2011/711 Strategic decision making and business performance in the Australian seafood industry

By Daniela Schwarz

Scientific literature identifies that there is a strong relationship between business enterprise performance and the business development strategy pursued by the enterprise. Miles and Snow (1978) proposed that business development strategies adopted by an enterprise can be categorised into four (4) distinct groups (typologies) depending on the resources and capabilities of the enterprise concerned. These typology categories are: Prospectors, Analysers, Defenders, and Reactors.

Specific research questions to be addressed include:

• Which business development strategy are the seafood industry businesses perusing?
• What is the impact of strategy decision on firm resources which then influences firm capability development?
• Does the level of capability development influence business performance?
• To what extent does the adoption of Seafood CRC research project outcomes impact on business performance?

The answers to the above questions are critical to the Australian Seafood CRC in measuring its performance against its objectives, in particular, those under Program 2 and Program 4. Specifically, this research will provide a greater understanding of the extent to which Seafood CRC industry partners adopt (utilise) CRC research outcomes as a tool for improving internal resources and capabilities, resulting in increased business performance. This will also demonstrate the benefits to existing Seafood CRC partners and the broader seafood industry of engaging in cooperative research.

This project aimed to

1. Measure performance by identifying the extent to which industry partners adopt CRC research outcomes to modify their business development strategies, improve firm resources and capabilities and the extent to which this has contributed to improved business performance.
2. Deliver improved industry performance and hence improved delivery against CRC milestones.
3. Deliver greater industry appreciation of the benefits of collaborative research under a CRC framework which will improve the CRC ability to retain its existing industry partners as well as encourage new industry and institutional partners