BTEC HND: Evaluating Entrepreneurship & SME Management in the UK

Verified

Added on  2024/06/28

|15
|4619
|381
Report
AI Summary
This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurship within the UK economy. It defines SMEs based on European Union standards, evaluates their growth and financial contributions to the UK economy, and compares them with the German SME landscape. The report also differentiates between entrepreneurs and managers, outlines necessary entrepreneurial characteristics and skills, analyzes Croft-Simon’s entrepreneurial personality, and examines the correlation between entrepreneurial characteristics and success. Furthermore, it explores factors fostering or hindering entrepreneurial success and evaluates the influence of background and experience on entrepreneurs. Desklib offers this student-contributed assignment, along with a wealth of other solved assignments and past papers, to support students in their studies.
Document Page
1
BTEC HND ASSESSMENT

UNIT 9: ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND SMALL BUSINESS

MANAGEMENT
tabler-icon-diamond-filled.svg

Paraphrase This Document

Need a fresh take? Get an instant paraphrase of this document with our AI Paraphraser
Document Page
2
Table of Contents

Task 2
3
Defining the Concept of SME
3
Evaluation of the Growth and Financial Contribution of SMEs to the UK Economy
3
Task 3
8
Difference Between and Entrepreneur and a Manager
8
Necessary Entrepreneurial Characteristics and Skills
9
Analysis of Croft-Simon’s Entrepreneurial Personality
10
Analysing the Correlation between Entrepreneurial Characteristics and Entrepreneurial

Success
11
Factors that can Foster or Hinder Entrepreneurial Success
12
Evaluation of the Influence of Background and Experience on Entrepreneurs
13
References
15
Document Page
3
Task 2

Defining the Concept of SME

The term “SME” stands for Small to Medium Enterprises. SMEs are independent, non-subsidiary

organisations that employ only a few given number of workers. In addition to that, low number

of workers, SMEs can be defined based on the financial conditions such as yearly turnover and

balance sheets. According to how the European Union defines SMEs, there are three types of

businesses that fall into the category of SMEs. These are, namely, medium, small and micro

firms.

According to the European Union definition, for medium-sized firms, the number of employees

must be somewhere between 50 to 249, the number of employees for small-sized firms must be

somewhere between 10 to 49 and the number of employees for micro-sized firms must be

somewhere between 1-9 (
Berisha and Shiroka Pula, 2015). In addition to that, the European
Union also defined that the turnover of the medium-sized firms must not exceed 50 million

Euros, the turnover of small-sized firms must not exceed 10 million Euros whereas, the turnover

of micro-sized enterprises must not exceed 2 million Euros.

Evaluation of the Growth and Financial Contribution of SMEs to the UK Economy

The presence of SMEs benefits the national, as well as, the global economies significantly. There

are a number of reasons behind the immense benefits that can be provided by SMEs to the

economies. These include the huge number of SMEs which contribute to the growth of the GDP

of nations, the massive opportunities of employment which increase employment rates within

nations, the self-dependent income levels which is endorsed by many governments throughout

the world and the taxation that is provided by these businesses to the nations. In this context, it

has been argued by many scholars that the presence of SMEs is the very backbone of the

economy of the United Kingdom (
Nabitz et al. 2016). As per the UK government statistics, 5.7
million businesses run their operations within the private sector of the nation. Among the 5.7

million businesses, almost 99.9% of businesses fall into the category of small, medium and

micro-sized enterprises.
Document Page
4
According to the EU statistics, about 2 trillion Euros are generated by these businesses as

combined turnover each year that contributes massively to the growth of the GDP and economic

condition of the nation. The statistics provided by the European Union represents that the

combined turnover of all of the SMEs within the UK account for almost 51% of the total

turnover that is generated by the entirety of the private sector businesses that operate within the

nation. SMEs contribute massively to the increment of employment within the UK. SMEs are

situated throughout almost every corner of the country including both rural and urban areas,

which contribute to the development of employment opportunities in every region. Statistics

provided by the EU depict that over 60% of the total population of the United Kingdom relies on

private sector jobs that accounts for almost 16.3 million citizens (
Love and Roper, 2015).
Furthermore, it has been represented by EU statistics that both the national, as well as, the local

economy of the different regions within the UK are massively supported by the presence of

SMEs within the nation. There are almost 5.5 million private sector businesses within the UK of

which almost 2.6 million businesses pay regular taxes to the United Kingdom government.

