The number of members and the overall influence of AMSP ČR has risen significantly in the recent years. Most of its members operate in the following fields: transport telematics, marine industry, metallurgical and machinery industry, plastics and rubber manufacturing, electrical engineering, textile industry, construction industry, crafts, services, and other fields of business. Members do not need to meet the SME criteria stipulated by the EU, i.e. a company of up to 250 employees – the association welcomes larger enterprises as well. Members include also various banks and financial institutions partially operated and funded by government authorities (Czech-Moravian Guarantee and Development Bank, Czech Export Bank, EGAP), several high schools and universities, minor associations, unions, guilds etc. Some of our members rank among the most successful Czech companies and winners of various awards (Family Business of the Year, Local Hero, Business Shark of the Czech Republic, Manager of the Industry etc.). Besides the traditional industries represented by various members the Association also supports new, trendy industries such as bio, nano, aerospace, photonics, biomedicine etc. AMSP ČR is governed by its own Code of Business Ethics.
Primarily, the Association provides its members with information services focused on the segment of small and medium-sized enterprises – news regarding subsidy offers, banking products, education, support of export, research, development and innovation, information regarding the EU, statistics, legislation etc. In cooperation with important companies and partners AMSP ČR offers discounted bundles of products and services to its members.
The Association also organises its own projects, most notably the following:
1) My Way-Young Business, supporting beginners in the business world.
2) Family Business, supporting successorship and successful generational transition.
3) Business Savvy Woman, supporting women beginning their own business, particularly mothers with children and women aged 50+.
4) Rooting for the Crafts, supporting the construction and agricultural/food processing crafts and the local producers.
5) Small Business, focused on small restaurants, pubs, beer parlours, retail, and hotels, particularly in the countryside.
6) Silver Business, supporting business activities of people aged 50+.
Major projects of the Association include “2016 – Year of the Crafts” and “2017 – Year of the Countryside”. Along with other activities they constitute a comprehensive Integrated Town Aid System aimed at supporting small businesses, particularly in towns of up to 3,000 inhabitants.
The Association initiates or organises its own awards such as the Business Savvy Woman of the Year, Equa Bank Family Business of the Year, Get Started, Craft Achievement Award and other activities connected with some sort of financial reward.
Other priorities of the Association include the acknowledgement of the work and results of small and medium-sized companies and self-employed persons, which is why the Association provides auspices over various business competitions and awards. Furthermore, the Association is one of the founding members of the Alliance for Transparent Business.
The association organises many informational and educational events for its members, either for free or at a reduced price, and offers various consulting activities, networking meetings, participation in foreign missions, and a number of other services. In general, the Association promotes the interests of small and medium-sized companies and self-employed persons in relation to the government and other institutions in all areas of its activities, particularly in the media, during the comment procedure regarding new legislation on small and medium-sized enterprises, and also via its active participation in advisory boards of various ministers, in evaluation commissions, and in expert committees. The priorities of AMSP ČR include also the advertising of its members, among the other members as well as publicly through media.
Companies and business persons interested in becoming members of the Association may join as observers for 6 months, free of charge.
The Association includes several professional committees whose members prepare professional opinions for the comment procedures regarding proposals of the government, the ministries, or other authorities.
Internationally, AMSP ČR has a significant position within the related European organisations. It is a member of NORMAPME (European Office of Crafts, Trades and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises for Standardisation), and it has concluded a number of long-term cooperation agreements with partner organisations from the Czech Republic and abroad, particularly from the Visegrad Group.
AMSP ČR participates in key discussions with the ministries regarding new laws on the business environment. It submits essential opinions and comments on behalf of the small and medium-sized enterprises segment within the expert teams of the individual ministers. The opinions of AMSP ČR are based particularly on statistical data analysis, comments and recommendations of members drawing on real-life experience, and also on the results of independent surveys performed for specific topics by a market survey agency, with methodology guaranteed by the Czech Statistical Office.
The Association cooperates with leading Czech companies and institutions, and participates in a number of national as well as international projects.
The interest shown by significant media has risen rapidly, and AMSP ČR is often cited on current matters (newspapers: Hospodářské noviny, MF Dnes, Lidové noviny, and Právo; magazines: Ekonom, Profit, Euro, and E15; Czech Television, PRIMA TV, the ČRO 1 Radiožurnál radio station, the Impuls radio station etc.).
AMSP ČR demands that government authorities demonstrate permanent and continuous interest, effort and professional ability to create a realistic strategy for a developing and viable business environment, and ensure favourable conditions for enterprising activities in the Czech Republic.