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Small Businesses

Report

How Small Businesses Are Surviving the COVID-19 Pandemic

Small-business owners are facing many challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. What kinds of policies might help them? What will they need to thrive once the immediate public health crisis has passed?

May 22, 2020
Commentary

The Danger of Converting a Health Crisis into a Financial Crisis

The impulse to do something to help businesses right now is well-intended, but lending to companies that were highly leveraged pre-crisis is a risky bet. Assistance could be best directed toward sound enterprises that are likely to survive and contribute to boosting the economy in the coming years.

Apr 13, 2020
Multimedia

The Economic Impacts of COVID-19

In this Call with the Experts podcast, RAND researchers discuss the impacts the COVID-19 outbreak might have on the global economy and consider policy actions that could be taken to help facilitate rapid economic recovery.

Mar 23, 2020
Q&A

The Social Distancing Economy: Q&A with RAND Experts

Congress and the White House are weighing economic policies to help people acutely affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Here are insights from RAND experts on what might be effective in terms of fiscal policy, stimulus spending, and emergency relief to affected workers.

Mar 18, 2020
Report

Report

Wellbeing Premium randomised controlled trial for small and medium-sized enterprises: Recruitment evaluation report: Understanding factors influencing firms' recruitment

RAND Europe conducted a recruitment evaluation of SMEs to the Wellbeing Premium Programme run in the West Midlands. The overall study aims to establish whether SMEs will improve the health and wellbeing offer in response to a financial incentive.

Oct 28, 2019
Journal Article

Journal Article

The Impact of Climate and Weather on a Small Tourism Business: A wSWOT Case Study

This teaching case explores the impact of climatic trends and weather on one location of an outdoor tourism industry business in the coastal community of Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Jul 3, 2019
Journal Article

Journal Article

A Case Study of Climate Change, Extreme Weather Events, and Risk Communication in a Coastal Community

A longitudinal case study with a single location design was used to explore the relationships between climate change, extreme events, and economic outcomes for a coastal business located in the southeastern U.S.

Jul 3, 2019
Journal Article

Journal Article

Business Angel Spotlight

This study was a survey of Business Angels (high net worth individuals) in the UK to understand the trends and drivers in the start-up market in 2017. RAND Europe provided policy inputs that informed the findings of the study.

Oct 18, 2018
Journal Article

Journal Article

The Impact of Trade Liberalization on Productivity: Evidence from India's Formal and Informal Manufacturing Sectors

This paper was first to consider the effects of India's tariff liberalization on the entire manufacturing industry, both small, informal firms and large, formal firms. The overall effect of the trade reforms is increased productivity in both sectors.

Sep 19, 2018
Dissertation

Dissertation

Accelerating the Transition of Technologies Created through the U.S. Department of Defense Small Business Innovation Research Program

This dissertation gains to understand the contextual effects on the success of the transition of technologies generated through the U.S. Department of Defense Small Business Innovation Research program.

Nov 16, 2017
Report

Report

The Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) Healthcare programme: An evaluation of programme activities, outcomes and impacts

This study explores the contribution of the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) Healthcare programme to innovation in the NHS (National Health Service). It was commissioned by the UK Department of Health Policy Research Programme.

Oct 30, 2017
Commentary

How to Help Small Businesses Deal with Cyber Threats

Small businesses are especially vulnerable to cyber threats. What can be done to provide small businesses the security to continue to prosper, while enhancing America's cybersecurity workforce and making the economy more secure?

Sep 15, 2017
Report

Report

Improving the Air Force Small-Business Performance Expectations Methodology

This study is an assessment of the Air Force Small-Business Performance Expectations Methodology, with recommendations for improvement.

Jun 2, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

(Un)expected Housing Price Changes: Identifying the Drivers of Small Business Finance

In this paper, we use the Kauffman Firm Survey to examine the effect of housing price changes on small business financial variables.

Jan 10, 2017
Report

Reforming Policies for SMEs in Indonesia

Small and medium-sized enterprises are critical for emerging economies like Indonesia but simultaneously challenging for policymakers looking to support their growth. Interviews with 192 firms in Indonesia investigate the constraints they face and how existing programs do — or do not — help.

Jul 20, 2015
Report

Report

Identifying and Eliminating Barriers Faced by Nontraditional Department of Defense Suppliers

The report seeks to identify barriers that companies face when attempting to enter into contracts with the Department of Defense (DoD), especially when they are not traditional DoD suppliers.

Sep 25, 2014
Report

Report

Small Business and Strategic Sourcing: Lessons from Past Research and Current Data

Department of Defense (DoD) goals may conflict as DoD attempts to apply strategic-sourcing practices to reduce total costs and improve performance while maintaining a goal of spending about 23 percent of prime-contract dollars with small businesses.

Aug 26, 2014
Report

Report

Improving Federal and Department of Defense Use of Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses

The report investigates the barriers that service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses may face when attempting to contract with the federal government and the Department of Defense.

Feb 4, 2014
Commentary

Employer-Provided Health Insurance: Why Does It Persist, and Will It Continue after 2014?

As the ACA is implemented, policy makers should be attuned to potential inefficiencies and inequities created by a system with different regulatory and tax rules for small employers, large employers, and individual health plans. Attempts to equalize the playing field may be difficult.

Dec 2, 2013
Commentary

Will Small Firms Self-Insure After Jan. 1, 2014?

Because of the ACA's regulations, some smaller employers with young and healthy workers are considering avoiding the purchase of health care coverage in the regulated market, opting instead to self-insure their employees.

Jun 17, 2013

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