Engaging Rural Micros for increased productivity Trial

这项试验旨在刺激传统上“难以参与”的农村微型企业的“增长心态”，使用支持性方法克服他们停滞和过度工作的倾向，并增加在业务上而不是在业务上工作的时间。重点将放在“有目的的生产力”上，而不是为了生产力本身。这是我们研究的第二阶段;第一阶段询问企业他们认为参与的障碍是什么，以及未来的业务支持计划如何克服这些障碍并鼓励参与。这项试验使用收集到的信息来设计和测试不同的参与方法，并探索鼓励农村微型企业采用现代技术和商业惯例的最佳方法。这项试验基于两个研究问题：* 在德文郡，与农村微型企业接触的最有效方法是什么？*增加采用现有技术和商业做法以提高农村微型企业生产力水平的最适当方法是什么？在这项研究中要探讨的其他问题包括“为什么”这些方法是有效的，以及是否随后的好处的结果。微型企业和个体经营者（少于10名员工）占德文郡农村经济的90.1%（不包括埃克塞特）。有证据表明，他们很难参与，需要更基本的“以人为本”的支持，通过采用现代技术和管理做法来提高生产力。帮助这些企业接受新技术和现代化的工作方式，通过支持的人，可以对我们的农村经济以及心理健康和福祉产生重大影响。这项试验将确定如何最好地实现这一目标，以及如何设计未来的商业支持计划，以吸引和支持农村微型企业。试验将以人口<10 000的定居点为基础，横跨德文郡和萨默塞特的埃克斯穆尔和布莱克当山区，在四个代表性过高的部门：旅游业;卫生和社会保健;贸易;这项研究的结果包括一个强大的，以证据为基础的学术评估，将科学地衡量干预措施和方法的成功。现有和未来的商业支助方案将利用这一情报来设计有效的农村微型参与和支助。如果干预措施取得成功，由此产生的微观增长心态可能会刺激未来对支助的吸收和扩大。

This trial aims to stimulate 'growth mindsets' with traditionally 'hard to engage' rural micros using a supportive approach to overcome their tendencies towards stagnation and overworking, and increase time working on the business rather than in the business. The focus will be on 'productivity for a purpose' rather than productivity for its own sake. We will evaluate subsequent increase in adoption of new practices and technologies and ultimately, productivity.This is the second stage of our research; the first stage asked businesses what they felt are their barriers to engagement and how future business support programmes could overcome these and encourage engagement. This trial uses the information gathered to design and test different methods of engagement and explores the best methods of encouraging rural micro businesses to adopt modern technologies and business practices.The trial is based on two research questions:* What are the most effective methods of engagement with rural micro businesses in Devon?* What is the most appropriate method to increase adoption of existing technologies and business practices to boost levels of productivity among rural micro businesses?Additional questions to explore in this study include 'why' these methods are effective, and whether subsequent benefits result.Micro businesses and sole traders (less than 10 employees) make up 90.1 % of Devon's rural economy (excluding Exeter). Evidence shows they are hard to engage and need a more basic level of 'person-centred' support to increase productivity via adoption of modern technology and management practices. Helping these businesses to embrace new technologies and modern ways of working by supporting the person, could have a significant impact on our rural economy as well as mental health and wellbeing. This Trial will identify how this can best be achieved, and how future Business Support Programmes can be designed to engage and support rural micro businesses.The Trial will be based in settlements with a population < 10,000 across Devon and the Exmoor and Blackdown Hills areas of Somerset, in four overrepresented sectors: Tourism; Health and Social Care; Trades; and Manufacturers.Outcomes of this research include a robust, evidence based academic evaluation that will scientifically measure the success of the interventions and methods. This intelligence will be utilised by existing and future Business Support Programmes to design effective rural micro engagement and support. If interventions are successful, the resulting micro growth mindset could stimulate future support uptake and be scaled-up.