Research Report

ERC Annual Reports

ERC Research Report


Author

ERC

Associated Themes
  • Business Growth

The Enterprise Research Centre (ERC) was launched in January 2013 to deepen understanding in the UK of the factors affecting small and medium sized business
investment, performance and growth. The Centre is a collaborative venture between five University Business Schools: Warwick,Aston, Imperial, Strathclyde and Birmingham. ERC aims to build long term research capability
which will act as a focal point for world-class research on SMEs in the UK and internationally. Our work informs stronger SME strategy and policy development in the UK by developing and
drawing on the evidence base and providing commentary, evaluation and challenge to policy makers and those serving small and medium sized firms.

The ERC’s research programme is distinctive in that it aims to place SMEs in their operating context recognising that:
 growth is strongly influenced, both positively and negatively, by the business eco-system;
 growth depends significantly on the role of SME leadership and capability;
 different SMEs have very different ways of growing – organically or by acquisition – and the barriers and enablers of each type of growth, and in each type of firm, may be very different.


Downloads