Michael Schaper Editor & Author

Michael Schaper (BA, MComm, PhD) is an adjunct professor at Curtin Business School, Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia, and is also deputy chairman (responsible for small business issues) of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Michael was previously dean of Murdoch Business School, head of the School of Business at Bond University, and held the foundation professorial chair in Entrepreneurship and Small Business at the University of Newcastle, Australia. He has extensive experience in the area of small business through his previous roles, which have included appointments as Small Business Commissioner for the Australian Capital Territory, and as President of the Small Enterprise Association of Australia and New Zealand.
Before his academic career, Michael worked for several years as a professional small business adviser in Australia. In addition, he ran his own business and was involved in numerous other start-up projects. He holds a PhD and a Master of Commerce degree from Curtin University of Technology, as well as a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Australia. Michael is the author or co-author of ten books, all in the field of business management, and numerous journal articles, newspaper columns and scholarly research papers.

Thierry Volery is a professor of Entrepreneurship and the Director of the Swiss Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business at the University of St Gallen, Switzerland. From September 1999 until 2002, he was a professor of Entrepreneurship at EM Lyon Business School, France. He was previously a senior lecturer in Entrepreneurship and International Business at Curtin University of Technology in Perth, Western Australia.
Thierry has been a visiting professor at the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) in Shanghai and at the University of Western Australia Business School. He has served on several editorial boards, including the Journal of Small Business Management, the International Small Business Journal, the Journal of Enterprising Culture and the International Journal of Educational Management. He holds a doctorate in business economics and social sciences from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. His research interests include entrepreneurs’ behaviours and competencies, entrepreneurship education and training, and innovation in small firms.

Paull Weber is a senior lecturer in Entrepreneurship and Small Business at Curtin University in Western Australia. He hails from a banking background and began his academic career after completing a research Masters in marketing in 2003 and then a PhD in entrepreneurship in 2007. He has taught management and marketing courses in small business management, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, marketing communications and marketing principles. His research activities concentrate in the areas of mature entrepreneurship, lifestyle entrepreneurship, small business success metrics, growth perceptions and motives, ethics in small business and tourism.
Paull has contributed several book chapters, journal articles and case studies in the disciplines of entrepreneurship and tourism. He is also the deputy chair of Business Foundations, a highly successful and well-respected business incubator, advisory and training organisation that has assisted many thousands of small business owners over a 20-year period.

Brian Gibson has over 30 years experience in universities, including positions as lecturer and senior lecturer at the University of Newcastle, Director of the Institute of Industrial Economics at the University of Newcastle, associate professor in Accounting at Murdoch University, and professor in Accounting at the University of New England. In addition to his current part-time roles in curriculum development and research with TOP Education, he is currently a conjoint professor in the Newcastle Business School at the University of Newcastle and Director of International Accounting at Rangsit University in Thailand. Prof. Gibson has served on several accrediting committees including the Australian Society of CPAs National Accreditation Sub Committee and has recently been appointed to the TEQSA register of experts in accounting and business. He is also a past President and a Wilford White Fellow of the International Council for Small Business (ICSB) and the immediate past President of the Small Enterprise Association of Australia and New Zealand (SEAANZ). His primary research achievements are in the area of the management (especially financial management, accounting and governance) of small enterprises (privately-held firms). Research outcomes include 28 refereed journal publications, 61 refereed conference presentations, 42 other publications (including papers in books) and presentations, and involvement in research projects with funding of $225 000. He is currently consulting editor of Small Enterprise Research (the journal of SEAANZ) and an editorial board member on several other international journals.