Commissioned reports on SMEs, innovation and entrepreneurship
In addition to producing the Quarterly Survey of Small Business in Britain, our researchers undertake high quality, independent and objective commissioned research on a variety of topics related to entrepreneurship, innovation and SMEs. In conducting these studies, we bring together small teams of subject specialists to address emerging issues. Recent project themes range from the impact of government regulations on small firms to the role of asset finance and the use of professional accounting services. We can offer specialist research capabilities in several related fields, including:
- Environmental sustainability and CSR
- Entrepreneurial learning and enterprise education
- International dimensions of entrepreneurship
- ICTs and e-commerce
- Marketing and communications
- Financial management
- Social enterprise
- Public policy
The following published reports are currently available for £25 for printed copies delivered to your door or as a free PDF download - unless otherwise stated.
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SME Use of External Accountancy Services (April 2010)Buy printed version
Small and medium-sized firms gain confidence in their accountants by knowing that they are subject to review by their professional bodies. Researchers Andrew McCann and Colin Gray found competence, ethics and integrity to be the most important factors which firms believe professional bodies should monitor. Key findings included:
- Three-quarters of small and medium-sized firms use the services of an external accountant, but over a third of the very smallest firms get by without this outside support.
- Competence is by far the most important factor when selecting an accountant, with cost being far less important.
- Almost all small and medium-sized firms know that qualified accountants are regulated, but the level of understanding varies.
- 83% of firms gain extra confidence from the fact that qualified accountants are subject to review by their professional body.
- The top two factors which firms believe that accountancy professional bodies should regularly monitor are the competence of partners and qualified staff and the firm’s integrity and ethics.
This study was commissioned by The Professional Oversight Board (POB). The POB is part of the UK’s Financial Reporting Council and contributes to the FRC’s fundamental aim of supporting investor, market and public confidence in the financial and governance stewardship of listed and other entities.
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Recession Effects on New Equipment Investment in SMEs (March 2010)Buy printed version
Researchers Andrew McCann and Colin Gray found that the net proportion of small firms that have invested in their businesses has remained negative for the past 15 months. Sixteen percent of small firms – especially hotels, restaurants and wholesalers are reporting the lack of new equipment is having an adverse impact on their performance and to a small number of firms is posing a risk to the survivability of the business. Over one-third of firms (particularly the smallest) have no need for new equipment, while many of the rest have been able to continue to replace the equipment needed in their business, despite the recession.
This supplement, based on the findings from the first Quarter 2010 of the Quarterly Survey of Small Business in Britain was sponsored by the Finance and Leasing Association (FLA).
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Asset Finance and SMEs (March 2009)Buy printed version
Small business finance has been a recurrent theme of the Quarterly Survey of Small Business in Britain. The patterns revealed in the successive surveys confirm the findings from earlier major studies that most small firms, especially the very smallest and non-growth firms do not make use of external equity and try to avoid debt capital.
In general, most small firms in Britain rely strongly on personal and family savings, retained earnings and bank overdrafts. However, focus of this report is not on the majority of small firms but on those that do use external capital to survive, grow and employ, with a special focus on the characteristics of those that make use of asset finance, such as hire-purchase and leasing.
This supplement, based on the findings from the fourth Quarter 2008 of the Quarterly Survey of Small Business in Britain was sponsored by the Finance and Leasing Association (FLA).
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SME Facts & Issues (October 2008)Buy printed version
This report, published by the Small Enterprise Research Team (SERTeam) and authored by John Stanworth and David Purdy (University of Westminster), is an updated and expanded version of a publication produced earlier by the Westminster Business School, University of Westminster. It draws together a mass of available published data on SMEs and distills it, with commentary, into a form accessible to researchers, politicians and small business bodies.
This report was sponsored by Lloyds TSB Commercial.
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Business Support Professionals in Britain (Summer 2008)Buy printed version
This survey of over 1000 advisers, conducted between April and June 2008 by Colin Gray and Andrew McCann (SERTeam) and Nottingham University Business School, looked into client performance, current business problems, managing the downturn and the impact of government regulations. The participants comprised of accountants (34%), business and management consultants (34%), marketing consultants (13%) as well as a sample drawn from the Business Links and independents.
This report was funded by Barclays.
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Ethnic Minorities in Business (March 2008)Buy printed version
This monograph, published by the Small Enterprise Research Team (SERTeam) and authored by Monder Ram and Trevor Jones (De Montfort University) updates and develops an earlier review in 1998 of ethnic minority entrepreneurship in Britain.
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Business Support Professionals in Britain (November 2007)Buy printed version
This survey, by Colin Gray and Andrew McCann (SERTeam) and Nottingham University Business School, is the first report in a series based on the individual responses from almost 2,000 business advisers and consultants. The report focuses on business problems and performance from the perspective of these experienced and professional business support practitioners as well as exploring their attitudes to their own main problems and key policy issues. The report starts with a review of the policy, business and professional context and environment in which business support practitioners operate and identifies the key issues. Then the findings of the survey are presented in four sections – performance, motivation, problems and future perspectives – followed by conclusions summarising the key findings.
This report was funded by Barclays.
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Accountancy and Auditing for Small and Medium Companies (November 2005)Buy printed version
The survey of more than 600 small and medium UK companies was conducted in September 2005 for the Professional Oversight Board for Accountancy (POBA). According to the findings, despite exemptions from the requirement to file audited accounts at Companies House as part of the Government’s efforts to reduce regulatory burdens on small firms, many exempt small firms still continue to file audited accounts and their net use of accountants has actually increased.
The report was edited by Graham Bannock and Colin Gray and published by Small Enterprise Research Team (SERTeam).
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Government Regulation and the Small Firm (October 2005)Buy printed version
Small firms do suffer disproportionate costs when complying with government regulations but their biggest problems often stem more from having to cope with a raft of frequently changing regulations according to this report from the Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE). Edited and published by the Small Enterprise Research Team (SERTeam), the report brings together the latest research from leading UK academics on the impact of regulations on small firms.
This report was supported by the Association of Chartered Accountants (ACCA).
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