Additionally, due to the range and size of these businesses, any loss that occurs in an individual

business does not affect the overall economy of the nation and due to the small scale of loss, it is

easily recoverable by the SMEs (
Loader, 2015). It has been statistically shown that in FY 2016,
the SMEs within the UK, combined, generated almost 91% of the products that were produced in

the nation. Finally, the corporate social responsibilities that are undertaken by the SMEs also

contribute to the overall development of the economic condition of the nation. According to

surveys carried out by the EU, almost one out of four private sector businesses within the UK

have contributed almost 55 billion Euros for the betterment of the society that significantly

endorses the social economy of the nation.
tabler-icon-diamond-filled.svg

Paraphrase This Document

Need a fresh take? Get an instant paraphrase of this document with our AI Paraphraser
Document Page
5
According to Business statistics by regions and countries of the UK, 2018, there were 1,062,285

businesses in London, which accounts for roughly a third of all businesses that are established in

the UK combined, with the number of businesses in the South West region of the UK. In

London, this is a 3% change on year. According to the statistics, there were a total of 239

employers in the UK and the number of businesses in London accounted for 1563 for every

10000 resident adults. This is significantly above the national average and the highest ratio of

SMEs is boasted by London (
Elmagrhi et al. 2017). The London-based SMEs, in from 2000 to
2018, have generated a combined revenue of 1,034,851 million Euros. According to statistics,

about 78.2% of the entire London population has been employed within the SMEs that have been

established in the region. The Northeast region of the UK as 142,495 businesses that does not

exceed the national average. The SMEs in the Northeast region of the UK have generated a total

of 74,663 million Euros as a turnover from FY 2000-2018. About 72.1% of the total population

of the Northeastern region of the UK is employed within small to medium enterprises.
Document Page
6
There are multiple industries within the UK under which the SMEs operate. These sectors

include retail, manufacturing, construction, education and many others. According to the

percentage of total UK employment, as well as, the percentage of turnover generated, the retail

sector is the biggest contributor to the UK economy. According to statistics, the retail sector

businesses account for almost 10% of all the private sector businesses within the UK. The

employment opportunities that are provided by the retail sector within the UK accounts for

almost 19% of the total employment opportunities in the private sector small to medium

enterprises within the UK. Furthermore, in terms of the combined turnover that is generated by

the entirety of the small to medium-sized enterprises within the UK, the retail sector generates

about 34% of that revenue. The manufacturing industry is the second most important contributor

to the economic development, GDP growth and increased employment within the United

Kingdom (
Brown et al. 2019). Among the total number of employees that have been employed
by the SMEs within the private sector businesses in the nation, the manufacturing sector has

employed almost 10% of all employees. In addition to that, it has been represented by the

research of Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy that the manufacturing

industry within the UK generates about 14% of the total combined turnover that is generated by

the 5.7 million SMEs that have been established within the nation.
Document Page
7
There are 3.7 million small to medium-sized enterprises within Germany. In this context, it may

be said that almost all enterprises within the Germany fall into the SME category and the SME

businesses act as the spine of the economic condition of Germany. It has been shown by statistics

that about the combined number of SMEs within the nation account for almost 99.6% of all the

enterprises that are established within the private sector of Germany. Within the nation, the

combined number of SMEs is key drivers in terms of the increasing employment rate in the

country. Over 15 million workers have been provided with employment opportunities within

SMEs in the private sector that accounts for about 59.4% of all the employees that are employed

within the private sector businesses of Germany. Furthermore, the combined number of

employees also accounts for almost 84% of all trainees. In terms of total net benefit, the

combined number of SMEs in Germany contributes significantly to the economic development

of the nation (accounting for roughly 56.5%). On the other hand, there are 5.7 million private

sector businesses within the United Kingdom among which, about 99.9% are SMEs. In the
tabler-icon-diamond-filled.svg

Paraphrase This Document

Need a fresh take? Get an instant paraphrase of this document with our AI Paraphraser
Document Page
8
context of the UK, the combined number of SMEs have provided about 60% of the total

employment opportunities within the private sector businesses of the UK whereas, a total of 16.3

million people are employed within the private business sector. The combined turnover that is

generated by the SMEs within the UK exceeded 2 trillion Euros in Q3 2018 that accounts for

almost 51% of the total combined turnover that is generated by the combined private sector

businesses of the United Kingdom. Therefore, it may be stated that the existence of SMEs is

significantly beneficial for the economic prosperity and growth of GDP of the nations. In

addition to that, the presences of SMEs significantly increase the rate of employment within

nations and increase the rates of self-employment as well.

