Contents and learning tracks

 An Open Space Leaves liberty to define the agenda for the day under a common theme: “Enterprise development and the global economic crisis” -while observing a series of principles and laws that structure the discussion.

The sub-prime mortgage crisis in the U.S. has blossomed into a global economic crisis affecting people and enterprises around the world.  Not all regions, countries and sectors have been affected in the same manner and the policy responses have varied.  The course will delve into the causes of the slowdown, its spread to other regions of the world, its evolving impact on enterprises and labour markets and, most specifically, the public policy measures taken by governments.  Participants will also discuss the role that employers’ organizations, including small business associations, can play through advocacy and support to their members.     

Conflict, the economy, and development are closely inter-related. Increasingly, it is being recognised that private sector development (PSD) has a crucial role to play in post-conflict situations, both as a important part of peacebuilding efforts and in the prevention of future conflict. Post-conflict situations present specific challenges for PSD, but also offer unique opportunities – challenges which we are still learning how to tackle, and opportunities which we are still learning how to develop. This elective will consider the range of current practice in what is a new and rapidly-developing field, encouraging participants to share their experiences. It will discuss the tensions inherent in working in conflict-affected environments, including the setting of priorities and the inevitable trade-off between urgency and sustainability. The elective will also explore in detail the many options for PSD programming in a post-conflict situation, considering how traditional approaches can be adapted to ensure conflict sensitivity. Finally, it will highlight key directions for post-conflict PSD in the future.

Restructuring takes many forms and the term is used to mean a wide variety of different actions. We will define re­structuring as the deliberate modification of formal relationships among organizational components undertaken with a view to achieving meaningful and long-lasting results (long-term survival, renewal, gaining of competitiveness, acquiring additional core competence and entering new markets, etc.). The concept of socially sensitive restructuring foresees the achievement of balance and con­sciously takes into consideration the interests and concerns of all the stakeholders who are affected by the changes and decisions. Social partnership is a corner stone of the ILO approach to restructuring.It is in everybody’s interest that restructuring is carried out in a way that does not put the high value of the organization’s human capital into jeopardy. It is important that fair management practices, communication and good industrial relations are applied throughout the change process. Socially sensitive restructuring therefore makes also good business sense.At times of crisis, enterprise restructuring is in particular common among the MSEs due to their high vulnerability when it comes to securing market shares, business loans, human resources, etc. The crisis has also highlighted importance of policy interventions needed to assist enterprise in their struggle to survive.

La promotion de l’entreprise et la création d’emplois revêtent une forte dimension locale. Les autorités régionales sont des acteurs importants dans la mise en œuvre des stratégies de développement économique local (DEL), assortie d'une collaboration étroite entre le secteur privé et la société civile. Leur rôle est d’identifier les avantages comparatifs spécifiques locaux et de les transformer en éléments compétitifs pour la croissance, y compris pour le développement durable. Les stratégies de DEL doivent articuler et adapter les politiques de développement national et sectoriel (des filières) au contexte local et faire en sorte qu’elles puissent offrir des bénéfices réels à tous les travailleurs. Le module sur le DEL posera des questions en ce qui concerne les politiques et les stratégies et exposera des histoires à succès. Quelles sont les options qui s'offrent aux individus, entreprises et régions pour être plus compétitifs dans une économie mondiale? Comment faut-il soutenir plus efficacement les entreprises dans un contexte local pour être plus durable? Quel est le rôle que jouent les acteurs publics et privés dans la conception et la supervision d’une stratégie de DEL? Quels sont les outils à notre disposition pour renforcer plus efficacement les stratégies de DEL?

La micro finance «  l’accès aux services financiers pour les populations pauvres et vulnérables », comme instrument de lutte contre la pauvreté, trouve sa pertinence dans ses applications diverses aux sphères du développement économique et social, allant de sa contribution à la création d’emploi par l’appui à la formalisation des entreprises du secteur informel, du développement des petites et moyennes entreprises, du développement de l’entreprenariat féminin et des jeunes , de la lutte contre la vulnérabilité à travers le développement de produits de gestion des risques ( micro assurance santé…)…

Ce cours est d’abord une revue des connaissances sur la théorie de la micro finance, son évolution depuis ces 20 dernières années…. Il examinera de manière pratique les produits financiers offerts, les techniques et méthodes employées pour atteindre les cibles,  ainsi que les typologies institutionnelles des structures de micro finance.

