This paper examines the determinants of short run employment growth in very small firms in the services sector. The study shows evidence of non linearities in the growth-size relationship, and it is argued that these non linearities reflect the short run constraints that small firms face in...

This paper utilises some data from an interview survey of very small firms in the North of England to examine the relationship between actual and forecast employment in small firms over a twelve month period. The paper first provides some summary statistics on actual and forecast employment for...

This paper utilises some data from a survey of recent VAT registrations in the North of England to examine two issues: first, the extent to which registrants are involved in setting up entirely new businesses; and secondly, the relationship between the date of registration and the start of...

This paper provides a preliminary study of the way in which the births and deaths of firms interact over time. It uses the retailing sector as a case study, although the results also have relevance for other sectors. Section I of the paper introduces the background to the paper. Section II...

This paper provides a critical evaluation of the practice of targeting the firm birth rate as part of a regional regeneration policy. It raises some fundamental questions about the appropriateness of such a practice and shows that different specifications of the birth rate generate very...