Regulatory reform – deregulation versus better regulation

It seems that government’s around the world are paying greater attention to regulatory reform. While reform is a continuous activity of all governments, more and more are becoming aware of how the accumulation of regulation can quash business growth and constrain economic competitiveness. It is interesting to see the ways these reforms are being introduced…

The innovation imperative – building competitiveness beyond the resources boom

The Australian Institute of Management and the University of Melbourne have released a report on firm-based innovation, which highlights the challenges to firms. While innovation can occur by change, firms do better by ensuring the systems are in place for innovation to flourish. This requires a whole-of-organisation approach with good leadership and good systems. There…

Australia's rural entrepreneurs

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) launched a new report today: Perspectives on Regional Australia: Business Owners in Regions, 2011. Its findings reinforce the importance of the need for strong business base for rural and regional communities. My work in these regions has focused on the creation of local enterprise support agencies and other forms of…