Task 3

Difference Between and Entrepreneur and a Manager

The first key difference that can be addressed is the fact that entrepreneurs own the firms

whereas; managers are employed by the entrepreneurs. Another key difference that can be

addressed is the standing of the two within a company. It may be said that entrepreneurs are

visionary individuals that take an idea and transform into a real business. The risks including

financial and others are all beared by the entrepreneur. On the other hand, managers are merely

employees that are paid with salary and they do not bear the financial or any other risks. The

main focal point of entrepreneurs is starting a business and finding ways to expand the business

further whereas, the main focal point of managers is to ensure efficient and effective functioning

of the different components within the business (
Shehata et al. 2017). The key point of
inspiration for entrepreneurs is the achievements they obtain whereas; the power of the

managerial position drives the managers.

Managers and entrepreneurs are also rewarded differently. As the owner of businesses, the

entrepreneurs are rewarded with the profit that is generated from the business whereas as a

worker, the remuneration of managers is the salary that is paid to the individual by the firm. It

may also be said in a context that although it is possible for entrepreneurs to be casual and

informal in their roles, the approach of managers to issues needs to be formal at all times.

Finally, it may be said that by nature, entrepreneurs can be defined as risk takers. In order to

drive the growth of their businesses, it is necessary for entrepreneurs to take calculated risks,
Document Page
9
whereas the managers, by nature, can be defined as risk-averse individuals. The main function of

managers within businesses is to sustain the businesses’ status quo that is why any risks cannot

be afforded by the managers.

Necessary Entrepreneurial Characteristics and Skills

To achieve success in any professional field, it is necessary for individuals to have specific

characteristics and skills. There are a certain number of characteristics and skills that enhance the

chances of obtaining success for entrepreneurs. The foremost important characteristics for

entrepreneurs are having an absolute clarity of purpose. Entrepreneurs must know the objective

that they are trying to obtain. The second characteristics are self-confidence that is needed for

progressing in entrepreneurial ventures as entrepreneurs are presented with many calculated

risks. The third characteristics should be openness to change. It is necessary for entrepreneurs to

identify the changing patterns and requirements within their target markets to effectively provide

relevant services. The fourth characteristic is the ability to build big networks. This is important

because to successfully unlock the full potential of the ventures, they need to have proper

networks in order to achieve further progress in their business (
Rey-Martí et al. 2016). The sixth
aspect is self-learning and development that enables entrepreneurs to turn their weaknesses into

strengths. Additionally, it is needed of entrepreneurs to be motivated at all times to keep the

workforce motivated for striving towards common goals. Entrepreneurs must also be creative

and inventive, as they need to be successfully able to identify potential opportunities in the

market and apply relevant strategies to exploit the opportunities. Assertiveness is another

important attribute that enables entrepreneurs to assert their beliefs and opinions that they

perceive to be for the better good of their entrepreneurial ventures. Entrepreneurs must also have

perseverance. They need to be able to learn from their mistakes and make appropriate decisions

to not repeat the same mistakes. Finally, entrepreneurs need to be courageous in order to take

risks. It is of paramount importance for entrepreneurs to have the courage to act on their plans

and ideas (
Belas and Ključnikov, 2016). All of these characteristics and skills enable
entrepreneurs to achieve success in their entrepreneurial ventures.
Document Page
10
Analysis of Croft-Simon’s Entrepreneurial Personality

The Big-5 model can be referred to as taxonomy for determining the personality traits of

individuals. From the given scenario, it can be analysed that Croft-Simon’s entrepreneurial

personality reflects higher openness to experience. The scenario describes that the individual

recognised the existence of a simple and free from artificial flavours popcorn market. The

individual also recognised that the market was not covered with refined sugar that displays

inventiveness and curiosity (
Seibert and DeGeest, 2017). It can also be analysed that the
entrepreneurial personality of the individual reflects higher conscientiousness.

The given scenario reflects the systematic activities that were involved in the exploitation of the

market by the individual that represents efficiency and organisation. It can be analysed that the

entrepreneurial personality of the individual reflects higher extraversion. The scenario reflects

that as soon as a market opportunity was identified the individual, the individual opted to strive

towards exploiting the opportunity which represents the outgoing and energetic nature of the

individual (
Seibert and DeGeest, 2017).
The given scenario describes Nom Popcorn to be the first organic popcorn brand in the UK

which represents the high analytical and competitive abilities of the individual and thereby,

reflects a lower agreeableness. The initiative taken by the individual was challenging and the

potential of the opportunity was successfully exploited by the individual. The given scenario

describes that although the individual recognised the hardships and challenges that would come

with the venture, the individual drove forward to exploit the opportunity fully that reflects lower

neuroticism (
Seibert and DeGeest, 2017). Thereby, it can be analysed that the personality trait of
Croft-Simons represented confidence and a sense of security.

