1st Edition

Finance for Small and Entrepreneurial Business

By Richard Roberts Copyright 2015
    148 Pages 16 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    148 Pages 16 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    The financial environment of small and entrepreneurial firms is changing rapidly and is a topic where significant disagreement remains amongst researchers and policy advisers. This concise textbook provides a comprehensive overview of the current and projected trends in this market for the benefit of students of entrepreneurship at an advanced level.

    Written by an expert on SME finance, it provides a straightforward review of the external funding choices faced by small business owners, drawing on a range of new data sources which have emerged in recent years, along with a range of case studies. In addition, it includes an analysis of longer term trends and the role of the changing phases of the business cycle to equip readers to better understand the wider market environment both now and in the future.

    Roberts provides students of entrepreneurship with everything they need to know to excel in understanding the financial environment and its effect on small business.

    Preface  Part I: Context  1. Defining Small and Entrepreneurial Business Finance  2. Why is Lending to - or Investing in - a Small Firm Difficult?  3. External Finance Products used by Small and Entrepreneurial Firms  Part II: Product Review  4. Structured Debt: Term loans and commercial mortgages  5. Cash-Flow Products: Overdraft and business credit cards  6. Factoring and Invoice Discounting  7. Leasing  8. Equity  Part III: A Longer Term View  9. The use of External Finance over time: Escalators and roller-coasters  10. Current and Future Trends in Finance for Small and Entrepreneurial Businesses  Appendix I: Case Studies in External Finance  Appendix II: International Data

     

    Biography

    Richard Roberts is Hon. Professor at Birmingham University Business School, UK. Prior to this, he researched small businesses issues at Barclays for 30 years. During this period, Professor Roberts was a member of the BIS/HMT Small Firms Advisory Panel and the BBA Business Finance Taskforce. As well as his current Professorship, Richard is consultant to a number of public and private bodies, including the Treasury Select Committee, and holds an MBE for services to UK Small and Medium-Sized Businesses.

    'This book reflects the accumulated knowledge of someone who really knows about the nitty-gritty of small business finance from working for 30 years for Barclays Bank, whilst writing top quality academic papers and being a major influence on policy. Nobody knows more and I urge you read it.' - David Storey, Professor, School of Business Management and Economics, The University of Sussex, UK

    'A number of us have been waiting for this book for a long time. It provides a unique insight into SME finance. It is well written and makes an important contribution to the SME policy and research literature.' - Robin Jarvis, Special Adviser to Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and Professor of Accounting, Brunel University, UK