Cranfield School of Management has launched an online survey to investigate
the level and nature of innovation among small and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs).
Gerard Burke and Dr Adegoké Oké are leading the research, which they hope
will help resolve conflicting views on the issue.
Burke said that people assume SMEs are more innovative than larger companies
because of their agility, flexibility and entrepreneurial management style, but
that may not be true.
"Research studies suggest that it is in fact big companies that are
more innovative because of larger resources, which means they can afford to
invest in research, development and the introduction of new products and
services," he said.
"We expect to be able to shed some light on these opposing views, and
we also think the survey will provide some food for thought in considering
innovation and how best to manage it."
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Those who complete the Innovation Research Survey will receive a summarised
set of survey results at the end of the research so they can compare their
business with the overall situation.
