US Business Leadership Program

The US Business Leadership Program at the United States Studies Centre offers a diverse range of programs and topics in which senior executives of Australian business and government meet with outstanding US leaders to exchange views on topics of importance to the two countries. The purpose of these sessions is to enrich perspectives, increase awareness and broaden horizons on important issues affecting Australian business. The Centre aims to collaborate with other institutions concerned with US-Australia relations, including other Australian universities, to draw on and share the best expertise available. The Centre also wishes to offer its business-related activities as widely as possible across Australia.

5 September

New Horizons: Opportunities in the US Market
Realising business opportunities in challenging times

A one-day executive program for small to midsize companies on entering & operating in the United States market.

Friday 5 September
9.00am - 4.30pm
Hamilton & Parkes Rooms, DSRD
Level 47, MLC Centre, 19 Martin Place, Sydney

The program, offered by the USSC jointly with DSRD and Austrade, covers identifying market opportunities in the United States, including benefits of the Free Trade Agreement and access to the government procurement sector; legal and financial issues of starting and operating a business in the US; and management and operational issues.

The program is aimed at Australian companies, ranging in size from start-ups to midsize companies expanding internationally. Speakers are experienced US and Australian professionals from legal firms, banking, venture capital, EFIC and Australian companies operating in the US.

The fee for the program is $260, including lunch and materials.

Download the full program and registration form here

The Centre offers forums at three levels:

• US Leadership Forums
• US Business Seminars
• Public Seminars and Academic Conferences
• Links to Other Institutions

US Leadership Forums

Each of the forums is intended for CEOs and chairpersons of Australian business and government organisations, to provide an opportunity to meet visiting leaders and discuss important issues. Typically they are of two hours duration and take place in the city over lunch or at an early evening reception. Most sessions are offered in Sydney and Melbourne and, where the speaker's schedule permits, in other capital cities.

US Business Seminars

Each of the US Business Seminars are half a day to one day in length and are intended for senior managers of functions, divisions or departments. Each one deals in depth with a topic of significance to Australian-US business and economic relations.

Public Seminars and Academic Conferences

Whenever possible, visitors offer a seminar open to the public on the topic of their expertise, which is promoted to as wide an audience as possible.

Many visitors also offer seminars and participate in conferences for an academic audience, to stimulate the exchange of ideas.

Hoover Institution Workshop on the Credit Crunch and Future Role of the Fed, 28 July 2008

http://www.hoover.org/pubaffairs/whatsnew/26055669.html

• US Business and the Economy
• US Political Issues Critical to Australian Business
• Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• Social Entrepreneurship
• Corporate Governance
• Other areas

US Business and the Economy

Visitors address such issues as: current trends in the US economy; issues in the banking and financial system; opportunities for investment and trade in the US; issues of managing a US operation; evaluation of the US-Australia Free Trade Agreement; opportunities and challenges in specific business sectors of the US market; and challenges to globalisation and the free market system.

US Political Issues Critical to Australian Business

Visitors address such issues as the strategic role of the United States in the Pacific and Asia; challenges to US foreign policy from the emerging realignment of economic and political power; key policies of the presidential candidates relative to these issues, and the implications for Australia; the likely outcome of the presidential election, following the Republican and Democratic conventions; national security and defence issues and opportunities relevant to Australian business; public health and health insurance policies and programs.


Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The Centre and Sydney University’s Faculty of Economics and Business will co-host an annual conference on entrepreneurship and innovation. This conference will bring together researchers, entrepreneurs, enterprise managers and government policy makers to discuss processes for stimulating innovation, internal corporate venturing, university technology commercialisation, and government policy initiatives.

The Centre also conducts programs for managers on entrepreneurship, linking Australian entrepreneurs and corporate innovators with US entrepreneurs and venture capital.


Social Entrepreneurship

Social entrepreneurship embodies the recognition of a social problem and the use of creative entrepreneurial principles to develop a venture to address the problem and effect social change. Philanthropy and social entrepreneurship are important instruments of social change in the United States, and Australia can learn from the growth in US social entrepreneurship. The Centre offers programs designed to increase awareness and to offer critical evaluation and constructive advice on establishing and managing innovative social programs.

Corporate Governance

These seminars will focus on emerging legal and ethical issues with which corporations have to respond, driven in part by US legislation, but also increasingly a key requirement of business strategy.

Other areas

The Centre provides a forum for the discussion of key business issues that impinge on the Australia-US economic and political relationship, and welcomes suggestions on other topics.

Professor Marvin Goodfriend

In June 2008, the United States Studies Centre hosted Professor Marvin Goodfriend, Chairman of The Gailliot Center for Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University.

Professor Goodfriend spoke to business leaders on the topic of Current Economic Conditions in the United States and Federal Reserve Policy. Read more about Professor Goodfriend's visit and his speech here.