Enterprise Research Centre (ERC)

过去的研究在很大程度上未能对中小企业的业绩形成一个强有力的理解。原因有三：第一，没有认识到创业雄心和领导能力的重要性;第二，研究没有认识到增长的各种方式及其对企业经营环境的依赖;第三，“增长”通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了一种动态和多层次的方法，包括创业团队，公司及其运营环境。我们提出的研究分为六个工作包（WP），每个工作包都有一个指定的首席研究员。每个工作方案的前三个月将用于编制一份专题白色文件--一份最新的调查报告。WP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、24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。它们是：WP 1：创业雄心与增长（牵头：Autio）-研究将侧重于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业绩的其他驱动因素之间的相互作用。该工作方案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和发展指数方法为基础。分析将是国际性和比较性的。WP 2：创业领导力，能力和增长（铅：洛基特）-这个WP的重点是影响企业主的增长意图和能力的因素，以及他们对增长的影响。创业者（及其团队）的创业心智模式如何塑造他们的成长意图？是什么因素塑造了这些思维模式和企业领导团队的能力？WP 3：新兴经济中的多样性和中小企业-个人和家庭的影响（领导：卡特）-这个工作方案建立在企业和多样性联盟（EDA）的工作，以了解代表性不足的群体创业增长的障碍。一个中心主题将是个人的家庭和社区环境、抱负及其为中小企业融资和发展的决定之间的关系。与EDA的合作将最大限度地发挥研究的实际影响。我们提出的其他三个工作包都以中小企业为分析单位：工作包4：融资与增长（牵头人：Wright）-这一工作包将探讨在企业发展的不同阶段和不同类型的企业获得融资对增长的影响，反映中小企业融资的需求和供应。研究问题将包括：融资在解释企业生存和增长中的作用;增长与债务融资之间的关系;借款人对信贷供应的看法和气馁的借款人的问题;银行贷款决定的决定因素;不同类型企业的融资和增长。（引导：爱）-本工作方案将侧重于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：创新和出口对增长业绩的影响;中小企业创新和出口的主要驱动因素和障碍;当地知识、创新联系和出口学习对中小企业创新的影响。分析将是国际性的和比较性的。WP 6：公司动态，创造就业机会和生产率增长（铅：哈特）-这个WP侧重于商业人口和增长的动态。哪些类型的企业负责创造就业机会和经济增长？证据是否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力？哪些类型的中小企业有助于创造就业机会和提高生产力？

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?