Europe’s Hidden Entrepreneurs Entrepreneurial Employee Activity and Competitiveness in Europe.

A new report by the World Economic Forum and the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor released today focuses on a hidden aspect of European innovation – intrapreneurship. Intrapreneurship involves workers formulating and implementing new ideas within organizations rather than starting their own businesses. The report draws upon data from the Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index and GEM’s Adult… Read more

Hammond’s Productivity Plan – what’s in it for small firms?

When Philip Hammond, the Chancellor, stood up to present the Autumn Statement he had a problem and a plan. The problem combined the hit on growth from Brexit, stubbornly low productivity and stretched public finances. The plan focuses on investing to boost productivity. So where do small firms fit in? Well – unlike many recent… Read more

ERC State of Small Business Britain Conference 2016

ERC’s State of Small Business Britain Conference 2016, co-hosted with the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Programme, welcomed over 100 delegates to the iconic London building, The Shard on 30th November. The morning session was chaired by Lucy Armstrong, Chair of the ERC’s Advisory board, and began with a welcome from ERC Director Professor Stephen… Read more

Is our obsession with fast growth and job creation stifling productivity?

As he stood at the Dispatch Box on November 23rd, Chancellor Philip Hammond laid bare to Parliament a problem that has been vexing economists since the 2008 crash. The UK, he intoned, has a truly dreadful productivity rate. To illustrate the point, he told MPs gathered for the Autumn Statement that the average UK worker… Read more

UK Local Growth Dashboard 2016

Complex picture of firm growth and job creation across the UK highlighted in latest research.  For business owners, being sent to Coventry might be just what they need to learn about creating jobs. And when it comes to growing a multimillion-pound turnover, entrepreneurs are better off basing themselves in Belfast and Aberdeen than London. The surprising… Read more

From Trump Towers to the White House

Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election could have consequences for the thousands of UK small and medium-sized businesses, especially as the US is the UK’s biggest export destination. During the campaign Trump made some remarks he may regret come January, but the general policy stance in terms of trade and industry is relatively clear:… Read more

Market failures in open innovation: implications and policy responses

Open innovation provides significant advantages for individual firms and may generate wider social benefits. Positive externalities related to knowledge sharing may result from openness itself, and enhanced levels of innovation may lead to otherwise unachieved innovation spillovers. A number of studies have suggested, however, that average levels of OI activity remain well below the level… Read more

Knowledge diffusion, innovation and productivity – changing the game in Wales

The current Brexit debate is important and the structure of the UK’s trading and migration arrangements with our international neighbours will influence our future prosperity. However, other more fundamental long term issues remain important for the UK around productivity. UK productivity lags significantly behind that of our main international competitors and Wales is at the… Read more

Brexit – the innovation bonus

Innovation is always risky. New technologies may not perform, or may take longer to develop than first anticipated. Customers may react negatively to new products or services and innovation may provoke a strong competitive response from competitors. Will uncertainty linked to the post-Brexit settlement increase or depress firms’ appetite for taking these innovation risks? It… Read more

Midlands Engine- Some faulty valves ?

ERC Deputy Director, Professor Mark Hart  undertook research for the Financial Times Special report  “High Growth Companies create jobs and wealth. How can we create more of them?” published 4th October. Data produced by the ERC for the annual UK Growth Dashboard, to be published next month, formed the basis for the chart used in the report.  … Read more