The Creative Business Benchmarker survey has opened for 2010 and this year the focus is on design industries (especially graphic design, web design and game development) as well as architecture. Other creative businesses can also participate, though industry specific surveys have not been tailored. Creative Business Benchmarker is a joint project between the ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation (through the Queensland University of Technology), The Queensland Government and major industry groups and professional bodies in Australia. It is a unique business tool that allows you to compare your performance to similar firms in Queensland.
The Creative Business Benchmarker collects information in a series of 'waves', each one being approximately six months long. Each successive wave of the survey will allow you to update the information you have already entered and focus on areas that are of particular interest to your business and the economic environment you are working in. Up to three reports could be released within each wave - a preliminary, an interim and a final after the wave has closed.
The data that Creative Business Benchmarker collects will include information on the following areas:
-
General business characteristics such as organisation structure, year of establishment and location
-
Employment levels and trends
-
The share of revenue for each of the types of products and services offered and the type of industries and clients they are servicing
-
The levels of domestic and export revenues as well as the expectations for the immediate future
-
Financial data including revenues, expenditure, profits and staffing
-
Wave 2 includes a salary survey - it asks for employment numbers and typical salary levels for each of the occupations employed
-
Future waves will look at the levels of investment in research and development.
The individual business data you provide to Creative Business Benchmarker remains confidential and you can withdraw from the service at any time. The business data from Benchmarker will be used by bona fide university, government and specialist researchers to increase understanding of the nature of creative businesses and the sectors within Creative Industries. Researchers will not see your personal data, only data on the whole industry. The research will provide information about the characteristics of the creative industries and any changes over time. It may also be used to determine factors such as employment growth or skill shortages in different sectors.
Your tailored report will include information about:
-
Your industry - In this section, the report provides information on industry trends and sentiments. Are other businesses expecting workloads to slow down or speed up over the next 6 months? What sort of profit expectations exist now and in the future?
-
You and your peers - In this section, the report looks at staffing, hiring intentions, expenses, revenue, profits, services offered and industries serviced. This section allows you to compare your business profile to other businesses of a similar size.
-
Your individual business - Based on information you’ve provided, this section will give you a snapshot of your business activity compared to the rest of your industry — for example, your productivity.
-
Export activity - This is an optional section depending on the type and size of your business.
Participating in the business benchmarker will give you a sense of how your business is situated compared to others in your sector. If enough participants from the Sunshine Coast region participate, region specific reports can also be generated. The Creative Alliance supports this project as we believe the data provided by this research can help provide us with a better sense of the scope of the Creative Industries in our region.
