Origin symposium

The International Scientific Research Project (ISRP) is one of the main events of study association EUREOS. EUREOS means Erasmus University Rotterdam study association for Entrepreneurship, Organization and Strategy and covers in particular the Master program ‘Entrepreneurs Strategy & Organization Economics’ and ‘Human Resource Management’. Since 1987, the Erasmus University Rotterdam and EUREOS have organised the ISRP on a yearly basis. This research project creates a superb opportunity for Master students of the School of Economics at the Erasmus University Rotterdam to obtain practical experience within a professional and international research project. After approximately 1,5 years the project is closed by the publication of a book and the organization of a symposium on the topic.

In March of 2009, thirteen highly motivated Master students went to Shanghai, China. The world’s most populous country, China, and in particular Shanghai, have exhibited extraordinary economic growth and are still economically expanding. The Chinese economy is becoming among the most powerful in the world. Therefore, the degree of sustainability within China is of evident importance for the world economy and global environmental wellbeing. Besides this research in Shanghai, other students have conducted similar research with firms based in the region of Rotterdam. The relation between China and the Netherlands is also significant. Numerous Dutch companies are present in Shanghai and other regions of China through foreign direct investments. In fact, the Netherlands are the second largest trade partner of China among EU countries. In particular with respect to sustainability, the presence of Dutch firms is significant.