Purpose – This paper proposes that owner‐managers of growth firms are more likely to have developed or acquired managerial practices that facilitate such expansion. The paper, therefore, examines how growth oriented firms in Wales have adopted management practices to build the necessary...

Purpose – This article aims to present an overview of the historical development and current status of Chinese small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) examine major political initiatives contributing to SMEs' development and draw out some experience from SME development practices in China....

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the patterns of and reasons for regional differences in entrepreneurship among Chinese provinces (excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan). Design/methodology/approach – The paper employs a linear regression model to examine determinants of regional...

Purpose – This study aims to examine the design of effective support systems for micro‐, small‐ and medium‐sized enterprise (MSME) development at the local and regional level in China. Design/methodology/approach – The paper calls on the experience of China, in fostering the fastest...

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to examine in some depth the relationships between ownership structure, business growth and financial performance amongst small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) with different degrees of overlap between management and ownership....

Purpose – Despite the fact that the mentality of owner/managers is an important aspect of their personality characteristics no prior study has made any attempt to examine its possible impact on enterprise performance during various stages of growth. Therefore, based on a questionnaire survey...

Purpose – There are not many answers to the question of how the development projects launched to improve business performance in SMEs have succeeded. This study focuses on business development success in SMEs. The main objective is to structure and model the success dimensions that contribute...

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the development and implementation of enterprise policy in China, and the emergence of intermediaries and local strategies designed to encourage SME development. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on interviews and workshops held with local...

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to assess the state of the business development services (BDS) market in Chengdu, with a view to identifying demand and/or supply side deficiencies, which public policy might help to address. Design/methodology/approach – The data are drawn from two...

Purpose – This study attempts to understand the nature and activities of growth‐oriented women‐owned businesses in the East of England by highlighting the problems faced by women entrepreneurs during the growth process. Design/methodology/approach – The approach analysed the main growth...