Case Studies

CNR was commissioned by the BLU to map the business support diagnostic tools currently used by the Business Link network in all nine Regional Development Agencies. The mapping study compared practices against the National Market Segmentation Model and their relevance to key target groups (e.g. as indicated in each of the regional economic strategies) and target groups.

The focus of this work was to:

• Provide a brief overview of each diagnostic tool in terms of breadth, depth and approach
• Provide each region with its own report/map of the diagnostics available in that region
• Provide a national picture of diagnostic tools that are currently being used
• Highlight any gaps or shortfalls in provision

The key conclusion of this work was to highlight the need for sharing knowledge on tools, and/or using the mapping work to aid the de-proliferation of tools, rather than any gaps in provision in any one region. The result of the mapping work also became a key building block in the development of regional business support models and as an aid to the simplification of support processes. 
      

Case study 1

Case study 2

Case study 3

Case study 4