Annals of the University of Oradea: Economic Science (Jul 2011)
SMES' SECTOR ACCESS TO FINANCE: AN OVERVIEW
Abstract
Through their contribution to the creation of added value and new jobs, the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have a significant role in the economic and social development of a country. However, these enterprises are facing numerous obstacles that limit their performance, growth and development. Among the difficulties faced by SMEs, the access to finance is often reported as a major obstacle to the deployment and expansion of their activity. The access to finance is crucial for efficient allocation of financial resources and entrepreneurial development, which explains the major interest given to this subject both by the academic literature and the policy makers. The paper aims to highlight the difficulties faced by SMEs in securing financing resources, emphasizing the differences between countries and also between SMEs and large enterprises. Knowing the difficulties in SMEs financing is essential for policy makers in order to design and implement appropriate measures, which will help to improve the access to financing for these enterprises. Thus, another issue addressed, synthetically, in this paper aims the measures taken by public authorities in order to support the access to financing for SMEs. The research methodology used in this paper starts with a literature review in order to highlight the importance of the subject addressed in our research. The analysis conducted in this paper is based on data and statistics provided mainly by the World Bank surveys, by certain empirical studies and by the National Council of Small and Medium Sized Private Enterprises in Romania. Based on the methodology used, the paper indicates the difficulties in SMEs financing and the crucial importance of enhancing the public authorities concerns regarding their alleviation, especially by adopting measures focused on increasing financial development, which would ensure greater availability of financing for businesses and thus economic growth. The limited availability and even lack of statistical data regarding the SMEs financing situation from various countries, including Romania, impose certain limits to the researches in the field, which can be overcome as policy makers realize the vital importance of developing and monitoring specific indicators regarding the financing of this type of enterprises, such as the share of loans granted to SMEs, based on their size, experience and sectors of activity, that would be useful for public authorities, creditors and investors.