Ensuite, il sera choisi et discuté avec une étude pratique, une application spécifique de la micro finance : soit la formalisation - sortir progressivement les clients (entreprises du secteur informel) de l’informalité avec les résultats obtenus et les conditions de réplicabilité de l’expérience d’une institution de l’Afrique du Nord ; ou alors son rôle dans la réduction de la vulnérabilité dans le secteur informel avec la micro assurance.

Les participants auront l’occasion de partager leurs informations sur ces différents thèmes ainsi que d’échanger sur leurs expériences en tant que micro entreprises dans leurs pays respectifs.

This is the first training module developed specifically for microfinance and enterprise development practitioners that are interested in linkages in order to improve access of MSEs to both financial and non-financial services.

These innovative 4 sessions build on the new approaches developed in the last 10 years by a variety of microfinance institutions and by SME support practitioners.

From this track you will:

• Better understand and apply the principles of market development for financial and non-financial services
• Identify possible market niches for linking finance and BDS
• Apply the 6 type finance-BDS linkage typology and use the principles to identify strengths and weaknesses of your institutions
• Identify possible costs and benefits of linkage opportunities for participants institutions and programmes

Discuss emerging practices like Value Chain Finance.

Microfinance is a sexy topic among policymakers who believe that it is an effective and self-financing development strategy. This course will explore this assumption while considering the range of objectives that microfinance is often asked to accomplish, including job creation, reducing poverty, empowering women, building assets, increasing incomes, creating inclusive financial markets and so on. The course will also explore the tools that policymakers have at their disposal to promote microfinance — including banking regulations, cooperative and tax laws, apex facilities and directed credit — and consider the effectiveness of these tools. Lastly, the course will highlight some of the unintended consequences of microfinance policies.

The elective four sessions will focus on the upgrading informal enterprises (largely MSEs – micro and small enterprises). The course will be delivered together by Gopal Joshi, ILO Geneva and Kholoud Al-Khaldi, ITCILO Turin Centre. The course would examine the theoretical underpinnings of upgrading MSEs together with the strategies and experiences of various development agencies, including the ILO.  A Template will be used along with the resource materials for strategy development. How can public policy encourage participation of the private sector in unlocking the enterprise potential for creation of jobs and poverty reduction would be the focus of discussion.  ILO’s strategy of advancing Decent Work concept and Social Justice (as per the Declaration 2008) at the workplace would also be discussed. In formulating a strategy for upgrading the informal enterprises, a mix of policy options may need to be considered; i.e., legal recognition and empowerment, promoting linkages between formal and informal enterprises, scaling up the MSE activities and ensuring community support. Two Global Products developed in ILO Geneva:  Resource Guide for Upgrading MSEs and Labour Law & MSEs Resource Tool will be made available (on CD) along with recent reports,  articles and cases for discussion and strategy formulation during the course.

The learning track on social business development will explore three separate yet interlinked dimension of social business development, namely how to promote a culture of social entrepreneurship, how to identify social entrepreneurs and how to assist these social entrepreneurs with tailored social business development services. The learning track will introduce participants to a number of social enterprise case studies, and familiarize them with emerging ILO best practice in social business development.

Women entrepreneurs are a growing force around the world, contributing significantly to socio-economic development and employment creation in their countries.  Women’s and men’s full participation in society and the economy is essential for sustainable development and achievement of MDGs. In the current times of economic crisis, women’s entrepreneurship development is a potential growth area, however to harness this potential an inclusive and enabling business environment is needed.  The objectives will be for participants to be able to better understand steps to achieving an enabling business environment for women’s entrepreneurship development, to know how specific approaches benefit women entrepreneurs, to be aware of tools and approaches available at the ILO. Among the course contents: mapping the business environment and how it affects entrepreneurs, in particular women entrepreneurs, promotion of women’s entrepreneurship development at the ILO, women entrepreneurs and enterprise culture – fostering positive attitudes towards women’s entrepreneurship development, key elements for women entrepreneurs to consolidate and grow sustainable businesses, tools and approaches to support women entrepreneurs’ business sustainability and growth.

