英國人熱衷創業
　　一項國際調查發現，去年，全球最富裕國家大多出現了初創企業數量下降的趨勢，但英國人卻創業熱情高漲。
　　 Enthusiasm for entrepreneurship last year helped the UK to buck the trend for falls in the number of start-ups in the world’s richest countries, an international survey has found.

　　《全球創業觀察》(Global Entrepreneurship Monitor)發現，在美國，創業者占成年人口的比例從12.4%降至10%，加拿大從9.3%降至7.1%，法國則從5.4%降至4.4%。《全球創業觀察》是全球最全面的有關早期創業活動的研究報告。
　　 The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, the most comprehensive study of early-stage start-up activity, found the proportion of adults creating businesses dropped from 12.4 per cent to 10 per cent in the US, 9.3 per cent to 7.1 per cent in Canada and 5.4 per cent to 4.4 per cent in France.

　　而在英國，該比例僅從6.2%降至5.8%。這一降幅在統計上可謂微乎其微。
　　 In the UK, however, the decline - from 6.2 per cent to 5.8 per cent - was considered statistically insignificant.

　　《全球創業觀察》報告作者、倫敦商學院(London Business School)的麗貝卡o哈丁(Rebecca Harding)表示，在英國有一股創業熱潮，人們甚至將其稱為"新型搖滾"。
　　 There is a buzz about entrepreneurship in the UK that has led some to call it the new rock’n’roll, according to Rebecca Harding, the GEM report’s author at London Business School.

　　盡管英國創業者占成年人口的比例低于北美或中國和印度等新興經濟體，但仍高于歐洲其它國家。
The proportion of adults starting businesses in the UK is higher than other European countries al- though it remains less than in north America or emerging economies, such as China and India.

　　哈丁表示："我認為我們現在還不夠’搖滾’，但相比很多國家，我們已經很’搖滾’了。"
　　 "I don’t think we are rocking and rolling as much as we need to, but we have more rocking and rolling going on than many other countries," Ms Harding said.

　　年輕人的創業熱情很高。盡管多數初創企業都是由35歲至44歲的人創辦的，但在18歲至24歲的年輕人中，逾64%的人認為創業是一個不錯的職業選擇，80%的人認為企業家擁有較高的社會地位。
　　 Young people are enthusiastic about entrepreneurship. Although most start-ups are created by people aged between 35 and 44, more than 64 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds think entrepreneurship is a good career choice and 80 per cent think that entrepreneurs have a high status in society.

　　哈丁表示，英國潛在的創業者們長期以來一直因為懼怕失敗而止步不前。但《全球創業觀察》發現，這種擔心可能毫無根據。
　　 Fear of failure has long held back would-be British entrepreneurs, according to Ms Harding. But GEM found such concerns could be unfounded.

　　在英國，93%的初創企業發展成為知名企業。這表明，多數初創企業都存活了下來。
　　 The proportion of people running established businesses in the UK is 93 per cent of the start-up rate, showing that most ventures survive.

　　在美國，僅有一半的知名企業為初創企業。
　　 In the US, there are barely half as many established companies as there are start-up businesses.

　　英國小企業聯合會(Federation of Small Businesses)的西蒙o布里奧特(Simon Briault)表示，阻礙創業活動的主要障礙是政府繁雜的手續，而非市場不確定性。他表示："由于需要另外考慮薪資、稅收、醫療、安全和聘用規定等問題，人們害怕聘用人才。"
　　 Simon Briault, of the Federation of Small Businesses, said red tape rather than market uncertainties was the main barrier to enterprise. "There is a fear of employing people because of the extra considerations about payroll, tax, health and safety and employment rules," he said.

　　英國創業者似乎不懼怕創新。《全球創業觀察》發現，英國創業者對問世不到一年的新技術的利用率與美國大致相同。
　　 UK entrepreneurs do not seem to fear innovation. GEM found that they were about as likely to use a technology that was less than a year old as people in the US.

　　在英國，女性創業率是男性的一半。這一性別差距比美國和德國都要大。
　　 Women are half as likely as men to be involved in start-ups in the UK - a wider gender gap than in the US and Germany.

　　然而，《全球創業觀察》發現，過去一年，英國多數地區的女性創業活動都相當穩定。
　　 But GEM found female entrepreneurship was reasonably constant in most UK regions during the past year.

　　 Aurora首席執行官格倫達o斯通(Glenda Stone)表示，女性創業通常較為容易，因為她們之中有更多人呆在家中，或者做兼職工作。Aurora是一個由2萬多女性創業者組成的網絡。
　　 Glenda Stone, chief executive of Aurora, a network of more than 20,000 female entrepreneurs, said it was often easier for women to start a business because more of them were based at home or worked part-time.

　　然而，最近的利率上調和人事政策變動（大公司正試圖讓工作女性更為舒適），意味著2007年選擇創業的女性數量將減少。
　　 However, recent rises in interest rates and changes in the personnel policies that would see large companies trying to be more accommodating to working mothers would mean that fewer women chose to start up a business during 2007.

　　她表示："我想，人們現在更加有點兒猶豫不決了。"
　　 "I think people are a bit more nervous right now," she said.