Policies in support of high-growth innovative enterprises. Part 1: Characterisation of innovative high-growth firms
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2013
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05 - Research report or working paper
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Publications Office of the European Union
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Luxembourg
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Abstract
Background and objectives
There is evidence that high growth innovative
enterprises (HGIEs) contribute decisively to
job creation. However, there is a lack of
knowledge about HGIE characteristics and
policies that could support them. This study
contributes new insights for both aspects.
Methodology
Results in this policy brief are mainly based on
a survey of HGIEs in 36 innovative industries in
eight countries: Germany, France, the United
Kingdom, Poland, Switzerland, the USA,
Republic of Korea and Japan. The sample
included 580 HGIEs. The survey targeted
companies whose number of employees had
grown at least one third over three consecutive
years in the past five years. For Poland, the
target was 22% over two years due to data
limitations. Only internal (organic) growth was
considered; growth due to mergers and
acquisition was not included. The size threshold
was ten employees at the beginning of the
growth period. The data universe for
sampling included 4% HGIEs.
HGIE characteristics
Age: The majority of HGIEs in the sample were
older than ten years. This applied to all
countries and sectors. Thus, high growth is
apparently not a start-up phenomenon but
takes place after the initial struggle of
establishing the enterprise in the market.
Moreover, in the vast majority of HGIEs high
growth started in the past ten years.
13% of the responding firms were found to be
spin-offs. Most of them (68%) originated from
other companies. This might question the
current political focus on spin-offs from public
research – or call for enhanced policy measures
to support such spin-offs.
The dominant type of customers of HGIEs in
the sample are other companies. Many HGIEs
may thus not be known to the public because
they do not sell to households.
For the majority of HGIEs the national market
is the main market. Many HGIEs may thus have
a potential to grow further into international
markets.
The main factors of high growth appear to be
a skilled workforce and directors actively
targeting growth. This applies to all countries
and almost all sectors. Successful product or
service innovation is also important and
apparently triggered by strong competition.
Three barriers were found to be most severe:
(1) Bureaucratic hurdles and regulation, (2)
difficult access to finance, and (3) finding skilled
employees. This applies to all countries and
sectors, while there are also national and
sectoral specificities.
National specificities
Germany had the highest share of HGIE spinoffs
with multiple origin. France had the largest
HGIE share in the sampled countries. The UK
had the largest share of spin-offs (19%,
average 14%). Bureaucracy and regulation
were found to be the single most important
growth barrier in Poland. The share of young
HGIEs was found to be largest in the US (21%,
average 14%). In Korea, policy preferences for
big business seem to be a specific barrier to
growth. Access to finance was apparently not a
problem for HGIEs in Japan. No notable
specificity can be reported for Switzerland.
Sectoral specificities
In the data universe the shares of HGIEs per
industry do not differ much. In all industries
with a sufficient number of cases the shares
were not higher than 7%.
Growth in manufacturing and services is partly
driven by different factors: highly skilled
employees were judged as more important by
service companies, whereas entering new
international markets was more important for
manufacturers. However, each innovative
industry appears to have its own distinct profile
of growth factors.
Keywords
KMU, innovative Unternehmen, schnell wachsende Unternehmen, Gazellen
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ISBN
978-92-79-45592-6
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Language
English
Created during FHNW affiliation
Yes
Strategic action fields FHNW
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Published
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Citation
BARJAK, Franz, Leonique KORLAAR, Matthijs JANSEN, Stefan LILISCHKIS und Rolf MEYER, 2013. Policies in support of high-growth innovative enterprises. Part 1: Characterisation of innovative high-growth firms. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. Verfügbar unter: http://hdl.handle.net/11654/12171