SME project.

SME project

28 October 2019

The article at a glance

Cambridge Judge and Tech Nation received £350,000 Government funding to develop a management system to boost productivity in smaller businesses. Cambridge Judge …

Cambridge Judge and Tech Nation received £350,000 Government funding to develop a management system to boost productivity in smaller businesses.

Cambridge Judge Business School and Tech Nation have been awarded £350,000 by the UK Government for a joint project to develop a management system to boost productivity among small- and medium-sized business (SMEs).

Dr Keivan Aghasi, Research Associate at the Entrepreneurship Centre at the Business School who is involved in the project, says lack of management systems is a major reason for low productivity in SMEs.

Dr Keivan Aghasi
Dr Keivan Aghasi

“As top managers have limited capacity and attention that must be spread across a vast range of tasks, they are more susceptible to lengthier decision-making processes and poorer decisions, which could be avoided through proper management systems. These inefficiencies result in lower productivity,” Dr Aghasi says.

The project will explore the efficacy of online digital training and peer-to-peer learning in the design of SME management systems in manufacturing sectors.

The Cambridge Judge project was among 12 projects selected for second-round funding of the Business Basics Fund of two million pounds. The programme supports projects that test methods of encouraging SMEs to boost their productivity through technology and new ways of working.