November 2007
Vol. 20
On 14 November 2007, the gala dinner "A Decade of Discovery - Looking to the Future" was an occasion for senior business figures, community thought leaders and internationally recognised academics alike to celebrate the first decade of the Australian Business Foundation.
Held at the Australian National Maritime Museum, the night featured many of the original instigators and founders of the Foundation, along with Professor Michael Enright, who is from the University of Hong Kong and who was described as "one of the world's leading strategy gurus" by the Academy of International Business.
Chairman of the Foundation Mr Peter Janssen congratulated the eclectic group of people who shared the foresight to see the advantages to Australia of such an organisation, including the founding sponsor, then Australian Business Limited but now known as the NSW Business Chamber.
They were joined on the night by other sponsors such as Westpac and BRW, along with a variety of representatives of the Foundation's corporate members and individual members of the Foundation.
Quick Links
Celebrating the 10th Anniversary
In my first edition of In The Loop, it is terrific to be able to look at ten years of achievement by the Foundation, but even better to be involved in shaping opportunities for the future. As the newest member of the growing Foundation team, I am looking forward to becoming better known to the diverse fraternity that is the community of interest centred around the Australian Business Foundation.
Clint McGilvray
External Relations
Highlights of 2007
This year has seen the Foundation continue to emerge as a global thought leader and it is worth noting a number of highlights:
- Chief Execitive Narelle Kennedy's appointment by the Federal Education Minister to a technical working group on research impact for the Research Quality Framework evaluation.
- The Foundation's participation in the Prime Minister’s Science Engineering and Innovation Council working group on Services Innovation.
- Attendance at the invitation of the IBM President and CEO at the IBM Business Leadership Forum in St Petersburg Russia, the only Australian attending who was not an IBM supplier or customer.
- submissions and hearings on the Productivity Commission’s report on Science and Innovation;
- consultancies and advice requests from Commonwealth and State Government Departments on the design of policies, programs and budget initiatives;
- participation on advisory bodies for studies by the Business Council of Australia, the Society of Knowledge Economics and various universities;
- commentary to university research directors on business-university collaboration;
- CEO’s of leading corporates seeking access to the Foundation as a vehicle for communicating their insights on doing business from Australia;
- consultancy on industry policy for the South Australian defence industry;
- assistance in the design and conduct of a series of privately-run innovation leadership forums; and
- the Foundation cited and referenced in popular books and academic articles.
Research
The Foundation has ‘gone global’ in its research partnerships and on the subject matter of its research. Pioneering new models of research partnerships with both Australian and international experts continue and the Foundation has a some impressive research in the pipeline.
Recently the Foundation launched its latest research, Born to be Global: A Closer Look at the International Venturing of Australian Born Global Firms by Professor Peter Leisch, Dr Stuart Middleton and Dr Jay Weerawardena of the University of the Queensland Business School and the Australian Business Foundation’s Dr Matthew Steen. This project analysed the international expansion experiences of 18 born global firms from Australia and formed an assessment of how this international venturing can benefit the Australian economy as a whole.
Research in the pipeline
The Foundation has five further research projects underway and expects to see them completed in the following twelve months:
Australian Productivity Growth is being undertaken by Professor Alan Hughes of the Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge, UK. Professor Hughes is undertaking an analysis of the economic contribution that various sectors have made to Australian productivity growth during the period 1995-2005.
Positioning Sydney in the Strategies of Multinational Corporations is an up to date analysis of how Sydney features in the strategies, organisation and location decisions of multinational firms. This project is being conducted by Professor Michael Enright from Enright, Scott and Associates and the University of Hong Kong.
The Future Revisited is an update of the Australian Business Foundation’s pioneering scenario planning study published in 1999, Alternative Futures: Scenarios for Business in Australia to the year 2015 and is being led by expert futurist and business analyst Susan Oliver.
Effective Models of Business Engagement with China is an investigation of the business models that are proving effective for Australian companies competing in Chinese markets. This project is being coordinated by international relations expert Dr Keith Suter.
Knowledge Flows and Innovation Capabilities-the Human Dimension is an edited collection of expert papers which will offer fresh insights on the ways that the connections between people serve to transform businesses and increase their know-how and their innovation capabilities.
The Board in 2007
The Board was pleased to welcome Ms Leslie Butterfield, CEO of McLachlan Lister Pty Ltd to join the Board in June 2007. Ms Butterfield brings a wealth of experience spanning project management, business development, corporate advisory, corporate finance and strategic planning in the property, technology and telecommunications sectors and is a welcome additional to the Board.
Secondly, in welcoming new Directors to the Board, at the Annual General Meeting on 28 November we will also bid farewell to those who are retiring as Directors. The Foundation would like to thank our Chairman, Mr Peter Janssen, Dr Bob Frater, Mr Oliver Freeman and Dr Merilyn Sleigh for their commitment and involvement in working tirelessly for the Foundation.
A new web site
The Australian Business Foundation has launched its new website which we invite you to visit at www.abfoundation.com.au We will soon be starting online forums so that our members and stakeholders can have greater engagement in the work of the Foundation.
Our Sponsors
The Australian Business Foundation is principally sponsored by its founder, ABL State Chamber - the eminent industry organisation, and is also delighted to have corporate sponsorship from Westpac and BRW:
These prestigious firms are thought leaders, and we are pleased to work with them to advance knowledge and debate about the future prosperity and growth of Australian business.
A big welcome also to the new members, including our newest corproate member the Victorian Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development, who have joined the ABF membership community since the last issue of In The Loop. Feel free to forward this newsletter on to your colleagues and associates.
The Last Word
If you or your organisation is working on a product, service, research project or event that furthers new thinking on Australia's business competitiveness, innovative capacity and opportunities from a knowledge-based economy, please contact us and we will spread the word!
Comments, questions, suggestions, please contact us:Australian Business Foundation
Locked Bag 938
North Sydney NSW 2060
Ph: (02) 9458 7342
Fax: (02) 9929 0193
foundation@australianbusiness.com.au
www.abfoundation.com.au
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