General Information
The British Management Data Foundation stems from a joint study project by several major British companies in the Sixties. The co-operation, which included the setting up of joint teams to carry out studies in various plants of the participating companies, proved very successful and paved the way for the formation of the British Work Measurement Foundation in 1970.
Discussions between member companies began to cover broader aspects of productivity and company competitiveness and in order to recognise what was by this time an established wider role, the Foundation was formally reconstituted in 1979 as the British Management Data Foundation.
Membership was, and still is, restricted to a limited number of British companies in order to keep a responsive, informal and mutually supportive atmosphere and to enable projects to be progressed quickly and effectively.
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The experience and knowledge within British companies is considerable and wide-ranging, not only in technological expertise but in the many facets of successfully running operations and in the methods and approaches to overcome managerial and people problems.
Many companies face almost identical problems but on different time-scales or in different environments. Much can be gained by frank, friendly and confidential consultation under such circumstances, learning from each other and seeing particular problems more clearly and in better perspective from their impact in varying conditions.
The BMDF has been developed to enable co-operation in this manner to take place in an informal, supportive and effective basis and also to act as a centre for independent advice and data on matters affecting the global competitiveness of British industry, and to promote maximum interchange of managerial information to achieve greater understanding on all matters of expressed mutual concern, particularly to help improve our competitiveness in world markets.
Biography of the Director of the BMDF
For a biography of the Director of the BMDF, please see Biography
The majority of BMDF activities result from a broad strategy based on areas of major concern to member companies.
Currently these areas include:
Manufacturing Strategy and research and development policies;Achievement of Quality and 'world best practices';
Energy - policy matters, European Union policy implications on the UK energy market, development of competition, security of supply, emissions trading, costs and conservation;
Fiscal and monetary policies - the effects on Industry, including pensions and the European Single Currency;
City and Industry - short and long term issues, impact of regulations, accounting standards;
European Union and Internal Market matters and implications, particlularly on energy, the Euro and regulation.
In addition, The BMDF publishes a number of books on the European treaties and produces a series of papers on relevant matters concerning the competitiveness of British industry. The books include 'The European Constitution in Perspective' 'An Analysis of the draft Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe' and 'The Treaty of Nice in Perspective'.
This page was last updated on 1 September 2006© Copyright Anthony Cowgill and Andrew Cowgill, 1999 - 2006