[Index]
Expert Meeting on Good Governance
for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
(SMEs)
Palais des Nations (Conference
Room XX), Geneva
1-2 April 2004
The Expert Meeting on Good Governance
for SMEs, which will take place at the
Palais des Nations on 1-2 April 2004,
will focus on current governance practices
and analyse models of SME governance in
countries with advanced market economies,
in new and prospective EU member countries
and in countries with economies in transition.
The Expert Meeting will also explore the
situation at the micro-level, how SMEs
understand corporate governance, what
their problems are and what governments
and non-governmental organizations can
do to help them. The Meeting will highlight
also the elements and importance of business
ethics aspects as well as business and
corporate social responsibility.
Good governance is an
important element in economic growth.
Evidence suggests that good governance
is an essential component of sustained
economic growth. Good governance for SMEs
means practices that could encourage the
establishment of SMEs, methods that are
useful for start-up businesses to tackle
the challenges of market. The development
of SMEs is critical to the overall economic
growth of transition economies. SMEs create
jobs, employ workers laid off from declining
or restructured enterprises and generate
government revenues. They also establish
a solid foundation for market-based growth
by creating a large class of stakeholders.
The Forum will be addressed
by Prof. Dr. Aymo Brunetti, Head
of Economic Policy, State Secretariat
for Economic Affairs (SECO) (Switzerland),
Prof. Dr. Huse Morton, Professor
of Innovation and Economic Organization,
Norwegian School of Management (Norway),
Prof. David Smallbone, Head of
the Centre for Enterprise and Economic
Development Research, Middlesex University
(United Kingdom), Mr. Peter Utting,
Deputy Director, United Nations Research
Institute for Social Development (UNRISD),
Mr. Arun Agrawal, Secretary General,
World Association for SMEs, WASME (India).
Good governance models
from advanced market economies (Germany,
Italy, Norway, Switzerland and United
Kingdom), new EU countries (Estonia, Hungary,
Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia), prospective
EU accession countries (Croatia and Romania),
South-Eastern Europe (Serbia and Montenegro)
and the Commonwealth of Independent States
(Armenia, Azerbaijan, Republic of Moldova
and Russian Federation) will be presented
and discussed. A special session will
be devoted to the issue of business ethics
and corporate social responsibilities.
On this occasion, the new UNECE publication
on Business Ethics for Start-up Entrepreneurs
will also be highlighted.
The Forum will be concluded
with a Round Table Discussion on the Role
of Governments in Supporting SMEs moderated
by Stefan A. Müller, CEO Dreieck
Leasing SA, daughter company of the Banca
del Gottardo, Lugano Switzerland. Eleven
entrepreneurs, owners of SMEs from ten
countries will discuss their views on
entrepreneurship, management styles, social
responsibilities and hopes for the society.
For further information, please contact:
Mr. Antal Szabó
Regional Adviser on Entrepreneurship
and SMEs
United Nations Economic Commission
for Europe
Palais des Nations, Bureau 440
CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Phone: + 41(0)22 917 24 71
Telefax: + 41(0)22 917 01 78
E-mail: [email protected]
Ref: ECE/IREEDD/04/P03