Case Studies of Innovation in Australia’s larger companies (2006)

The Business Council of Australia commissioned Howard Partners to examine the nature of innovation systems within Member Companies, and to assess how various public policy frameworks are influencing the type and amount of business innovation in Australia

The project required the production of a report on innovation systems in BCA Member Companies based on information obtained through interviews with contacts from approximately 20 BCA Member Companies. Where appropriate the findings will be reinforced by reference to other related research.

The project aimed to:

• analyse how businesses conceptualise the innovation task, for example can business innovation be identified as a business management issue;
• identify the factors that influence business innovation (both positively and negatively), for example market conditions, changing consumer preferences and demands, and emerging technologies - but in particular regulatory and public policy structures;
• assess the ways in which businesses achieve innovative outcomes in response to innovation drivers; and
• determine whether current public policy frameworks create barriers to business innovation and what reforms to public policy might reduce or eliminate these barriers.

A Report was submitted to the Australian Business Council in February 2006 and published in March. See Changing Paradigms - Rethinking Innovation Policies, Practices and Programs in Publications