The report then introduces the second, quantitative study that was undertaken to further explore some of the emergent themes from the earlier, qualitative study. The results of the survey are then presented sequentially in the following sections of the report, beginning with an overview of survey respondents, then the results centring on current business performance, innovation, The Precinct concept, risk culture, trust, and communication within the ecosystem. The report concludes with a review of the main findings of the two studies as well as suggestions for continuing this work guided by more focused research questions. It is necessary to underscore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has limited the number of participants in both studies, though more noticeably for the second. The net effect of this disruption has been the research team’s inability to draw statistical confidence from the survey results. Besides project participation, the pandemic and the economic stress it has caused may have influenced some of the responses we have acquired in the interviews and surveys. The research team has done its best to evaluate the data within this context, and has remained mindful that the circumstances may influence responses positively (e.g. an enhanced view of innovation benefits) as well as negatively (e.g. an amplification of resource limitations). The complementarity of the two studies, nevertheless, provides valuable insights as to the current state-of-affairs in the Coffs Harbour food ecosystem, and how it can evolve to a new state marked by greater output capacity and value-added innovation.
ReportApril, 2022