Fitness for Growth launches in Liverpool
A PROJECT to uncover the key drivers of business success has been officially launched in Liverpool. Many of Liverpool’s leading financial and professional services firms joined Steve Stuart, founder of The Steve Stuart Partnership (TSSP) at a workshop to launch the Fitness for Growth project at the University of Liverpool, Management School. Mr Stuart, together with the Management School, is in the throes of devising a revolutionary diagnostics tool - “Fitness for Growth” diagnostics - designed to measure the key ingredients required to maximise business’ growth potential and opportunities for success. Some of the city’s most prominent business names, including The North West Development Agency, The Mersey Partnership, Alliance Fund Managers, Active Profile, Bibby Financial Services, Barclays Bank, DLA Piper, DWF, Engineering and Equipment Finance, Hill Dickinson, m62 visualcommunications, RBS, Venture Structured Finance and VK Synergy took part in the workshop on Friday to discuss ways of recruiting local SMEs to participate in the project. Fitness for Growth is underpinned by a cutting edge business health check which will seek to assess Small to Medium Enterprises’ (SME) potential for growth in a completely new and innovative way. This will be achieved by analysing the interaction between their current performance, core business characteristics (such as training and networking) and the environment within which they operate. It is hoped that Fitness for Growth will illustrate how fit each company is relative to its market and ultimately reveal the key factors behind its fitness. Three-dimensional imagery will reveal the combination of characteristics that successful businesses share and those that failing companies have in common.
Mr Stuart, who has been voted Merseyside Dealmaker of the Year for two years running, said: “This workshop sees the start of a project that has been on the drawing board for more than two and a half years. “To be getting the project underway marks a real breakthrough and the start of something extremely exciting for the city. “To see so many talented business people working together in this the first Fitness for Growth workshop is in itself a major achievement. “DTI (now BERR) assessors told us that Fitness for Growth is one of the most exciting Knowledge Transfer Partnerships that they have ever approved as they know this tool will give us the access to market data that you can’t get anywhere else. “We are gathering data that isn’t readily available, as the variety and depth of questions we’re asking haven’t been asked before. We will then link the data up in a way that will give us a unique perspective on the health of individual businesses and eventually entire industries. “When Fitness for Growth is fully developed we hope to see Liverpool raise its name not just regionally, but nationally and internationally.” David Brookfield, senior lecturer at The University of Liverpool Management School, added: “This first workshop marks the beginning of an important collaboration between business and the University that seeks, in a very practical way, to assess how organisations can become fit and how they might sustain their position in what are very challenging economic circumstances.” The project is part funded through the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), a Government initiative, led by the Technology Strategy Board. All KTP projects are therefore undertaken as partnerships between the private sector and Further Education establishments; in this case The University of Liverpool. Murray Dalziel, professor of management and director of The University of Liverpool Management School, said: “This is the start of a long relationship of engagement between the Management School, TSSP and thousands of Merseyside organisations. “We are all working together to develop a template around innovation and growth that will impact people world-wide. “The findings from the Fitness for Growth project will be taught in business and management school across the globe. “We have created something extremely powerful and vibrant.” Photograph credit: Photographer |
