Mr Peter Balan

I am working on a major project (with Adjunct Professor Noel Lindsay) to assess the innovation capabilities and entrepreneurial orientations of Australian hotels and the relationships between each of these two firm-level constructs and hotel performance. The first stage of the project included in depth interviews with 51 hotel owner/managers in all Australian states, and this laid the basis for a national survey of hotels that is currently under way (with a pilot of 153 surveys in South Australia recently completed). This research is funded by the CRC for Sustainable Tourism ($53k) with the support of the Australian Hotels Association nationally and in all states.

I organised the School of Management "ENTERPRISE FORUM" in October 2009. This was an after-hours workshop on key aspects of entrepreneurship, and built on two successful deliveries of the "Taste of Entrepreneurship" workshops in July 2008 and March 2009. This interactive forum gave alumni and students an insight into the challenges and rewards of starting your own business. It included contributions from experienced entrepreneurs, as well as summaries of best practice in the field of entrepreneurship, distilled from international research. The Enterprise Forum will be conducted as a series of lunchtime workshops in 2010.

I have been awarded a UniSA Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning "for sustained innovation in approaches that develop students’ ability to relate classroom teaching to industry and community application". The entrepreneurship courses focus on specific projects, many of which are related to university activities. In particular, students evaluate the feasibility of new product ideas that have been generated in the University's School of Design, or for novel products sourced internationally. These are real-world and purposeful projects that enhance students' educational experience. I also gained one of the University's first Awards for Excellence in Teaching for my work on the International Marketing Program. Over 12 years (from its start in 1989), this program took 132 students to countries including India, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, China, South Korea, Japan, US, Canada, UK, Germany, Greece, Italy and started many students in their international careers.

I have a long-standing interest in linking education with industry. The Marketing Project Program that I started in 1987 still continues as an industry-based program that has given more that 500 students a great start in their professional careers. I have linked the entrepreneurship courses to university research, so that students learn how to evaluate the feasibility of real world innovations, focusing on those developed by UniSA researchers. For example, students taking the course "Entrepreneurial Marketing for New Ventures" in 2007 gathered market information to evaluate the feasibility of an electric hybrid conversion project developed by the Institute for Sustainable Systems and Technologies at UniSA's Mawson Lakes campus. In 2008 the class investigated the demand for renewable energy technologies. This research-based learning approach delivered many benefits to students and also built links between the School of Management and partner groups. Reports on these projects can be downloaded from the Centre for the Development of Entrepreneurs web site.

Another initiative to link the University to the community is the project to support the NABEC Business Awards, starting in 2008. This involves organising UniSA undergraduate students to help small businesses in the north of Adelaide to write applications for awards in business excellence organised by the Northern Adelaide Business Enterprise Centre (NABEC). This is very successful in giving students a first-hand experience of working with small business. This project gained an inaugural Division of Business Community Engagement Award, and a Commendation in the Chancellor's Award for Community Engagement (both in 2009).

I am implementing a Food Innovation Project that is funded by Food SA ($24k) under the SA Food Plan. This is a pilot of the Innovation Foundation Program that was developed as part of the Business Innovation Project. A tailored version of this program is being delivered to food manufacturing businesses.

I have conducted short courses/workshops for businesses wishing to build their ability to support innovation, and in particular continuous innovation, as well as to help them operate in a more entrepreneurial manner. These courses are based on materials and approaches developed in the Business Innovation Centre project, and have been delivered in conjunction with organisations such as Meetings and Events Australia, Credit Unions of Australia, Schefenacker, Northern Adelaide Business Enterprise Centre and the Centre for Innovation (Mawson Lakes). These courses have been presented primarily to small businesses in a range of industry sectors.

In early 2002 I initiated the Business Innovation Centre project to support the transfer of technology from research organisations into existing businesses. It was implemented by the City of Salisbury, with UniSA, the Water Industry Alliance, Defence Teaming Centre and the Electronics Industry Association as project partners, and was funded ($431k) by the the DoTARS Sustainable Regions Programme in 2004/2005. This project provided a model for the State Government's Centre for Innovation. The major project output was the Innovation Foundation Program; a professional development program for SME owner/managers that is designed to help them improve the innovation capability of their businesses. The program was based on my research.

From 2003 to 2005 I was Director of UniSA's Smartlink activity. I worked with a team to manage national tours of international experts in the field of manufacturing management, and to promote the university's manufacturing management programs.

