Yesterday (February 03, 2009), at the Faculty of Economics in Osijek, Dr. Ichak Adizes held the first in a range of executive seminars. His lecture entitled: “How and why organizations grow, age and die (and what to do about it)?” was about change and crisis management, and managing growing companies. More than 150 participants attended the seminar (managers and representatives of large, medium and small companies, members of the academic community from the entire University, and representatives of the local self-government). The seminar was jointly organized by Graduate Program in Entrepreneurship, Center for Entrepreneurship Osijek and Business Incubator BIOS.

In the January 07-15, 2009 period, a group of 18 American students from the University of Illinois is visiting the J.J. Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Economics Osijek. Cooperation between University of Osijek and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, one of the most prestigious American universities, started in January 2008, when a group 24 American students visited our university. During their 10-day stay, they participated in classes and were also introduced to a range of institutions which contribute to stimulation of entrepreneurship and self-employment (Center for Entrepreneurship, BIOS, NOA, Savings and Loan Cooperative …). During this year’s visit, American students are split into teams with Croatian students, and they work together on concrete problems of eight small companies from Osijek. Full schedule of activities can be found below.

Today (December 29, 2008) another Master’s thesis was successfully defended. Mirta Šulmajster Šodić, student of the 2nd class of Graduate Program in Entrepreneurship has defended her thesis entitled “The Growing Market of Shopping Centers – Entrepreneurial Approach and Sustainable Development” before the committee of professors consisting of chairman Marcel Meler, Ph.D., Slavica Singer, Ph.D., and Stipan Penavin, Ph.D. (committee members). We congratulate Mirta, and wish wish her more entrepreneurial successes!

The sixth graduation ceremony of Masters of Science of Graduate Program in Entrepreneurship was held at the Faculty of Economics in Osijek on Saturday (December 12, 2008). Diplomas to new Masters of Science were handed by Željko Turkalj, Ph.D., Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Vladimir Cini, Ph.D., Vice Dean, and Slavica Singer, Ph.D., Head of the Graduate program in Entrepreneurship. The following students were promoted: Tatjana Andraković, Vilijana Belas, Ivana Bestvina Bukvić, Dinko Bukvić Buljubašić, Danka Marinković, Mikela Mušković, Sandra Mušković, Mirjana Nedović, Bojan Pitting and Daria Puhar.

Global Entrepreneurship Week is held from November 17-23, 2008, and is organized in more than 50 countries around the world. Activities on the local, regional and global level try to inspire young people around the world to entrepreneurship, innovative and proactive behavior.

Graduate Program in Entrepreneurship and the Department of Economics of J.J. Strossmayer University in Osijek have for more than 15 years been actively contributing to shaping and disseminating entrepreneurship knowledge and culture. This year the Program has joined the Croatian initiative to celebrate entrepreneurial behavior through the Global Entrepreneurship Week. In the cooperation with the Movie theatres Osijek, Ltd. a movie retrospective was put together. The movies present entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs as a universal phenomenon as well as an interesting area of human behavior. The movie retrospective under the title “Entrepreneurship – through the camera lenses” will feature movies which talk about the initiative, struggle and success of the entrepreneurial persons. The aim of this retrospective is to sensitize and encourage young people to a better understanding of entrepreneurship as well as to inspire more interest for entrepreneurship initiative.