| FOREWORD BY THE
SCOTTISH BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY MINISTER
 Eight
months ago I was a businessman. Like many business people at that time
I had been following the developments on devolution very closely to assess
the possible impact of the new Scottish Parliament on business. I know
that many businessmen and women in Scotland had strong views on and expectations
of what the Scottish Parliament might deliver. However, many felt that
they were not engaged in the process of shaping how the Scottish Parliament
might operate and how the Parliament would interrelate with Scottish business.
Since I was appointed as
Minister last August one of my priorities has been to
encourage all businesses in Scotland, be they small or
large, indigenous or foreign owned, in all sectors, to
enter into the debate about what the Scottish Parliament
can do for business and in return what business can do
for the Scottish Parliament.
The Government has been
determined to listen and learn from the business
community. With that in mind the views of business have
been actively sought out. For example, in reviewing
Scottish Enterprise's strategy a wide-ranging
consultation was undertaken and the views of Scottish
business are very much reflected in the four goals that
have now been set for Scottish Enterprise:
|
| |
- A Scotland powered by
imaginative, innovative, far-sighted
organisations;
- A Scotland with
positive attitudes to learning and enterprise;
- A Scotland with an
inclusive approach to economic development; and
- A Scotland which is a
competitive place in the world economy.
|
| |
| We have also
been actively tackling many of the issues which are
raised in this Report. We have undertaken a major review
of support to small and growing businesses, produced a
skills strategy for a competitive Scotland, set up a task
force to look at the commercialisation of science and we
are driving forward in Scotland, and in many cases are
ahead of the game, the action required to build a
knowledge driven economy as set out in the Government's
White Paper on Competitiveness. In all of these
initiatives Scottish business plays a crucial role and we
need to act in partnership with them and our other social
partners to ensure that we have a Scottish economy fit
for the challenges in the new millennium. |
| |
| We have of
course been working away to ensure that the Scottish
Parliament gets off to a flying start. As part of this
process we launched the "Pathfinders to the
Parliament" initiative at the start of this year.
This would give businesses in Scotland the opportunity to
generate ideas for early consideration by the Scottish
Parliament. In short, it provided Scottish business with
an opportunity to draw up a business agenda for the new
Parliament. |
| |
| I was
delighted that some of the leading business people in
Scotland agreed to chair the 13 Pathfinder Groups that
were set up. This Report brings together the findings,
views and ideas of those Groups. It is quite clear that a
huge amount of work in a very short time has gone into
the production of these Groups' reports and I am
extremely grateful to the Chairpersons, members of the
Pathfinder Groups and all the other individuals and
organisations who contributed. The breadth and depth of
consultation involved gives significant weight to the
ideas generated. They represent the views of Scottish
business and must therefore be given very serious
consideration by the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish
Executive. Some of the ideas are novel and some might
even be described as controversial, but if that leads to
genuine debate about future business and industrial
policy in Scotland that can only be welcomed. |
| |
| I commend
this Report to the future Scottish Parliament and to all
those who share my belief that the Scottish Parliament
and Scottish business working together can produce a
bright economic future for Scotland. |
| |
 |
| LORD
MACDONALD OF TRADESTON |
| Scottish
Business and Industry Minister |
