Enterprise

 Management Practices and Productivity - July 2011 (Word, 396kB)

Short paper highlighting the role of management practices as a driver of company performance and productivity. Also assesses UK and Scottish performances using recent evidence. 

 High Growth Firms in Scotland - October 2010 (PDF, 1.2MB)

High growth firms (HGFs) are widely thought to be a key force fuelling economic growth within modern advanced economies. This is the first comprehensive analysis of HGFs ever undertaken in Scotland.

 Best Strategies in Skills Utilisation Executive Summary - January 2010 (PDF, 114kB)

 Best Strategies in Skills Utilisation - January 2010 (PDF, 276kB)

This report was written in response to Skills Development Scotland and Scottish Enterprise's wish to identify best strategies in skills utilisation among Scottish businesses. The report is designed to support the work of the Scottish Government's Skills Utilisation Leadership Group.

 Enterprise in Scotland: Insights from Global Entrepreneurship Monitor - January 2009 (PDF, 381kB)

This research examines the reasons behind Scotland's enterprise performance using existing GEM (Global Enterprise Monitoring) research and data.

 Analysis of Business Base in Scotland Compared to European Nations - August 2008 (Word, 182kB)

This paper has been written to better understand the business base in Scotland and how it compares to other European nations. Specifically, it seeks to answer the question of whether other countries have a larger “mid sized” business base. In addition, it also runs statistical tests to determine whether there is a statistically significant link between the economic performance of these countries and the numbers of businesses by size band.

 New Firm Formation Across Local Authority Areas - August 2008 (Word, 135kB)

This paper has been written to better understand whether the level of new firm formation varies across different regions in Scotland. It also poses the question of whether there are any variables which can help to predict why any changes may occur. Specifically, the paper responds to the following brief: "Are there different patterns/start-up rates by region/LEC, and what are the causes? Have there been improvements over time in any specific areas, and can these be related to other interventions?"

 Enterprise and Economic Growth - March 2008 (Word, 810kB)

This analysis draws on existing research and outlines what is meant by enterprise, why it is an important driver of growth, what the potential measures/indicators of enterprise are and how the UK and Scottish economies perform. Where available, performance is compared to the "Arc of Prosperity" and other small European countries outlined in the Government Economic Strategy.

 Competition and Economic Growth - August 2007 (Word, 549kB)

 

The analysis draws mainly on existing research and analysis, for example recent reports by the Treasury and Office for Fair Trading, and outlines why competition is an important driver of growth, considers the potential measures/indicators of competition at the UK and Scottish level and assesses the available evidence on levels of competition faced by businesses in Scotland.

Innovation

 Towards a Low Carbon Economy - Understanding businesses' perspective - February 2011 (PDF, 188kB)

The research aims to provide insight and evidence to help direct Scottish Enterprise policy and service provision concerning environmental sustainability and low carbon initiatives. 

 Innovation as a Driver of Economic Growth - Nov 2010 (Word, 1.5MB)

The paper sets out a comparative measurement framework for assessing the Scottish innovation performance (across a range of measures) and focuses on innovation behaviours that appear to be prevalent within the domestic business base. The policy implications, based on the analysis, are then raised. 

 Analysis of the Community Innovation Survey 2007 - February 2011 (PDF, 340kB)

 

This report is a detailed analysis of the Scottish results of the 2007 Innovation Survey. The analysis examines the main indicators of innovation included in the survey and compares the results for Scotland with those of the rest of the UK and other UK regions. the survey results suggest that the challenge is not only to have companies innovate, but for them to innovate for growth. There may be a need to focus on maximising the benefits of innovation rather than solely increasing the absolute number of innovative businesses.

 

Scotland's Commercialisation and Research Asset Base (SCARAB) December 2008 (PDF, 3.5MB)

This mapping study of Scotland's Commercialisation and Research Asset Base (SCARAB) focuses on the research activity 'hot-spots' in Scotland, especially where research has potential for commercialisation and helps to raise the rate of economic growth in Scotland.

 Scottish e-Business Survey 2007 (PDF, 1.1MB)

This survey aims to understand the attitudes towards and adoption of e-business and ICT within Scotland's business community. Interviews were conducted with key technology decision makers from around 4,000 Scottish businesses, and included questions relating to the importance of ICT, technologies, practices, benefits, processes, planning, skills and support. The survey was conducted during September and October 2007.

 Research and development and innovation in Scottish businesses - March 2007 (Word, 600kB)

The analysis draws mainly on existing research and outlines what is meant by R&D and Innovation, why they are important drivers of growth, what the potential measures/ indicators are and how the UK and Scottish economies perform. Where available, performance is compared to the "Arc of Prosperity" and other small European countries outlined in the Government Economic Strategy.