Analysing the Correlation between Entrepreneurial Characteristics and Entrepreneurial

Success

According to the hierarchy of needs theory by Maslow, self-actualisation, which resides at the

very top of Maslow's pyramid is not sought after by individuals unless the basic needs such as

psychological needs including food, sleep, water and other needs including esteem, love and

safety are met. The entrepreneurial characteristics and entrepreneurial success are correlated

profoundly which can be analysed using the hierarchy of needs theory. According to Maslow, the
tabler-icon-diamond-filled.svg

Paraphrase This Document

Need a fresh take? Get an instant paraphrase of this document with our AI Paraphraser
Document Page
11
hierarchy of needs is a theory that facilitates the comprehension of what factors or conditions

influence or motivate individuals to drive forward to achieve self-actualisation.

The first factor that determines an entrepreneurial mindset is being paid for something that an

individual has created which can be attributed to the psychological needs of the individuals. The

first step of entrepreneurship is creating a business that offers any kind of value to the users that

being paid in exchange of providing the service. Being paid in exchange for the service fulfils

the first criteria of the pyramid, which is the psychological needs of individuals, and after

successfully meeting the first criteria, the second phase of the pyramid can be achieved

(
Carayannis and Harvard, 2016). The phase two of Maslow’s pyramid is safety. Whereas the first
phase associates with getting paid in exchange of the provided services, the second phase is

associated with developing business processes that support the business and the income that is

generated from the business. In order to achieve a sense of safety, it is necessary for individuals

to achieve a sustainable income, which can be generated from a sustainable business.

Once the sense of safety has been fulfilled, the third phase can be achieved which associates with

love and belonging. In this phase, entrepreneurs create sustainable and great business

relationships with people that have shared convictions and values. Being surrounded by people

with similar mindsets can facilitate the achievement of a sense of belonging within the

enterprise. The fourth phase is esteem or achieving excellence in business. Once individuals have

achieved the sense of belonging, individuals tend to look at their businesses from an extrinsic

perspective (
Nkurunziza, 2016). In this phase, entrepreneurs seek external validation which may
come in a number of forms including recognition by peers, achieved awards and

acknowledgement that one has established something special. This phase enables individuals to

achieve a sense of recognition and develops confidence.

Once all of these phases have been successfully met, entrepreneurs are led towards the final stage

that is purpose and legacy, or, in other words, self-actualisation. In this phase, the purpose of the

entrepreneurial ventures is questioned by the individuals themselves. The entrepreneurs strive to

find further purposes and seek for ways to enhance the impact of their business. Thereby, it may

be said that the entrepreneurial attributes, which are represented by the basic phases of needs

within Maslow’s pyramid, are significantly correlated with achieving entrepreneurial success as
Document Page
12
it successfully allows people to be motivated and conduct critical analyses to achieve further

progress.

Factors that can Foster or Hinder Entrepreneurial Success

There are a number of internal and external factors that may either foster or hinder

entrepreneurial success. These include education, financial status and demographic factors

among others. A number of empirical studies that have been conducted over the years have

shown that the provision of entrepreneurial education to students did not only increase their

entrepreneurial intention, but also increased the likelihood of individuals attaining success as

entrepreneurs. There Are multifaceted advantages to entrepreneurial learning. Through the

provision of entrepreneurial education, individuals are able to develop a positive attitude towards

becoming self-independent (
Henley et al. 2017), develop the courage to be able to take risks and
learn from their failures. On the other hand, the absence of a fostering educational environment

that endorses the entrepreneurial intention of students and puts more emphasis on the

development of professional skills to work for organisations, the attitude of the students towards

entrepreneurship can be significantly hampered. The financial status of the individuals or the

financial endorsement that is provided by the nation’s infrastructure to the individuals may also

affect entrepreneurial intention. The availability of proper financial support can motivate

individuals to drive forward with their initiatives, whereas the absence of such support can

demotivate individuals and diminish their entrepreneurial intention. The demographic factors, on

the other hand, relates with the attitude of the society towards entrepreneurship. Innovations, as

well as, novelties are encouraged by specific societies that immediately relates with the approval

of entrepreneurial actions along with rewards such as recognition by peers or profitability

(
Richter et al. 2016). On the other hand, there are societies that do not encourage transitions
which significantly affects the entrepreneurial mindsets of individuals. Additionally, there are

also societies that take an immediate disliking towards activities that are designed to generate

money. While encouragement and acknowledgement from the society can inspire the

entrepreneurs to achieve success in their entrepreneurial ventures, the absence of such

environments can significantly hinder entrepreneurial progress and development.
chevron_up_icon
1 out of 15
circle_padding
hide_on_mobile
zoom_out_icon
[object Object]