Les femmes entrepreneures montent en puissance au niveau mondial. Elles contribuent de manière significative au développement socio-économique et à la création d’emploi dans leurs pays. La pleine participation des femmes et des hommes dans la société et dans l’économie est un aspect essentiel du développement durable et de la réalisation des objectifs du millénaire pour le développement. Dans le contexte actuel de crise économique, le développement de l’entrepreneuriat féminin est un domaine qui présente un bon potentiel de croissance, cependant afin d’exploiter ce potentiel, il faut d’abord qu’un environnement propice aux affaires soit en place. A l’issue de cet atelier, les participants devraient : mieux comprendre les étapes nécessaires à la mise en place d’un environnement des affaires favorable au développement de l’entrepreneuriat féminin ; savoir en quoi certaines approches sont favorables aux femmes chefs d’entreprise ; et savoir quels sont les outils et les approches disponibles auprès de l’OIT. Parmi les sujets qui seront abordés pendant l’atelier, on peut citer: la cartographie de l’environnement des affaires et son impact sur les entrepreneurs, et plus particulièrement sur les femmes chefs d’entreprise; la promotion du développement de l’entrepreneuriat féminin au sein de l’OIT ; les femmes entrepreneures et la culture d’entreprise – encourager les bonnes dispositions envers le développement de l’entrepreneuriat féminin ; les éléments clés pour que les femmes chefs d’entreprise parviennent à consolider et développer leur activité durablement ; les outils et les approches qui contribuent à la pérennisation et à l’expansion des activités des femmes chefs d’entreprise.

Youth Entrepreneurship

The term cluster has become a buzzword in economic policy. The IT cluster of Silicon Valley, the Italian eye-wear cluster of Belluno, the high tech industry of Bangalore (India) and the Chilean wine clusters are but a few examples of successful clusters. Dynamic clusters can achieve high levels of growth, gain a stable foothold in the international market and generate wealth and prosperity at the local level. While there is broad agreement that clusters can play an important role in economic growth and poverty reduction, policy makers and development practitioners in developing countries are increasingly concerned with learning how to implement cluster initiatives and policies. This module on Cluster Promotion will address these and further concerns. To start with, how are clusters different from a value chain or a network of enterprises? What makes them competitive? And, how can cluster initiatives contribute to poverty reduction? The UNIDO team will lead you through concepts and tools for cluster selection and analysis, activity planning and good practices for implementation. Also, scope and criteria for monitoring and evaluation will be discussed.  The course combines the presentation of the UNIDO methodology with group works and discussions aimed to facilitate experience sharing and interaction among participants. Emphasis is placed on the presentation of real life case studies from UNIDO project experience and your own.

This is the first training module developed specifically for microfinance and enterprise development practitioners that are interested in linkages in order to improve access of MSEs to both financial and non-financial services.

These innovative 4 sessions build on the new approaches developed in the last 10 years by a variety of microfinance institutions and by SME support practitioners.

From this track you will:

• Better understand and apply the principles of market development for financial and non-financial services
• Identify possible market niches for linking finance and BDS
• Apply the 6 type finance-BDS linkage typology and use the principles to identify strengths and weaknesses of your institutions
• Identify possible costs and benefits of linkage opportunities for participants institutions and programmes

Discuss emerging practices like Value Chain Finance.

Women entrepreneurs are a growing force around the world, contributing significantly to socio-economic development and employment creation in their countries.  Women’s and men’s full participation in society and the economy is essential for sustainable development and achievement of MDGs. In the current times of economic crisis, women’s entrepreneurship development is a potential growth area, however to harness this potential an inclusive and enabling business environment is needed.  The objectives will be for participants to be able to better understand steps to achieving an enabling business environment for women’s entrepreneurship development, to know how specific approaches benefit women entrepreneurs, to be aware of tools and approaches available at the ILO. Among the course contents: mapping the business environment and how it affects entrepreneurs, in particular women entrepreneurs, promotion of women’s entrepreneurship development at the ILO, women entrepreneurs and enterprise culture – fostering positive attitudes towards women’s entrepreneurship development, key elements for women entrepreneurs to consolidate and grow sustainable businesses, tools and approaches to support women entrepreneurs’ business sustainability and growth.

