Enterprise Research Centre (ERC)

过去的研究在很大程度上未能形成对中小企业绩效的有力理解。造成这种情况的原因有三个：首先，人们未能认识到创业雄心和领导能力的重要性；其次，研究没有认识到增长发生的各种方式及其对企业经营环境的依赖；第三，“增长”经常被视为短期结果变量，而不是动态过程的一部分。为了解决这些问题，我们的研究建议采用一种动态的、多层次的方法，包括创业团队、公司及其经营环境。我们提议的研究被组织成六个工作包（WPs），每个工作包都有一个指定的首席研究员。每个工作计划的头三个月将用来编制一份专题白皮书-一份最新的调查报告。WPs还分享了与英国小企业状况报告和中小企业峰会相关的12个月、24个月和36个月的里程碑。三个工作包侧重于创业领导团队和成长。WP1：创业雄心与成长（Lead: Autio）——研究将重点关注在不同背景下是什么塑造了创业雄心，以及创业雄心与中小企业绩效的其他驱动因素之间的相互作用。该工作计划采用计量经济学的多层次方法，并将以最近制定的全球创业与发展指数（GEDI）方法为基础。分析将具有国际性和可比性。WP2：企业家领导力、能力和成长（Lead: Lockett）——本工作计划侧重于影响企业主成长意图和能力的因素及其对增长的影响。企业家（和他们的团队）对企业的思维模式是如何塑造他们的增长意图的？是什么因素塑造了这些思维模式和公司领导团队的能力？WP3：新兴经济体中的多样性与中小企业——个人和家庭的影响（组长：Carter）——本工作报告以企业与多样性联盟（EDA）的工作为基础，旨在了解代表性不足群体创业成长的障碍。一个中心主题将是个人的家庭和社区环境、雄心与他们资助和发展中小企业的决定之间的关系。与EDA的合作将使研究的实际影响最大化。我们提出的另外三个工作包以中小企业为分析单位：WP4：金融与增长（组长：Wright）——该工作包将探讨在企业发展的不同阶段和不同类型的企业，融资渠道对增长的影响，反映中小企业融资的需求和供应。研究问题将包括：金融在解释企业生存和成长中的作用；经济增长与债务融资的关系；借款人对信贷供应的看法和泄气借款人的问题；银行贷款决策的决定因素；不同类型公司的融资和增长。WP5：中小企业创新、出口和增长——嵌入式视角（Lead: Love）——本工作报告将重点关注中小企业创新和出口的相互关联的障碍和推动因素及其对增长的影响。关键问题将涉及：创新和出口对增长绩效的影响；中小企业创新和出口的主要驱动力和障碍；本地知识、创新联系和出口学习对中小企业创新的影响。分析将具有国际性和可比性。WP6：企业动态，创造就业机会和生产率增长(Lead: Hart) -该工作计划侧重于企业人口和增长的动态。哪些类型的公司负责创造就业机会和经济增长？有证据表明，中小企业的增长是否在短期或长期内提高了国家生产率？哪些类型的中小企业有助于创造就业和提高生产率？

Past research has largely failed to develop a robust understanding of SME performance. There are three reasons for this: first, there has been a failure to recognise the importance of entrepreneurial ambition and leadership capabilities; second, studies have not acknowledged the variety of ways in which growth occurs and its dependence on firms' operating context; and, third, 'growth' has very often been regarded as a short-term outcome variable rather than part of a dynamic process. To address these issues our research proposals adopt a dynamic and multi-level approach embracing the entrepreneurial team, the firm and its operating environment. Our proposed research is organised into six work packages (WPs) each with a specified lead researcher. The first three months of each WP will be used to compile a thematic White Paper - a state of the art survey. WPs also have shared milestones at 12, 24 and 36 months linked to the State of Small Business in Britain report and SME Summit. Three work packages focus on the entrepreneurial leadership team and growth. These are:WP1: Entrepreneurial Ambition and Growth (Lead: Autio) - research will focus on what shapes entrepreneurial ambition in different contexts, and the interaction between entrepreneurial ambition and other drivers of SME performance. This WP adopts an econometric, multi-level approach and will build on the recently developed Global Entrepreneurship and Development Index (GEDI) methodology. Analysis will be international and comparative. WP2: Entrepreneurial Leadership, Capabilities and Growth (Lead: Lockett) - this WP focuses on the factors which influence business owners' growth intentions and capabilities and their influence on growth. How do the mental models entrepreneurs (and their teams) have of their ventures shape their growth intentions? What factors shape these mental models and the capabilities of firms' leadership teams?WP3: Diversity and SMEs in the Emerging Economy - Individual and Household Influences (Lead: Carter) - this WP builds on the work of the Enterprise and Diversity Alliance (EDA) to understand the barriers to entrepreneurial growth in under-represented groups. A central theme will be the relationships between individuals' household and community setting, ambition and their decisions to finance and grow SMEs. Engagement with the EDA will maximise practical impacts from the research. Our three other proposed work packages have the SME as the unit of analysis:WP4: Finance and Growth (Lead: Wright) - this WP will explore the impact of access to finance on growth at different points in firms' development and for different types of firms reflecting both the demand for and supply of SME finance. Research issues will include: the role of finance in explaining firm survival and growth; the relationship between growth and debt finance; borrowers' perceptions of credit supply and issues of discouraged borrowers; the determinants of banks' lending decisions; finance and growth in different types of firms.WP5: SME Innovation, exporting and growth - An Embedded Perspective (Lead: Love) - this WP will focus on the inter-related barriers and enablers of SME innovation and exporting and their growth implications. Key questions will relate to: the effect of innovation and exporting on growth performance; the key drivers and barriers of SME innovation and exports; the effects of local knowledge, innovation linkages and learning-by-exporting on SME innovation. Analysis will be international and comparative.WP6: Firm Dynamics, Job Creation and Productivity Growth (Lead: Hart) - this WP focuses on the dynamics of business demography and growth. Which types of firms are responsible for job creation and economic growth? Does the evidence suggest whether SME growth enhances national productivity in the short or longer term? What types of SMEs contribute to job creation and productivity growth?