IfM Bonn News

Many working women generally reduce their working hours after giving birth, which is associated with a loss of income.

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The IfM Bonn's latest SME Barometer shows that turnover and profits of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) fell again in the third quarter. By contrast, the positive trend in investment continued.

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In the same way that life circumstances, such as unemployment, influence women's decisions to become entrepreneurs, personal experiences also influence the further development of women-led businesses.

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Entrepreneurs prefer to pass on their life's work within the family. Dr André Pahnke, Dr Rosemarie Kay and Dr Susanne Schlepphorst have examined in a study whether and, if so, how the performance of the company influences the owner's decision on succession.

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Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Friederike Welter made a plea for "everyday entrepreneurship" at the SME Assembly 2025 in Copenhagen in mid-November as part of the Schumpeter Lecture "Innovation in Enterprise"

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Investments in infrastructure and insurance help to mitigate the negative consequences of extreme weather events.

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What are currently the biggest challenges for small and medium-sized enterprises? How do the US tariffs affect companies?

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How do companies in the mechanical and plant engineering sector see the current bureaucratic burden? How do they respond to it? Answers to these questions can be found in the latest IfM video.

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"Small and medium-sized enterprises remain the backbone of North Rhine-Westphalia's economy", reported Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Friederike Welter in her keynote speech at the North Rhine-Westphalia SME Advisory Council in early November.

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Does the self-perception of sons' entrepreneurial skills suffer when parents do things for their children that they could do themselves? According to research by Dr. Stefan Schneck, this is the case.

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The IfM is the academic research centre for the Mittelstand. It arose from a letter exchange between Ludwig Erhard and Konrad Adenauer. These roots show that SMEs are more than just an economic factor.

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The geopolitical situation and increasingly fragile trade relations are currently posing particular challenges for export-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises. At the same time, the expanding defence sector also offers opportunities for companies that are prepared to change their business …

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The Silicon Valley business district was for a long time considered as a model economic region. Many governments have tried to copy it.

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Entrepreneurship exists in many different forms. Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Friederike Welter therefore believes that entrepreneurship researchers should broaden their horizons and look beyond conventional standard models.

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In the opinion of Professor Friederike Welter, the European Commission's funding initiatives should not only target fast-growing companies but should also focus on innovative medium-sized companies in general.

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