The Enterprise and Diversity Alliance: Promoting Knowledge Exchange in the New Era of Business Support

该项目旨在建立企业和多样性联盟(EDA)，作为联合王国领先的企业家和少数族裔企业(即少数族裔、妇女和青年拥有的小企业)的知识交流网络。它将研究人员、公司、金融部门和专业团体聚集在一起，以追求一个核心目标：使多样性和企业成为每个人的业务。EDA是广泛研究和实践者活动的顶峰。它的第一年取得了成功，标志着公司的兴趣日益增长，并为少数族裔企业主制定了创新的支持倡议。ESRC再提供一年的支持，将使EDA成为指导少数族裔企业研究和实践的“首选”机构；规模更大；完全自筹资金。它也处于有利地位，可以填补商业支持领域出现的政策真空。企业扶持政策的深刻变化意味着，从以往扶持少数民族企业的举措中积累下来的经验教训，确实存在丢失的危险。EDA将防止这种可能性，并将确保将研究和实践的见解应用于新的倡议。将开展三方面的工作，以确保与相关利益攸关方广泛分享关于少数族裔企业的知识。首先，将启动两项针对少数族裔企业家的创新同行指导倡议。他们建立在成功的12/8网络之上，并将得到A.F.Blakemore&Son Ltd和国家电网的支持。少数族裔企业主将获得直接和高水平的支持，以实现他们的增长雄心。英国各地的少数族裔企业家也将成为有关关键发展和商业支持来源的定期电子时事通讯的目标。其次，该项目将把有关多样性和进取性的知识整合到大型组织的实践中。这项活动将集中在EDA的新成员，A.F.Blakemore&Son Ltd.，国家电网和莱斯特市议会。建议者将确保关键举措(例如A.F.Blakemore&Son Ltd.的领导力发展计划、国家电网和莱斯特市议会的采购实践)应用从EDA研究和实践中获得的关于多样性和企业的知识。最后，从实施EDA项目中获得的知识和见解将与合作组织更广泛的同行、专业和政策网络共享。实际上，EDA成员将成为同龄人中多样性和进取心的大使。这为EDA提供了一个影响重大国家倡议的机会。例如，我们的金融部门合作伙伴将与英国银行家协会合作，确保将多样性问题纳入关键领域，特别是数据收集和国家指导建议的实施。社区中的企业将向其企业成员介绍支持少数族裔企业主的同行指导网络的好处。CIPS和莱斯特市议会将推广有关多样性和采购的良好做法。定于2012年10月举行的第16届少数民族商业年会将致力于突出EDA的影响。

This project aims to establish the Enterprise and Diversity Alliance (EDA) as the United Kingdom's leading knowledge exchange network for entrepreneurship and minority businesses (that is, small enterprises owned by ethnic minorities, women and young people). It brings together researchers, corporations, the finance sector and professional bodies in order to pursue one central ambition: to 'make diversity and enterprise everyone's business'.The EDA is the culmination of extensive research and practitioner activity. It has had a successful first year, marked by growing interest from corporations and the development of innovative support initiatives for minority business owners. A further year's support from the ESRC would enable the EDA become: the 'go-to' body for guidance on research and practice on minority enterprise; larger in scale; and fully self-financing. It is also is well-placed to fill the policy vacuum that has arisen in the business support world. The profound changes to business support policy mean that the there is a real danger that the learning accumulated from previous initiatives to support minority enterprise will be lost. The EDA will guard against this possibility, and will ensure that insights from research and practice are applied to new initiatives.Three strands of work will be undertaken to ensure that knowledge on minority enterprise is shared widely with relevant stakeholders. First, two innovative peer mentoring initiatives with minority entrepreneurs will be launched. They build on the successful 12/8 network, and will be supported by A. F. Blakemore & Son Ltd and National Grid. Minority business owners will receive direct and high level support for their growth ambitions. Minority entrepreneurs across the UK will also be the target for a regular electronic newsletter on key developments and sources of business support. Second, the project will integrate knowledge on diversity and enterprise in the practices of large organisations. This activity will focus on the EDA's new members, A. F. Blakemore & Son Ltd., National Grid and Leicester City Council. The proposers will ensure that key initiatives (for example, the leadership development programmes of A. F. Blakemore & Son Ltd., National Grid, and procurement practices at Leicester City Council) apply the knowledge gained from EDA research and practice on diversity and enterprise.Finally, knowledge and insights from the implementation of the EDA project will be shared with the wider peer, professional and policy networks of partner organisations. In effect, EDA members will be ambassadors for diversity and enterprise amongst their peers. This provides an opportunity for the EDA to influence major national initiatives. For example, our finance sector partners will work with the British Bankers' Association to ensure that diversity issues are integrated in key areas, notably data-gathering and the implementation of the national mentoring proposition. Business in the Community will introduce its corporate members to the benefits of supporting peer mentoring networks with minority business owners. Good practice in relation to diversity and procurement will be promoted by CIPS and Leicester City Council.The 16th Annual Ethnic Minority Business Conference, scheduled for October 2012, will be dedicated to highlighting the impact of the EDA.