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Make the Most of the Job You Have - Top 5 Ways
Okay, so maybe you’re not in the job of your dreams. Now what? How do you get by until your dream job shows up? Here are the top 5 ways to make the most of the job you have. And, who knows? If you do them all, you could wake up one day and realize you already are in the job of your dreams. 1. Know you are being paid what you deserve. There is nothing worse than the inkling that you are underpaid. Thoughts like these will make even a great job seem not so great. Find out what others with your title and experience are paid. Internet sites are great for this or a friend in compensation could help you out. 2. Develop a better relationship with your boss. Even it things are not currently so fabulous with your boss, make an effort to find out what he or she is all about: what are they concerned with on and off the job, how can you make them look good, what is important to them? If you have a good relationship with your boss, your work life will be so much easier. New opportunities can come your way and, if you have personal troubles, a concerned boss is priceless. 3. List all the reasons you like your job and post it where you can see it. There must be a few things about your job that you like: the steady paycheck, the free coffee, etc. Whatever they are, these reasons can buoy you up when other aspects are getting you down. 4. List all the reasons you hate your job and see if you can change/eliminate any of them. You must have a goal in mind before you can reach it. What’s yours? A lot of people complain about long hours without ever making a real attempt to change the situation. Some don’t even bring up their long hours to their boss. They just expect them to know. Some keep on working the hours day after day, never considering wha

firms come from only five countries, spending more than 82.5% of R&D: the United States (42.3%), Japan (22.0%), Germany (7.6%), the United Kingdom (5.6%) and France (5.0%). The remaining 20% comes from Finland (0.9%), Sweden (2.1%), Switzerland (2.9%), Republic of Korea (1.4%), Taiwan (1.1%), China (0.1%), Bermuda (0.4%), Brazil (0.3%), Croatia (0.1%) and South Africa (0.1%). Of these firms more than 50% operates in the high and medium technology environments of information technology, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and automotive. In essence Transnational Corporations dominate the global business R&D and in all of this South Africa plays a relative insignificant role in participation. However, as internationalisation of R&D by Transnational Corporations increased, South Africa benefited from this approach and the amount of US$67 billion spent in 2002 of which US$24 million was allotted to South Africa. This benefit however, does not reveal the fact that other developing countries like China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and the Republic of Korea are the main gainers in the internationalisation of R&D worldwide (World Investment Report, 2005).

Sourcing of competitive technologies in South Africa

The history of South Africa and its political dispensation of Apartheid till 1994 led to international isolation causing t

Starting a Business is Similar to Running
I remember back in high school in order to try out for the basketball team you had to run a 6 minute mile. That was just to try out for the team. You still had to be one of the top 12 players to make the team.I was never fond of running just for the sake of running. However, I could run on the basketball court all day without a problem. I remember running that mile to qualify for try outs. Matter of fact, that may have been the first time I had ever run a mile. It just didn’t seem to make sense running that far without a ball in your hand. Four times around the track equated to a mile. As I was rounding the track on the fourth lap, I could hear the coach calling out the times. A couple of guys were under 5 minutes. Another group finished between 5:15 and 5:30. Next he yelled 5:45. It dawned on me that if I didn’t get in gear he was going to yell 6 minutes before I crossed the line.I have hated running since that day. I would cross at 6:15. 15 lousy seconds too slow. That SUCKED. Fortunately, you had 2 chances to run the mile and I made on the second try. I also went on to make the team.The following article brought back those fond memories.Top 5 Reasons Running is like a Start-upAnyone can do it. Starting is the hardest part. Interim goals propel you forward. Consistency is the key Sometimes it just sucks. More …

