Implementation issues

Dr James A MacAskill

DeanSt James’s Business School

British Institute of Technology and E-Commerce

A perspective

• Moving to a post hydrocarbon knowledge economy

• $211 billion invested in renewables but issues– Food security

– Inconsistent tax benefits and regulations

– Expensive per energy unit produced

– Downstream toxicities

• Urbanisation issues– Plenty of green options based in rural economies

– Skills depleted regional economies

• Nuclear option

Bridging the route to market

•From partnership to profit•Policy into reality

Entrepreneurial outcomesE.F. Schumacher “Small is beautiful” 1973,

concepts of appropriate technologies & sustainable development

Concept of Creative destruction Joseph Schumpeter 1942

Country Rural population

UK 23%

Romania 48%

Japan 23%

Germany 13%

China 56%

Greening business = innovation

• Alternative uses for existing assets

• Waste minimisation

• Turning waste into usable products

• Closed cycle systems

• Small scale rather than large scale reducing environmental impact

• Large investments long product returns

Being pragmatic

• Tangible drivers for change

– Fractured markets

• Reality of policy

– Support often poor and insufficient

• Providing jobs

– Higher value

– Societal benefits

• Models within Regional economies

– Rural economic impact

• Farming sector

Project (10 funding) Location Partners Activity

Omapood(UK-KHF+)

UK, Baltic states 10 Commercial2 Regional Gov1 State Gov2 HE & FE

Retail cooperative

QUEST (PHARE)UK, The Netherlands Baltic states 3 HE, 20 commercial

4 regional govFood quality mark and regional brand

Waymark (ESF+RDA+)UK HE

Local authority, enterprise agency,

Business advisory signposting service

HTVK (EU + RDA+)Hungary Sister Waymark network

in HungaryBusiness advisory signposting service

ADER (ESF+RDA+)UK 6 FE, 6 regional gov, 2

regional & enterprise development agencies4,000 rural businesses

Rural business recovery, advisory and training service

CDR (World Bank +)Romania 125 commercial

4 HE, 25,000 HaMarketing and diversification consortium

Praxis (Interreg IIIc+) UK, Spain, Belgium, France, Poland, Romania, Greece, Italy, The Netherlands

2HE8 Regional gov4 enterprise agencies

Counter rural unemployment through rural enterpriseToolkit for SME support

Rural Innova (Interreg

IIIc+)

France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Belgium, Hungary, Lithuania

7 regional gov2 HE, 5 enterprise and development agencies

Good practice exchange network for rural employment

Rural Economy in East of England

• Many role for farming

– Food and drinks industry

– 15-25% of GDP

• Fractured market

• Ageing profile with average farmer age in UK 59 years

• 60% face of bankruptcy in 2000

• CAP reforms and accession pathways

• Accession state pressures

Moving away from convention

• Conventional approach

– Subventions

– Interventions

– Production subsidies

• Farm businesses operating as quasi state owned businesses to entrepreneurial and open market focused SME’s

Supporting

• Maintaining a vibrant vital and viable countryside

– Help restructure the market

– Help to re-skill and gain employability skills

– Help develop and diversify income streams

– Help with environmental protection

– Help with alternative building approaches

• Introducing renewables and environmental considerations

Prospects for Agriculture

Prospects for food industry

Prospects for drinks industry

Strategy integration

• University network i10

– All regional university sector organisations including Cambridge

• Regional Development Agency

• DERFA

• All regional agricultural colleges

• National business support services

• Land owners association

• Agricultural training Board

Strategy drivers

• Support for stabilising businesses

• Support diversification

• Support development

• Creating virtual and physical hubs for business support and skills development

• Support in environmental pollution control and prevention

“……encouraging and supporting enterprise and innovation in rural business,

and encouraging people of all ages to participate in quality learning opportunities.”.

Go East

Achievements• Created a comparative regional competitive

environment

• Provided stability to allow transformation to occur

• Contributed to rise in world competitive index and UK competitive index (8 and 6 places)

• 40% of business reported turnover increases

• Estimated 294 FT and 546 PT jobs created

• Income from diversification rose from £10,900 to £18,400

• Income for tourism rose from £244 to £5,900 per farm

What about renewables

• Set out to create awareness of alternatives

– Universities have some of the leading climate change experts and alternative energy

• Set out to create practical CAP reforms and NZ legislation awareness

• Set out to advise on redundant buildings and sustainable building practices

• Set out environmental village plans as a demonstration site

Putting to practice

• Materials

– Joinery

– Cladding

– Insulation

– Concrete

– Photovoltaics

• Design principles

– Solar gain

– High thermal mass

– Super insulation

– Passive ventilation

– Reduce trades

– Recycle materials and building products

Dealing with sustainable buildings

• Show it can look good

• People can work in them

• Re-learning how a building operates

• Re-learning how building absorb and release heat

• Helping new users get the bets out of sustainable buidings

• Using surplus energy

Lessons Learnt

• Meaningful business support moving beyond simple intervention

• farmers re-employed in other sectors

• integrated approach to rural business support adopted by current mainstream providers

• improved offer from regional agricultural colleges, reflecting improved knowledge of farm diversification needs and the experience of running joint-programmes

• best practice of regional and national significance in engaging with farmers, including ‘hard-to-reach’ groups and women.

• Increased societal benefits

Thank youDr Jamie MacAskill

www.bite.ac.uk/sbs

Tel: +44 (0) 2079 308 886

email: jmacaskill@bite.ac.uk

“Some people see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say why not?”George Bernard Shaw

www.academy-zone.com

Copyright Jamie MacAskill 2003 - 2011

PartnersSeminars &

master classes

Partner visits

Benchmark

Business

financingOutcomes

Improve business process

Business plan financing

Academic

Commercial

Market orientation

Value added

Curriculum Development

Workforce Development

Copyright Jamie MacAskill 2003 - 2011

Partners

•Framing the issues

•Delivery team

•Screening

•Trust

•Reliable local

manager

•It takes time

Copyright Jamie MacAskill 2003 – 2011

PartnersSeminars &

master classes•Responsive

•Socialisation

•Multi-dimensional

•Training trainer

•Team bonding

Curriculum Development

Copyright Jamie MacAskill 2003 - 2011

PartnersSeminars &

master classes

Partner visits

benchmark

•Sharing experiences

•Sharing resources

•Test assumptions

Curriculum Development

Copyright Jamie MacAskill 2003 - 2011

PartnersSeminars &

master classes

Partner visits

Benchmark

Business

financing

CommercialValue added

•Preferred access to partners accessing programme•Linking regional support more closely•Integrated approach to programme planning•Combining resources strengthens business plan•Sharing risks

Copyright Jamie MacAskill 2003 - 2011

PartnersSeminars &

master classes

Partner visits

Benchmark

Business

financingOutcomes

Improve business process

Business plan financing

Academic

Commercial

Market orientation

Value added

Curriculum Development

Workforce Development

Copyright Jamie MacAskill 2003 - 2011

PartnersSeminars &

master classes

Partner visits

Benchmark

Business

financingOutcomes

Trust Chain

Values Chain

Copyright Jamie MacAskill 2003 - 2011

PartnersSeminars &

master classes

Partner visits

Benchmark

Business

financingOutcomes

Improve business process

Business plan financing

Academic

Commercial

Market orientation

Value added

Curriculum Development

Workforce Development