Profiling the "Kiwi" Context

Increases continue into trends of entrepreneurship and NZ is great example
The entrepreneurial trend has continued to maintain consistent levels of growth for years (__% increased & ref) and NZ is a great example of such activity. Considerations of NZ SMEs also hold particular relevance for SMEs internationally; the “representative sample” presented by our markets have long acted as “test markets” for large multinational corporations such as Vodafone. Obviously this is not the limit to the relevance of topical considerations within a New Zealand context for a number of reasons, emphasised and motivated by the distinctive business environment in which we operate.
Prevalence of small businesses, desire to control work conditions, NZers are independent, capable and innovative and our environment lends itself to entrepreneurship
· -article which explores autonomy as driver of ent.
· -everyone wants to have control
· -trends and backlash from “mistakes of our parents” don’t want to waste whole life working

Evidence of our entrepreneurial culture is demonstrated by the considerable number of SME’s who operate in our markets (? Of listed businesses with less than 5 employees) whom make up a considerable proportion of our businesses nationally (? % of NZ Businesses are SMEs). Whilst the majority of these SMEs have a turnover of less than $1M p/a and employ only a handful of people independently, as a collective they provide _?_% of employment to NZs labour force and are responsible for 39% of the economies total output (Ministry of Economic Development, 2007). Yet while our business environment seems to encourage and support entrepreneurial behaviour (_?_% of new business start ups) we appear to lack the continuous growth and aspirations of development which is demonstrated by our Australian counterparts (_?_% NZ SME growth compared to _?_% Australian growth rate).

The key insights developed through this framework establishment are of particular relevance in this context (refs). As developments continue within the ICT industry, in turn, some of the barriers can be removed through the use of technology, particularly when considering the size of markets, NZ’s ever present isolation for key potential markets.
There are a number of other obstacles faced by NZ businesses which are commonly accepted to restrict economic and business growth. These include the limited access to markets locally, combined with isolation from “major” markets, resource and skills deficiencies. Obviously, considering the importance of distance and isolation in the NZ context, the ongoing development and conceptualisations of ICTs has unignoorable impacts on SMEs. Network research within NZ has drawn interest within some key growth industries, particularly the wine and tourism industries.

NZ’s prolific numbers of SMEs are accepted to be partly reinforced by the nature of our culture, communities and economy; however it can also highlight some of our short comings. The ICT taskforce identified several key issues within the NZ economy, from which 3 kinds of businesses can be identified when considering their growth;
· Those who have no desire to grow
· Those unwilling to take the necessary risks involved
· Those who desire to grow but are limited in their abilities and resources to do so
One of the strongest drivers for starting a business in NZ is the result of desire for autonomy in work roles. “Just as most New Zealanders strive to own their own home, so too do many work to become their own boss by establishing a business” (Ministry of Economic Development, 2000, p. 4). Complementing this desire, the standards for quality of life, especially in Auckland, are of a high standard internationally and considerable importance is placed on the need for work life balance among business owners. Referred to as the “3B syndrome” (NZTE ref), NZ entrepreneurs not only want to attain the ‘boat, batch and BMW’ but want to be able to enjoy them once they do. Such factors, at least in part, help to reinforce this desire to ‘only be big ENOUGH’ and add to the lack of growth desire demonstrated by some entrepreneurs.

The majority of entrepreneurs and business owners adopt a very short term orientation, evident in the very small number of SMEs (8%) whose planning extended beyond the immediate two year periods (ref). The influence of such cultural aspects, such as short term orientation & perspective, can in effect reverberate throughout any given context, evidence of which is displayed to varying degrees in different situations and issues. For instance, due to adopting such a perspective, it is understandable that entrepreneurs do not recognise the value of efforts to further develop their own skills and knowledge (ref). “no time quote”
High risk avoidance, which appears to be most prolific amongst the more mature business owners, can represent a difficult obstacle to overcome. It is advisable to focus the emphasis for development within the areas where there is the most potential for impact. Among the younger generations of entrepreneurs, the more common business types are those whom desire to grow but their businesses are limited in their experience, skills and knowledge required to enable this.
and specific cultural elements, such as “tall poppy syndrome” and the ‘fiercely independent nature’ of SME owners.

Similarly, the most commonly reported growth barriers reported by entrepreneurs was the difficulty of compliance, and despite statistical analysis and ongoing development in the venture capital industry, 40% of business owners still reported difficulties accessing the capital required for growth (ANZ, 09). Various projects and initiatives from both the public and private seco0trs have attempted to overcome such shortcomings. With varying degrees of impact, overall there effectiveness has been limited. Fundamentally it appears that.
More about skills deficiencies in processes reviewed to apply for capital
-quote that access is not real problem
“brain drain” – need to develop employee skills.