Launch of the Enterprise Manifesto

This week Enterprise UK launched an online collaborative Enterprise Manifesto where entrepreneurs and the organisations that support them can submit and rate innovative and practical enterprise policy ideas. To have your say and help shape efforts to make the UK a world leader in enterprise, log onto the Enterprise Manifesto website or email the Enterprise Manifesto team at policy@enterpriseuk.org.
 

Global

Intrapreneurship - An International Study (GEM – PDF: 243 KB)

The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) has carried out a study of intrapreneurship, i.e. employees developing new business activities within existing organisations, in eleven countries. It found that on average less than 5% of employees are intrapreneurs, although the phenomenon is roughly twice as prevalent in high income as in low income countries. Intrapreneurs are also more likely than other employees to have plans to start their own business, however, intrapreneurship rarely leads to independent entrepreneurship due to the attraction of job security.

Local

Community Enterprise Strategic Framework (CLG – PDF: 156 KB)

The Communities and Local Government Office (CLG) has published a new Strategic Framework to promote community-based social enterprises. The latter would seek to benefit a particular geographic area or community and would be run by people from within the community they serve. Community enterprises are seen as one of the ways for communities to raise their own finances, as well as to identify unmet local needs, deliver local services, and provide local employment and training opportunities. The Strategy outlines the CLG’s commitments to improve local government commissioning and work in partnership with community enterprises, provide funding for the School for Social Entrepreneurs, support community finance and foster a culture of social enterprise.

Now

No More Business as Usual: A social enterprise manifesto (SEC – PDF: 484 KB)

The Social Enterprise Coalition (SEC) has officially launched its manifesto, calling for government to help social enterprises increase their contribution to the UK economy threefold over the next decade. ‘No More Business as Usual’ aims to promote social enterprise as a more accountable and sustainable business model. It calls for the incorporation of social and environmental criteria in procurement decisions, tax breaks to encourage social investment, laws to help communities buy and run their own assets, and the creation of a social investment wholesale bank to finance social innovation.

Now

21 Hours: Why a shorter working week can help us all to flourish in the 21st century (nef – PDF: 449 KB)

A shorter working week could help solve key economic, social and environmental problems, according to a new report by the New Economics Foundation (nef). It suggests shorter working hours, with 21 hours a week as the goal, would relieve the stress levels of overworked employees, while reducing unemployment. The report’s authors claim that spending less time in paid work would make us ‘better parents, better citizens, better carers and better neighbours’, as well as happier and more productive employees.

Now

National Evaluation of the OTS Social Enterprise Business Support Improvement Programme: baseline report (Office of the Third Sector – Word)

The OTS report provides a picture of social enterprises’ and perception of business support, in particular Business Link. It suggests that social enterprises comprise 6% of Business Link customers and 88% of them are satisfied with the service that they have received. 72% of social enterprises would use Business Link again and 75% would recommend it to someone else. Overall, the report shows that social enterprise business support is improving, although this varies across regions.

News

Dragon’s Den star James Caan has set up an Entrepreneurs Business Academy, which aims to provide practical guidance to existing and emerging entrepreneurs. It will launch with a one-day seminar in March and aims to show business owners how to maximise sales, when to take on new employees and how to expand into new markets.

Older entrepreneurs could contribute an increased 17% of the potential uplift to the UK economy by 2012, research by Cass Business School’s Centre for New Technologies, Innovation and Entrepreneurship suggests. It showed that, with a wealth of experience and insight, this latent group of innovators could potentially contribute £15 billion to the economy if the right conditions were created.

Television’s depiction of entrepreneurship in shows like Dragon’s Den and the Apprentice distorts the public’s perception of entrepreneurs, a majority of business owners believe. In a survey by Nottingham University Business School, more than 70% said it would be beneficial for business advisers to work directly with the media to improve the quality of small business coverage. However, many respondents believe that TV entrepreneurs are useful in encouraging young people to consider entrepreneurship as a viable career option.

The European Commission has launched a competition for enterprising film lovers, aged 25 or younger and challenged them to produce a short video on encouraging and supporting entrepreneurship. Prizes will be awarded in three categories – a different way of life, challenges and rewards, and the way into the future – at a ceremony on 25 May as part European SME Week.