Influences on the growth of SMEs: An international comparison†

Data from the STRATOS database were employed to establish the most important influences on the growth of SMEs drawn from three industrial sectors and eight European countries.Observations were grouped into cells and average proportionate growth 1980–83 regressed against average values of various variables relating to factors internal and external to the firm, and to the characteristics of owners. Standardized coefficients would suggest the highest growth was achieved by firms focusing on particular product groups, avoiding spreading their export activities too widely, avoiding operating in markets dominated by big firms and choosing carefully the countries and markets in which they operated. †This paper is based on the data generated by the STRATOS (Strategic Operations of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises) Project. This was established in 1979 under the leadership of Ingolf Bamberger to study the 'strategic behaviour of small and medium-sized industrial firms, the determinants of this behaviour and its impact on performance' (Stratos Group 1990). The team consisted of J. Hans Pichler and Erwin Fröhlich (Austria), Rik Donckels (Belgium), Antti Haahti and Allan Lehtimaki (Finland), Edward Gabele (West Germany), Kees Koning and Jan van der Wilde (Netherlands), Klaus Haake and Hans J . Pleitner (Switzerland) and Alastair Weir (UK). †This paper is based on the data generated by the STRATOS (Strategic Operations of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises) Project. This was established in 1979 under the leadership of Ingolf Bamberger to study the 'strategic behaviour of small and medium-sized industrial firms, the determinants of this behaviour and its impact on performance' (Stratos Group 1990). The team consisted of J. Hans Pichler and Erwin Fröhlich (Austria), Rik Donckels (Belgium), Antti Haahti and Allan Lehtimaki (Finland), Edward Gabele (West Germany), Kees Koning and Jan van der Wilde (Netherlands), Klaus Haake and Hans J . Pleitner (Switzerland) and Alastair Weir (UK). Notes †This paper is based on the data generated by the STRATOS (Strategic Operations of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises) Project. This was established in 1979 under the leadership of Ingolf Bamberger to study the 'strategic behaviour of small and medium-sized industrial firms, the determinants of this behaviour and its impact on performance' (Stratos Group 1990). The team consisted of J. Hans Pichler and Erwin Fröhlich (Austria), Rik Donckels (Belgium), Antti Haahti and Allan Lehtimaki (Finland), Edward Gabele (West Germany), Kees Koning and Jan van der Wilde (Netherlands), Klaus Haake and Hans J . Pleitner (Switzerland) and Alastair Weir (UK).