Family, Friends & Government Agencies: A Report on SMEs & the Support Infrastructure Project
26 Pages Posted: 19 Apr 2007
Abstract
The study described in this report sought to address the topic of business assistance and New Zealand SMEs, by examining the ways in which firms interact with the SME support infrastructure (i.e. taken to include government agencies, private sector firms and non-governmental agencies), and identifying the features of 'successful' interactions. The research examines the business assistance realities of SME owner-managers in order to better understand those experiences from the perspective of use rather than provision.
The data that emerged from the project will assist those working in government agencies and the other organisations that make up the support infrastructure to understand the experiences of SME owner-managers in relation to the support programmes that they offer. Specifically, the research team focused on the following research objectives:
1. To understand the ways in which firms 'interact with' the SME support infrastructure (i.e. government agencies, private sector firms and non-governmental agencies). 2. To describe the features of 'successful' interactions. 3. To identify gaps and areas of development needed in the support infrastructure.
Keywords: SMEs, support infrastructure, Business assistance, New Zealand
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