Introduction
South Africa is facing structural problems in strengthening its research and innovation capacity in order to become and remain competitive in the global business environment. Although greater emphasis is given to strengthen Research and Development efforts in the country and to translate it into commercialization of products, South Africa are lagging behind its competitors on four critical domains of:
· The level of technological exports;
· Funds invested in Research and Innovation activities;
· Capability to transform relevant scientific knowledge and technological inventions into commercial applications; and
· Sourcing for competitive technologies.
Although it is realised that South Africa as a developing country cannot match the R&D spending of developed countries, the assumption is made that if South Africa can carry out R&I activity levels comparable to that of principle trading partners and competitors, it will be able to sustain its relative competitiveness in the world.
Complicating the situation further is the fact that South Africa is considered an innovation environment in which medium to low technology innovations dominate. Therefore, it is not a strong competitor for attracting research exports from foreign companies. This is due to the fact that this priviledge belongs to environments classified as at the forefront of research efforts, high technology oriented, huge market opportunities and dynamic in nature. Typical countries adhering to these requirements include amongst others China, India, the United States of America, Hungary and Romania (RTDinfo, 2006).
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to describe the vulnerable research and innovation base of South Africa in terms of the three domains mentioned in the introduction.
Technology exports of South Africa as percentage of world exports
According to statistics provided by Kaplan (2005) high technology export of South Africa, 0.3% in 2002, as a percentage of global exports represents indeed a very small proportion of world exports in technology. How poor is only conceived when compared to 2002 figures of other European countries such as Turkey (1.6%), United Kingdom (1.25%), Sweden (13.7%), Switzerland (21.6%), Spain (5.7%), Slovenia (4.9%), Portugal (6.8%), Norway (4.6%) and the Netherlands (18.7%).
Sufficiency of funding for R&I in South Africa
Whilst the aim of the South African Government is to spend at least 1% of its GDP on R&D this objective has never been reaches since 1983 (No survey was done in 1995 and 1999). With a median of 0.76 and currently at 0.806 GERD:GDP too little emphasis is given to R&D activities. Currently only R10.1 billion (+/- US$1.6 billion) is spend on R&D in comparison to a 2005 GDP of R1 250 billion (+/- US$208.33) comparing favourably with levels experienced in a country lie Portugal. However in comparison with other countries in Europe like Switzerland, Sweden, United Kingdom and the Netherlands which spend two percent and more of their GDP on R&D, South Africa are lagging far behind. Further, of the R10.1 billion available for R&D, only 13% is spend on the advancement of knowledge, whilst the most (60%) is spend on economic development. This indicates that too little is invested on human factors, which is considered a critical element for a successful knowledge based economy. The conclusion is thus that not sufficient funds are allotted for R&I activities in South Africa.
Capability of South Africa to transform scientific and technological inventions into commercial application
The first consideration in determining the capability of South Africa to transform R&D activities into commercial application demands an analysis of human resources availability in the scientific community. The Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology (2002) has made a comparison between four countries, South Korea, Malaysia, South Africa and Australia regarding the development of human capital as expressed by number of researchers per 1000 of the population as indicated by Table 1. Although performing better than Malaysia on this component, South Africa are performing weak on the broadening of research literacy in the general population. It is a further disturbing fact that South Africa has an aging research workforce. The Department also indicated that the number of science, engineering and technology (SET) practitioners, will vary between 7 and 11 per 1000 of the population in the years 2002 to 2012 and a university throughput in SET of only 2.7% to 3% during the same time frame. The latter figures compare extremely unfavourable with SET graduate throughput in some of the European countries like the United Kingdom (19.5% - 21.0%), Turkey (5.2%), Switzerland (7.0% - 7.7%), Sweden (13.3% - 13.9%), Spain (12% - 12.6%), Slovenia (8.7% - 9.0%), Portugal (7.4% - 8.2%), Poland (8.3% - 9.0%), Norway (7.7% - 9.3%) and the Netherlands (6.6% - 7.3%) for the same period.
Table 1: Researchers per 1000 of population
Researchers per 1000 of Population
Australia 4.843
South Africa 0.71
Malaysia 0.3
South Korea 2.771
Secondly, of the top 700 firms, by R&D expenditure in the world, only one namely Sasol is located in South Africa with a US$91 million spending during 2003, whilst more than 80% of these firms come from only five countries, spending more than 82.5% of R&D: the United States (42.3%), Japan (22.0%), Germany (7.6%), the United Kingdom (5.6%) and France (5.0%). The remaining 20% comes from Finland (0.9%), Sweden (2.1%), Switzerland (2.9%), Republic of Korea (1.4%), Taiwan (1.1%), China (0.1%), Bermuda (0.4%), Brazil (0.3%), Croatia (0.1%) and South Africa (0.1%). Of these firms more than 50% operates in the high and medium technology environments of information technology, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and automotive. In essence Transnational Corporations dominate the global business R&D and in all of this South Africa plays a relative insignificant role in participation. However, as internationalisation of R&D by Transnational Corporations increased, South Africa benefited from this approach and the amount of US$67 billion spent in 2002 of which US$24 million was allotted to South Africa. This benefit however, does not reveal the fact that other developing countries like China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and the Republic of Korea are the main gainers in the internationalisation of R&D worldwide (World Investment Report, 2005).
Sourcing of competitive technologies in South Africa
