ABSTRACT
The research described in this report was not designed specifically to investigate or to measure differences between regions in the growth of small firms. However, the survey was designed to include a range of locational conditions covering parts of England together with Northern Ireland. Hertfordshire, Leicestershire and Wearside were chosen to reflect the different economic circumstances of the South, Midlands and North of England. It is thus possible to describe the differences in growth between the four study areas and to attempt to account for these differences. This chapter begins by outlining economic conditions in each area. This is followed by a description of the growth rates in each area with an indication of the representativeness of the sample data. The main body of the chapter investigates contrasts between areas in those factors shown in Chapter 4 to be significant influences on growth. The ability of these factors to explain the observed differences in growth is considered in the final section.
