The Visibility Paradox-Navigating Growth & Strategy in the Informal Economy

In our second webinar focused on aspects of informal economy research hear from Dr Robert Nason on The Visibility Paradox - Navigating Growth & Strategy in the Informa Economy

As the scope of the field of entrepreneurship expands into new domains such as the informal economy, it is important to critically reflect on and challenge received wisdom and taken granted assumptions in entrepreneurship research. We will explore this using the case of Visibility. In the formal economy, visibility is a taken for granted strategic imperative. In the informal economy, visibility comes with uniques threats - from government, community, criminals and beyond. This creates a paradox as still need customers. Impacts strategies and growth. We need for new methods and approaches to unveil the complex practices of informal economy entrepreneurs. We will discuss strategies for publishing and disseminating work on the informal economy.

Robert is a William Dawson Scholar and associate professor of Strategy and Organization at the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University. Robert’s research has focused on the role of entrepreneurship in society covering areas of family business, behavioral strategy, growth, and the informal economy. His current research initiatives are particularly focused on entrepreneurship and economic inequality – examining entrepreneurial activity in contexts of poverty and wealth. Robert has received awards for research, including the Academy of Management Entrepreneurship Division’s Emerging Scholar Award in 2020, and teaching, including Poets & Quants Best 40 Under 40 MBA Professors (2022) and the Desautels Core Strategy MBA Teaching Award (2022).

Robert’s research has been funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and the Fonds Québécois de la Recherche sur la Société et la Culture (FRQ-SC). His work has been published in leading academic outlets such as Academy of Management Review, Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Management, Journal of Business Venturing, and Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Robert previously served as an Editor for Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice and is on the Editorial Board of Academy of Management Review, Journal of Management, Journal of Business Venturing, and Strategy Entrepreneurship Journal. In his commitment to research with practical relevance, Robert collaborates in his research and its dissemination with non-profit organizations including the Family Enterprise Foundation in Canada and the Sustainable Livelihood Foundation in South Africa.

This will take place UK time 2pm, EAT 5pm. A zoom link will be emailed out to everyone registered by 10 December