From 1998 to 2002 I was the UniSA Project Manager for the Harmony Project. This was a major European Union project that developed a sophisticated and effective operations and management system for business incubators and technology accelerators. This system is built on a knowledge management database that supports global networking and collaboration. As part of this project, I managed a European contract to develop on-line training and accreditation support for the Harmony System.

I was the Foundation Director of UniSA's Centre for the Development of Entrepreneurs from its launch in November 2000 to end December 2001. My role was to identify research, teaching and training opportunities in the field of entrepreneurship and enterprise creation and development to help make UniSA a more enterprising organisation. My work also involved developing and delivering courses on entrepreneurship and business creation using the FastTrac system for undergraduate and PhD levels.

The School of Marketing was created as a spin-out from the Elton Mayo School of Management in 1995. As the Foundation Head of the School (1996 to 2000), I developed strong links with industry and government to give the School a high profile locally and nationally, and to position the School strongly in the university. I actively supported the creation and development of two successful and focused research groups: the Marketing Science Centre (established in 1988), and now the Ehrenberg Bass Institute for Marketing Science,) and the Wine Marketing Research Group (established in 1998).

I started the School's domestic Marketing Project Program (1987) and the International Marketing Program (1989). I managed both programs and and taught in them until 2000. I also initiated the annual Marketing Graduate Directory in 1987, firstly as a book and then as a CD-ROM. These project programs and directories contributed significantly to building the profile of the School and its graduates in the business and government community.

In 1985, I joined the Elton Mayo School of Management in the South Australian Institute of Technology (SAIT) as a lecturer in marketing. This followed a career in international marketing and general management in Switzerland, Germany, UK, France and Australia. I worked in a range of industries including transport (railways), manufacturing (chemicals, graphic art materials, furniture, sheepskins, sailboards), services (industry association, consulting) in the private sector, as well as in the government sector. Most of my jobs involved exporting.

I have been involved with a number of new entrepreneurial ventures. I was the entrepreneur who drove the establishment of the Montessori School Adelaide as a new venture start-up in 1984. I administered the school and chaired its Board for three years after its launch. I set up a venture to publish books, and another venture to deliver professional development courses for industry.

"ENTERPRISE FORUM" workshop that was conducted on Wednesday 14 October 2009

For information about the Centre for Development of Entrepreneurs, and for detailed information about undergraduate and postgraduate courses in entrepreneurship

For information about research projects carried out with students taking the course "Entrepreneurial Marketing for New Ventures" in 2007 and 2008. You can also download copies of the research reports for these projects on an Electric Hybrid Conversion Service, and the demand for Renewable Energy Technologies.

• Since 2000, I have developed and presented courses for undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD students in the field of entrepreneurship and enterprise creation and development.
• In 2006, my colleagues in the CDE and I developed UniSA's range of new courses in the field of entrepreneurship for undergraduates and for postgraduate students.
• In 2007 I piloted an approach to link teaching with research in the course "Entrepreneurial Marketing for New Ventures", and this was used as an example of "building the teaching-research nexus" in the Division. This approach was further developed in 2008 to more closely link the entrepreneurship courses to research. This approach brought real benefits to students by exposing them to research processes and content that underpin the course. The research reports for these projects can be downloaded from the CDE website - follow the link that is above this section.
• I have developed a range of modular courses for industry that are designed to help small businesses build their ability to be more innovative and entrepreneurial. Many of these courses are based on the application of diagnostic tools that I have developed from the literature. I have conducted these courses in the manufacturing, finance and hospitality sectors. Please contact me direct for further information about these innovative professional development programs.

Australian Institute of Export (Fellow)

Australian Market and Social Research Society

B.Sc. (in physics and applied maths)

B.E. (Hons) (in electrical engineering)

M.B.M. (Master of Business Management)

I am currently carrying out doctoral research with the topic "Developing an Innovation Capability Assessment Instrument for the Services Sector: A Case Study of the Australian Hotel Industry".

• The innovation capability and entrepreneurial orientation of firms
• Technology Incubation and Commercialisation
• Marketing and Business Planning, with a particular focus on new technology businesses

I am able to provide media comment in the following areas of expertise:

Discipline: Business

• Entrepreneurship
• Innovation
• Technology commercialisation
• Business Planning
• Marketing Planning