Brett Centre for Entrepreneurship Seminar Series

Join the Brett Centre for Entrepreneurship for its inaugural Seminar.

These events are aimed at entrepreneurs, researchers and policy makers involved in entrepreneurship.

Can positive outcomes arise from the failure of companies that have been supported by Governments?

Guest speaker: Colin Mason, Professor of Entrepreneurship, The Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow

• Wednesday 19th October

• 2:30pm - 3.30pm

• University of Liverpool Management School (SR2)

• Free to attend - refreshments provided

Governments are criticised for ‘wasting public money’ when companies that they have funded subsequently close down or fail. The assets that these companies have created with such funding – in particular the skills and knowledge that is embedded in their employees - is likely to remain in the ecosystem.

In this first Seminar Series, Professor Colin Mason examines the failure of a technology company in St John’s, Newfoundland – a peripheral, economically under-developed Canadian province that had received significant amounts of government financial support. It shows that the recycling of its employees to other local firms played a significant role in the development of the embryonic local entrepreneurial ecosystem. The implication for government is that positive outcomes can arise from the failure of companies that they have supported, but that they need to carefully consider which types of companies to support to ensure that such outcomes occur.

Colin Mason is Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow since October 2012, previously holding professorships in Economic Geography at the University of Southampton and in Entrepreneurship at Strathclyde Business School at the University of Strathclyde. He has also held visiting positions at: University of Ottawa, Memorial University of Newfoundland (both Canada), Flinders University of South Australia, University of Adelaide, University of South Australia, Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento (Argentina), London Business, School, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax (Canada), University of Canterbury, University of Otago (both New Zealand).

Colin's research and teaching are in the areas of entrepreneurship and regional development. He teaches courses in entrepreneurship; business start-up; social and community entrepreneurship; and corporate entrepreneurship and innovation. His long-term research focus is entrepreneurial finance, specifically business angel investing. He has also undertaken research on home-based businesses, high growth firms and entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Colin is the founder and joint editor of Venture Capital, an international journal of entrepreneurial finance (Taylor and Francis); and is on the editorial boards of several journals.

The Brett Centre for Entrepreneurship which is based at the University of Liverpool Management School exists to help students, graduates and staff create real-world impact through entrepreneurial knowledge leadership. Our mission is to develop and harness the power of entrepreneurship across our international collaborative network, through three pillars of activity: research, education and impact.

Please note that this seminar will not be recorded.

We look forward to seeing you at this Seminar.

Professor Robert Blackburn, Director, Brett Centre for Entrepreneurship

Host or Publisher Brett Centre for Entrepreneurship