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 'Big End of Town' is a distinctively Australian term to describe big business, which reflects its important and often controversial role in our modern economy and society. Views differ on the extent to which it has served as a wealth creator or inhibitor. The predominance of large scale firms has impacted upon the competitive structure of industry but, equally, they have been the source of much innovation. The fact that many of our largest enterprises have been foreign-owned has added an additional source of controversy to this discussion.
In this lecture I describe the origins of our corporate leaders, who they were and are, and analyse their role in shaping modern Australia , particular its economic growth and corporate configuration. This work draws upon an ARC-funded study of big business, the initial results of which were published in G. Fleming, D. Merrett and S.Ville, The Big End of Town: Big Business and Corporate Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia (Cambridge University Press, 2004). Further research is continuing through the support of a current ARC discovery grant.
Simon Ville is Professor and Head of School in the School of Economics , University of Wollongong , Australia . He is President of the Economic History Society of Australia and New Zealand and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia .
 This lecture is an Australian Innovation Festival Event.
More at: www.ausinnovation.org
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