Enterprise & Diversity Alliance recognised in recent government report on women in enterprise

A major report was published in February by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills by Lorely Burt, Government Ambassador for Women in Enterprise,  The Burt Report: Inclusive Support for Women in Enterprise.

The report not only acknowledges the Enterprise and Diversity Alliance (EDA) of which Professors Monder Ram and Kiran Trehan of the Business School are leads, but mentions it approvingly throughout.

It is particularly gratifying to see that the report has more or less adopted the EDA principles for good practice for working with Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs). These figure prominently in the report’s recommendations. As a result of the report, Lorely Burt has urged the government to 'think inclusively' about women-owned businesses.

Richard Roberts, Hon. Professor at CREME in the Business School, has worked as a special advisor to the Treasury Select Committee of  the House of Commons on its inquiry into SME Finance.  The report is due to be published by the end of March 2015 when Parliament is dissolved before the General Election.

The inquiry was set up in the middle of 2014 to review on-going concerns about the supply of finance to SMEs from both banks and alternative providers. The committee also took evidence on Interest Rate swaps, the role of the Ombudsman in handling complaints and competition in the market.



Professor Roberts worked to support the full-time committee staff preparing briefing notes for MPs and examining written and oral evidence as well as helping in the preparation of the report and its recommendations. 

Some of the proposals have already been accepted and will probably be announced as part of pre general election budget.  However, more generally the report will provide the foundation for the parliamentary scrutiny of the SME finance market during the next Parliament.