HES Update 1, May 2021

Aims

The Society was launched in Global Entrepreneurship Week 2020 (w/c 22^nd November) to promote the concept of Harmonious Entrepreneurship and provide a vehicle for the delivery of its products.

Harmonious Entrepreneurship is a new approach to enterprise that addresses the sustainability problem by recognising that the world is a system requiring a systemic or holistic, integrated approach to the sustainability challenge.

It is based also on the principles of Harmony espoused by HRH The Prince of Wales and contends that Harmony is necessary to ensure sustainability which in turn is necessary to ensure Harmony. Sustainability cannot be achieved if there is disharmony.

Apart from promoting the concept, the Society intends to apply it to bring about change by developing

• formal educational programmes that can be integrated into the curriculum
• extracurricular short courses and interventions that can be delivered face to face or online.

Publications

Since November 2020, in our first six months of existence, we have produced one case study each week, published on our website and shared on LinkedIn, a total of 28 to date. Each case is intended to exemplify and promote the concept and to be used for educational purposes. Additionally, we have produced 7 short blogs on related topics.

We have also written 6 draft journal articles or book chapters in addition to the original Kirby and El-Kaffas article. This was due for publication in “The World Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development” on 27^th May 2021 [delayed].

Presentations

Presentations have been delivered at 3 UK universities and 3 International universities plus through webinars organised by:

• The International Council for Small Business (Advancing Entrepreneurship Worldwide) (ICSB) (March 2021)
• EntreCompEdu (March 2021)
• TLC Harmony – RESET Tourism Sustainably (May 2021)

Further presentations are planned for conferences organised by

• ICSB Humane Entrepreneurship, Washington DC (June, 2021)
• University of Wales Trinity St. David [Nexus] (July 2021)
• Enterprise Educators UK (September 2021)
• Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (October 2021)

MOOC

Funding has been received from Enterprise Educators UK for the development of a MOOC, and scheduled for completion by the end of June, 2021.

International Online Student Harmonious Entrepreneurship Competition.

This will be piloted initially with invited staff/student teams from England, Scotland and Wales, together with Egypt.  Once tested, it will be opened up internationally. The competition will be in two parts

• a period of training resulting in an outline proposal for a new Harmonious Enterprise.
•  the development of a full proposal for a new venture that meets the harmonious entrepreneurship definition and criteria and is commercially viable,  capable of being implemented and potentially impactful.

The Future

It is intended that future activities will be decided by the “members” but amongst the ideas are

• An annual “practitioner” conference focusing on implementation and impact.
• A journal promoting   best practice and demonstrable outcomes
• Training/Implementation Programmes for potential and established entrepreneurs.
• Accreditation audits.

Involvement

To date we have followers from 60+ countries and we want you all, followers, members, and anyone with an interest in entrepreneurship and sustainability, to participate and be involved. We would like to hear your ideas and suggestions, your experiences and challenges as well as your achievements.

Whether you are a student, an educator, a trainer or mentor, a policy maker or a member of the entrepreneurship ecosystem, we want you to be involved.

Entrepreneurship and Sustainability are compatible as we have demonstrated, and entrepreneurship can contribute significantly to the sustainability challenge. However, we need to ensure that not only is that understood but it is implemented. As the pandemic has demonstrated the time for sustainability rhetoric is over. We need action.

For the present, thank you for your interest and support.

Professor David A Kirby (kirbydavid1@gmail.com)

Mrs Felicity Healey-Benson (felicity.healey-benson@uwtsd.ac.uk)

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