Amcham yearbook 2007-Tom5 - American Chamber of Commerce ...

Entrepreneurship and Global Competitiveness Global Competitiveness
AmCham’s panel on entrepreneurship. L to R: Jonathan Zuck, Association for Competitive Technology; Jens Hald Madsen, member, Danish Parliament;
Leif Beck Fallesen, Børsen; Paul Coleman, Biogen Idec; and Carl J. Schramm, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.
Building an Entrepreneurial Economy
Carl J. Schramm, president and chief executive
officer of the Ewing Marion Kauffman
Foundation, argued that Denmark has the
low unemployment and the labor flexibility
required to start building an entrepreneurial
economy. But whether Denmark has the
political will to go the route of entrepreneurship
is an open question, he said.
There are enormous implications for global
competitiveness and job creation at home.
Schramm joined a distinguished panel to discuss
this topic at an AmCham Business
Breakfast at the Hilton Copenhagen Airport
on January 20, 2006.
Schramm’s message to Denmark: western
economies should leave behind outmoded
industrial economic models and embrace
entrepreneurial capitalism.
In entrepreneurial systems, start-ups, universities,
big companies, and governments
interact to create dynamic economies that
do not guarantee security for individuals, but
ultimately are more resilient, prosperous, and
secure for all.
Photo : Hasse Ferrold
Carl J. Schramm, Ewing Marion Kauffman
Foundation, describes an ‘Entrepreneurial
Ecosystem.
Photo : Hasse Ferrold
Reaping the Benefits of Globalization
– The Economic Impact of Offshoring
Offshoring, a key issue tied to global competitiveness,
was the topic in February, when
globalization expert Diana Farrell, director of
the McKinsey Global Institute, addressed an
AmCham Denmark Business Breakfast at
Danske Bank’s “Kuppelsalen” in Copenhagen.
About 70 executives attended.
Bent Petersen, professor, Center
for Strategic Management and
Globalization, CBS, offered an
academic perspective.
Farrell and Bent Petersen, professor at the
Copenhagen Business School’s Center for
Strategic Management & Globalization,
pointed out that few global competition
issues generate more heat and emotion than
offshoring, the practice of moving business
functions to locations with lower costs. The
Diana Farrell,
McKinsey
Global Institute,
tells AmCham
members that
offshoring is
part of the formula
for productivity
in the
21st century
global economy.
facts show that every crown spent offshore
generates savings for consumers and value
for investors in Denmark.
Farrell recommended that Danish
decision makers:
• Free up the service sector, enabling it to
compete and produce at high levels
• Increase work incentives and labor
market flexibility
• Harmonize and consolidate regulations
across the European Union
Carl Schramm speaks with Ambassador Cain, who,
AmCham Chairman Paul Coleman, Biogen Idec,
during his introduction of Schramm, injected some
and Greg Burton, former economic officer for
of his own entrepreneurial experiences.
the U.S. Embassy, at the event.
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