중소기업의 성장장벽 유형과 정책과제

This paper is to identify ‘growth barriers,’ one of difficulties that SMEs face. The growth barriers can be defined as SMEs specific factors that adversely affect SMEs’ growth over a long period of time, and SMEs cannot overcome by its firms alone or on-going SMEs policy measures. The concept of growth barriers is differentiated from ‘general’ difficulties that have negative impact on firms’ growth but can be resolved by their own efforts or related policy means. The study investigates SMEs, which is extracted deductively, in order to identify their perceived barriers to growth. The empirical results show that most of barriers to SMEs’ development are finance, HR management and unfair subcontract practices by large companies with superior positions in transactions. This paper suggests the following policy directions and strategies based on the empirical results. First, SME policy design should be tailored to best respond to the degree of growth barriers. Second, a policy plan that reduces growth barriers for SMEs needs to be designed through firms’ ‘effort based’ approach. Third, more strategic mid-and-long-term road map is required to foster financial technology market. Fourth, paradigm shift in human resource policy is needed. Finally, the existing policies designed for fostering the cooperation between large and small firms and for treating unfair subcontracting practices by large companies should be carefully reviewed and evaluated to improve the effectiveness of the policies.