University here in Austria. Given my long entrepreneurial and academic history in Austria and Hungary, I am honored by the request. The technologies being developed here are promising and among the leading new ideas in the technology world.

Corporate leaders looking for guidance in the prolonged economic crisis should check their rearview mirrors for fast-approaching global entrepreneurs, Thunderbird Professor Robert Hisrich, Ph.D., said recently from his office at the Walker Center for Global Entrepreneurship. He said big corporations can learn important survival lessons from small startups that know how to seize opportunities, stretch resources and create value for everyone around them.
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