THE referendum must spur Scotland's business community to keep the economic growth agenda at the heart of discussions over the constitution, the National Business Convention heard yesterday.
The convention staged in Edinburgh by the Scottish Council Development & Industry and the Federation of Small Businesses heard SCDI chief executive Ross Martin call for "commonality" of purpose, as Lord Smith of Kelvin prepares to consult on the devolution plans.
On Tuesday a joint call for business and entrepreneurship to be "the touchstones of the new devolution settlement" was made by 13 organisations, including the Scottish Chambers, Institute of Directors, CBI, Scottish Financial Enterprise, ScotlandIS, Chemical Sciences Scotland, Scotch Whisky Association, Scottish Retail Consortium, Scottish Engineering, Scottish Building Federation, and ICAS, as well as SCDI and the FSB.
Colin Borland, Scottish spokesman for the FSB, said: "The reason why such a wide range of groups have come together is we want to send a very strong message that no matter what the new devolution settlement looks like, the guiding principle in any negotiations has to be what is going to be best for the Scottish economy and boosting growth."
Mr Martin said the focus should be on internationalisation, innovation and productivity, with the chance to improve the reach and effectiveness of agencies such as Scottish Development International and Skills Development Scotland.
Murdo Fraser, the Conservative MSP who chairs the economy, energy and tourism committee at Holyrood, told the 200 convention delegates that the dip in business confidence in Scotland in the second and third quarters had been largely due to nervousness over the vote.
He cited a reluctance on the part of businesses in areas such as construction to "go back into another period of turmoil and uncertainty" having just emerged from recession, and to "break away from what is the fastest-growing economy in Europe".
Mr Fraser said: "Scotland is out there in the eyes of the world, that gives us a great opportunity. It is important to capitalise on this tremendous international exposure Scotland has had."
Ken Barclay, RBS's chairman for Scotland, said the UK was growing faster than the rest of the G7, and the recovery was no longer debt-led but also driven by manufacturing, construction and business investment. "It is good to see our customers in optimistic mood," Mr Barclay said. But he admitted exports were flat, adding: "Companies exporting to Europe will find it increasingly difficult if those economies are not growing."
Richard Cornish, director at JobCentrePlus, said a "huge cultural shift" was taking place in the labour market, with universal credit already live in Inverness, and the reforms in the pipeline would make the labour market more flexible.
Martin Dempster, operations director at Brewdog, said the Aberdeenshire-based craft brewer had innovated in its products, funding and marketing. It had sold 92 different beers last year, including a core of 10 year-round products and topical promotions such as a 'Hello My Name is Vladimir' beer for the Winter Olympics."We haven't always got it quite right, but we haven't been scared to take risks.'' Mr Dempster said three successful crowdfunding appeals had delivered 14,500 small investors. "Not only have they funded the growth of the company, they are out there as ambassadors."
And seven-year-old Brewdog had just opened its first two bars in Italy. emphasizing the qualities of products and processes.
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