KUCHING – The recent 4th International Conference on Management and Entrepreneurship (i-CoME) 2021 held virtually from 22 to 24 July was timely as it fits into the Sarawak State agenda of digitalization.
The conference was jointly organised by Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus, Petra Christian University Surabaya Indonesia (in partnership with The Business and Management Program and Journal of Management and Entrepreneurship of the University), Curtin University Malaysia, and University College of Technology Sarawak as a continuum of its tradition of promoting and responding to the emergent needs in management and entrepreneurship on business.
Themed ‘Digitalization and Business Empowerment’, the three-day conference addressed the increasing need for more innovative and sustainable research and development (R&D) on management and entrepreneurship domain as the results of economies and business continued adaptation of the new normal.
More than 100 participants from the Southeast Asia region attended the conference that was officiated by Swinburne Sarawak’s Pro Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer Ir. Professor Dr Lau Hieng Ho. It was co-chaired by Dr Jee Teck Weng, senior lecturer at the School of Business of Swinburne Sarawak and Professor Dr Eddy Madiono Sutanto from Petra Christian University, Surabaya, Indonesia.
The conference featured six keynote speakers from Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, and the United States of America, and a special workshop on ‘Writing and Positioning Paper for Publication in Indexed Journal’ featuring Associate Professor Dr Garry Tan Wei Han from UCSI University. Over 40 papers were submitted covering various business, entrepreneurship, marketing, management, and finance disciplines.
Six concurrent sessions were held according to its themes namely entrepreneurship; innovation and business strategies; corporate governance and organisational development; finance and business performance; supply chain management; and techno-based business model. Three best papers and six best presenter awards were awarded at the conference closing ceremony.
In his welcoming speech, Dr Lau said Swinburne aims to be a leading university in science, technology and innovation with real impact that transforms industries, shapes lives and communities through initiatives such as the i-CoME.
“Swinburne continues to rise in university international ranking where we have moved up fifty places in the recent QS World University Ranking 2022. Swinburne is now ranked 321st globally. This is not surprising as our academics, researchers and students are exposed to work-integrated learning and industry-driven projects which as a result, produce innovative solutions to real-world problems across a wide range of disciplines and sectors,” Dr Lau said.
Commenting on the event, Dr Jee said the conference committed to explore both industry and scholarly practice, and research-informed innovations that enhance businesses’ success before, during and post COVID-19 pandemic.
i-CoME was first held in Bali, Indonesia in 2017, followed by the second edition in Yogyakarta, Indonesia in 2018, and the third edition in Phuket, Thailand in 2019. Over the years, the conference has grown into a leading international conference dedicated to management and entrepreneurship research within Southeast Asia Region. This year’s event was jointly sponsored by Swinburne Sarawak with the support from Sarawak Convention Bureau.
The conference was also supported by various Scopus, Web of Science Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) and other indexed journals including International Journal of Business and Society; Gadjah Mada International Journal of Business; Organisations and Markets in Emerging Economies; International Journal of Operations Research and Information System; International Journal of Economics and Management; Journal of Management and Entrepreneurship, and more. Presenters at the conference will be invited to submit their full papers to be reviewed and published in the supporting journals.
The fifth edition of i-CoME will be held in India. The announcement was made during the cultural performance night featuring award-winning sape artist Alena Murang organised by Swinburne Sarawak’s School of Design and Arts.
For more information about Swinburne Sarawak, visit its website www.swinburne.edu.my, Facebook page (@swinburnesarawak), Instagram (@swinburnesarawak), Twitter page (@Swinburne_Swk) or YouTube channel (Swinburne Sarawak).