Publication

Research Report

State of Small Business Britain Report 2018

Published: 20 June 2018

The report brings together a range of the latest data and insights on the growth and performance of UK SMEs. It sets out key SME trends based on a round-up of the latest research evidence including analysis of the Business Structures Database and the Longitudinal Small Business Survey. It also reports on the key findings from the ERC’s first Micro-business Britain survey, and from the 2018 UK Local Growth Dashboard – an annual publication which presents growth metrics for start-ups and existing firms across a range of sub-national geographies, including LEP areas.
Launched at the ERC’s Annual State of Small Business Britain Conference 2018.

Author

ERC,

Associated Themes
  • Business Growth
  • Management and Leadership
  • Productivity and performance
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Related publications

Research Report

ERC Annual Reports

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.

Download the 2013/2014 report here : https://www.enterpriseresearch.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ERC-ANNUAL-REPORT-2013-14.pdf
Download the 214/2015 report here : https://www.enterpriseresearch.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/ERC-ANNUAL-REPORT-2014-15.pdf

Published: 13 June 2015
Insight

Does the City of Culture (COC) create long-term benefits? Comparing the performance of Derry-Londonderry to other short-listed cities. ERC Insight Paper

Evidence on the long-term effects of Cities of Culture (COC) is limited. Here, we compare the pre- and post-COC performance of the UK COC for 2013 Derry-Londonderry (D-L) with that of the other shortlisted cities. There is some evidence that despite weaker growth performance prior to the COC the post-COC GDP growth of D-L has been significantly stronger. This post-COC growth effect is particularly evident in Distribution, transport, accommodation and food and construction. The COC also led to a step-change in visitor numbers to D-L, a positive effect which persisted through to 2016 at least. Job creation through inward investment was also stronger in D-L in the post-COC period. We cannot establish any direct causal connection between COC 2013 and these trends but suggest that the evidence does at least suggest a prima facie case for the positive longer-term benefits of COCs

Published: 17 September 2019
Research Paper

Localisation of Industrial Activity across England’s LEPs: 2008 & 2012 .Research Paper No 15.

Published: 31 December 2013