The growth appraisal system for Chinese SMEs

In China, research into SME growth has become more important and has drawn considerable attention from both government and scholars, but there is no universally accepted way to define and measure an SME’s growth prospects. Based on a comprehensive and systematic literature review on different aspects of SME growth, and the consensus achieved through using the Delphi technique among 11 experts including policy-makers, scholars and entrepreneurs, this exploratory study has developed an effective growth appraisal system for Chinese SMEs. In building this system, the analytic hierarchy process was selected as the appropriate method for data analysis. Then, an in-depth case study of two Chinese SMEs was undertaken to illustrate the calculation and utilization of the growth appraisal system.