Paper assesses SME support

The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) has launched its latest Agenda Paper, entitled ‘Access All Areas?’, which aims to assess the level of government help offered to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The paper questions whether SMEs are gaining full access to the support offered, and if not, the reasons behind the lack of resources. It also analyses how the CIM could help support the changing needs of start-ups and larger SMEs.

Mark Stuart, head of research at the CIM, said: 'There's a range of information, grants, assistance and training available from the government, but many small and medium-sized companies do not pick up on this range to its full advantage, for a number of reasons.

‘This is sometimes because the language and context of how help is delivered does not resonate with the business needs and wants of SMEs; there is also a further problem in treating SMEs as one body, as the needs of start-ups, micro-organisations, small companies and medium-sized companies can differ.'

Stuart added the government's lack of understanding about business development and marketing issues could prevent adequate resources being allocated to SMEs.

He said: 'The government needs to recognise that many 'business development' issues are, at their core, marketing issues, and there's sometimes a lack of understanding of this.'