This page was last updated This whole site! We are (still!) constructing this site and some of the pages are not quite finished, but we wanted to get the site up anyway. So continue to watch this space and please let us know of any suggestions or problems (such as missing links) that you encounter on the site. Sustainable Business Futures Our prediction is that 2007 will mark the start of another 2-4 year burst of interest in ‘the environment’. This time we will see the mainstreaming of environmentalism – following on from the UK’s Stern report on global warming which at last talked in dry economic terms about the cost to business of doing nothing about global warming. As a result, we predict that we will see ‘sustainability’ emerge as a key area of business differentiation and product and service sales growth for the next 4 years. Sustainability in this context means the impact of a business on the ’triple bottom line’ of economy, society and environment. To paraphrase a former PM, in 2007 we will be saying ‘we are all greenies now’. Big business will do it in a very public way. Some examples we have spotted recently are:
What does it mean for small business? It means that the increased awareness and visibility of these issues will make your business and general customers more interested in your approach to sustainability. And the good news is that it is even easier for a small business to take action on a number of facets of sustainability than it is for a large business. We in small business don’t have the same conflicts at AGMs regarding the interests of shareholders vs the interests of the planet! Here are some steps that we have taken ourselves. What will you do?
And for small business owners, the other aspect to the sustainability of your business is your own sustainability – the ability to keep running your business without getting burnt out. If you feel your business is getting away from you we recommend begging, borrowing or stealing just a little time to give your personal sustainability some attention this year. It is an issue dear to our hearts, and one we look at in our “Grow Your Business Without Going Crazy” and “Small Business Futures” workshops! Current Projects World Bank Business Incubator Project SES Director Kim Houghton is currently assiting the World Bank with its Business Incubator Program. Current tasks include writing and editing material for the Infodev website and Incubator Manager's Handbook. Economic Assessment of CUB site A Concept Plan is being prepared for redevelopment of the CUB site in Chippendale. Part of the work in preparing the Plan is this assessment of issues around the economic impact of the redevelopment. In conjunction with Elton Consulting, SES has prepared an initial report. The analysis in this report is based on current understandings of the scale of the redevelopment, the mix of residential and commercial activities, and the economy of the surrounding area. This project will be completed in mid 2007. Springboard South Australia More information to come
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Crockwell Medical Centre Feasibility Study and Business Plan Crookwell has an opportunity to develop a health centre to replace a frail-aged facility which is to cease operations. This feasibility study and business plan will provide an independent evaluation of the viability of the centre, including a risk assessment, and prepare a business plan to take the project from concept, through implementation to operation. This project will be completed mid 2007. Workcover NSW SES and CREEDA Projects have been comissioned by Workcover Australia to do a 3 year longitudinal study of small business attitudes to Occupational Health and Safety. The study follows on from a previous project Workcover NSW: Effective Intervention Strategies for Small Business. National Springboard Project SES and joint venture partner, CREEDA Projects are being funded under AusIndustry's 'Building Entrepreneurship in Small Business Program' to run the Springboard Business Growth Program in five regions across Australia. It is expected that around 120 businesses will participate. This project will be completed mid 2007. Lifeline Australia Lifeline Australia has commissioned SES to look at the national structure and costings of some of Lifeline Australia's core activities such as telephone counseling. This project extends from work on activity based costing that SES completed for Lifeline Australia in 2005. This project will be completed in early 2007. Noosa Shire Council In May 2006, SES was commissioned by Noosa Shire Council to research 'the impact on the Noosa economy of a defined population carrying capacity'. Noosa Shire is likely to run out of developable land in the next 5 to 8 years. This will have a major impact on the Shire’s population growth rate – though redevelopment and re-purposing of buildings are likely to enable the population to continue to grow slowly. Noosa Council’s economic prosperity strategies focus on diversifying the economic base towards high value-low volume-low impact economic growth and towards employment generation within industry sectors not wholly dependent on population growth. Within the context of this strategic focus, Noosa Council wants to understand the implications of nil population growth for the Shire’s economy at a more detailed level, in order to better plan for and identify additional strategies that can be developed to strengthen future economic performance The crux of the question is how much of Noosa’s economic growth is influenced by population growth. Population growth brings two of the underpinning economic factors of production – labour and capital, while consuming the third – land. Without population growth in the Shire, will the Shire still be able to sustain Noosa’s current industry and employment base, and will it be able to attract skilled labour and capital to reach its aim of becoming a ‘knowledge economy’? Northern Grampians Investment Plan In early 2006, the Northern Grampians Shire Council contracted SES to undertake the next stage of its Economic Development Strategy comprising an Investment Plan and Prospectus for sustainable business development at the Shire level. The Investment Plan and Prospectus will be used to promote the future economic growth of the municipality. It is not a land-use planning document but it will be used to provide informed advice to the Council on land that should be earmarked as suitable for key economic activities including:
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