Les femmes entrepreneures montent en puissance au niveau mondial. Elles contribuent de manière significative au développement socio-économique et à la création d’emploi dans leurs pays. La pleine participation des femmes et des hommes dans la société et dans l’économie est un aspect essentiel du développement durable et de la réalisation des objectifs du millénaire pour le développement. Dans le contexte actuel de crise économique, le développement de l’entrepreneuriat féminin est un domaine qui présente un bon potentiel de croissance, cependant afin d’exploiter ce potentiel, il faut d’abord qu’un environnement propice aux affaires soit en place. A l’issue de cet atelier, les participants devraient : mieux comprendre les étapes nécessaires à la mise en place d’un environnement des affaires favorable au développement de l’entrepreneuriat féminin ; savoir en quoi certaines approches sont favorables aux femmes chefs d’entreprise ; et savoir quels sont les outils et les approches disponibles auprès de l’OIT. Parmi les sujets qui seront abordés pendant l’atelier, on peut citer: la cartographie de l’environnement des affaires et son impact sur les entrepreneurs, et plus particulièrement sur les femmes chefs d’entreprise; la promotion du développement de l’entrepreneuriat féminin au sein de l’OIT ; les femmes entrepreneures et la culture d’entreprise – encourager les bonnes dispositions envers le développement de l’entrepreneuriat féminin ; les éléments clés pour que les femmes chefs d’entreprise parviennent à consolider et développer leur activité durablement ; les outils et les approches qui contribuent à la pérennisation et à l’expansion des activités des femmes chefs d’entreprise.

Cleaner production is a recognized approach to both increase productivity and

reduce the environmental footprint of the enterprise. This learning track

provides an introduction to productivity and the various factors affecting it

before presenting methodologies to use cleaner production as a productivity

enhancing strategy. This learning track is delivered jointly by UNIDO and the

ILO, building on the respective organizations' experiences in cleaner production

and responsible workplace practices.

Restructuring takes many forms and the term is used to mean a wide variety of different actions. We will define re­structuring as the deliberate modification of formal relationships among organizational components undertaken with a view to achieving meaningful and long-lasting results (long-term survival, renewal, gaining of competitiveness, acquiring additional core competence and entering new markets, etc.). The concept of socially sensitive restructuring foresees the achievement of balance and con­sciously takes into consideration the interests and concerns of all the stakeholders who are affected by the changes and decisions. Social partnership is a corner stone of the ILO approach to restructuring.It is in everybody’s interest that restructuring is carried out in a way that does not put the high value of the organization’s human capital into jeopardy. It is important that fair management practices, communication and good industrial relations are applied throughout the change process. Socially sensitive restructuring therefore makes also good business sense.At times of crisis, enterprise restructuring is in particular common among the MSEs due to their high vulnerability when it comes to securing market shares, business loans, human resources, etc. The crisis has also highlighted importance of policy interventions needed to assist enterprise in their struggle to survive.

After having given a comparative overview of different enterprise types and their fundamental characteristics, the course will deal with the comparative advantages and disadvantages of cooperatives. It will especially discuss why cooperatives seem to be more resilient to the current crisis than other business models.

The aim of the course is to create awareness among economic actors, business advisors and other stakeholders that each enterprise type responds differently to varying needs, especially in terms of governance and financial matters and that the efficient pursuance of specific objectives through an enterprise depends not the least on the right choice of the enterprise type.

Private Sector Development is attracting great interest, but not yet total consensus around what constitutes ‘best practice’. Some place high priority on reforming the business environment – and indeed the regulatory burden for business in some of the poorest countries is very high. Others argue that this is not sufficient, and that a more active industrial policy is justified by the achievements of some Asian economies in particular; Value chain development and Making Markets Work for the Poor (M4P) are also popular banners for a more active stance. But what about public-private partnerships, local economic development, or social entrepreneurship – surely these are all also PSD? This participatory session will discuss why we have different approaches, how they might fit together, and what the future holds – for example around results measurement, emerging donors, and the Paris Declaration.