Sociology of Enterprise. Department for Business Innovation & Skills Research Rport

Abstract

There are more than five million small businesses in the UK. These businesses employ 12.1 million people and account for 33% of the total private sector turnover (BIS, 2014). Although a buoyant small business sector is vital to the success of the UK economy, it is well established that most small businesses never grow or, at best, achieve only modest growth. Accordingly, understanding the factors that drive and shape small business performance is a key concern for both academics and policymakers. By increasing our understanding of these factors, this innovative project can make a major contribution to entrepreneurship research and to the evidence base underpinning enterprise policy.