The history of South Africa and its political dispensation of Apartheid till 1994 led to international isolation causing th
Do Gay Men Really Make More Than The Average American?
There are those who have observed that many gay men appear to make more money than the average American? Some pass this off as Urban Myth, while others say “no” and say it is true. Some claim that Homosexual men do not make more than the average, some claim they make less and that if you are to take into consideration all the closet homosexuals that in fact they make much less than the average American.In my estimation and observance of homosexual men they do make more money than average Americans and it appears to me to be a lot more. I believe this to be due to their out of the box thinking and the fact that they are more likely to own their own businesses.That certainly is not a derogatory comment and I know it is a demographic fact, additionally their IQ are also on average 8 pts higher which is a lot (I will also throw that out there for you). Our company does business with many Gay Men and yes they do make more money and they tip very well too from what our franchisees tell me. This also means they are more likely to tip more in tithing. As far as someone being in the closet, yes, well how can anyone know what they make if they are in the closet or even if they are sure that they are gay themselves, but I concede that point.Regarding the Gay Male and their buying behaviors and incomes, this is from observations of actual customers. They are very good customers “pink dollar” as they refer to it; it is a reality. These issues should be considered when discussing the intelligence levels and earnings of Homosexual Males. Think on this.
s to environments classified as at the forefront of research efforts, high technology oriented, huge market opportunities and dynamic in nature. Typical countries adhering to these requirements include amongst others China, India, the United States of America, Hungary and Romania (RTDinfo, 2006).
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to describe the vulnerable research and innovation base of South Africa in terms of the three domains mentioned in the introduction.
Technology exports of South Africa as percentage of world exports
According to statistics provided by Kaplan (2005) high technology export of South Africa, 0.3% in 2002, as a percentage of global exports represents indeed a very small proportion of world exports in technology. How poor is only conceived when compared to 2002 figures of other European countries such as Turkey (1.6%), United Kingdom (1.25%), Sweden (13.7%), Switzerland (21.6%), Spain (5.7%), Slovenia (4.9%), Portugal (6.8%), Norway (4.6%) and the Netherlands (18.7%).
Sufficiency of funding for R&I in South Africa
Whilst the aim of the South African Government is to spend at least 1% of its GDP on R&D this objective has never been reaches since 1983 (No survey was done in 1995 and 1999). With a median of 0.76 and currently at 0.806 GERD:GDP too little emphasis is given to R&D activities. Currently only R10.1 billion (+/- US$1.6 billion) is spend on R&D in comparison to a 2005 GDP of R1 250 billion (+/- US$208.33) comparing favourably with levels experienced in a country lie Portugal. However in comparison with other countries in Europe like Switzerland, Sweden, United Kingdom and the Netherlands which spend two percent and more of their GDP on R&D, South Africa are lagging far behind. Further, of the R10.1 billion available for R&D, only 13% is spend on the advancement of knowledge, whilst the most (60%) is spend on economic development. This indicates that too little is invested on human factors, which is considered a critical element for a successful knowledge based economy. The conclusion is thus that not sufficient funds are allotted for R&I activities in South Africa.
Capability of South Africa to transform scientific and technological inventions into commercial application
The first consideration in determining the capability of South Africa to transform R&D activities into commercial application demands an analysis of human resources availability in the scientific community. The Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology (2002) has made a comparison between four countries, South Korea, Malaysia, South Africa and Australia regarding the development of human capital as expressed by number of researchers per 1000 of the population as indicated by Table 1. Although performing better than Malaysia on this component, South Africa are performing weak on the broadening of research literacy in the general population. It is a further disturbing fact that South Africa has an aging research workforce. The Department also indicated that the number of science, engineering and technology (SET) practitioners, will vary between 7 and 11 per 1000 of the population in the years 2002 to 2012 and a university throughput in SET of only 2.7% to 3% during the same time frame. The latter figures compare extremely unfavourable with SET graduate throughput in some of the European countries like the United Kingdom (19.5% - 21.0%), Turkey (5.2%), Switzerland (7.0% - 7.7%), Sweden (13.3% - 13.9%), Spain (12% - 12.6%), Slovenia (8.7% - 9.0%), Portugal (7.4% - 8.2%), Poland (8.3% - 9.0%), Norway (7.7% - 9.3%) and the Netherlands (6.6% - 7.3%) for the same period.
Table 1: Researchers per 1000 of population
Researchers per 1000 of Population
Australia 4.843
South Africa 0.71
Malaysia 0.3
South Korea 2.771
Secondly, of the top 700 firms, by R&D expenditure in the world, only one namely Sasol is located in South Africa with a US$91 million spending during 2003, whilst more than 80% of these firms come from only five countries, spending more than 82.5% of R&D: the United States (42.3%), Japan (22.0%), Germany (7.6%), the United Kingdom (5.6%) and France (5.0%). The remaining 20% comes from Finland (0.9%), Sweden (2.1%), Switzerland (2.9%), Republic of Korea (1.4%), Taiwan (1.1%), China (0.1%), Bermuda (0.4%), Brazil (0.3%), Croatia (0.1%) and South Africa (0.1%). Of these firms more than 50% operates in the high and medium technology environments of information technology, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and automotive. In essence Transnational Corporations dominate the global business R&D and in all of this South Africa plays a relative insignificant role in participation. However, as internationalisation of R&D by Transnational Corporations increased, South Africa benefited from this approach and the amount of US$67 billion spent in 2002 of which US$24 million was allotted to South Africa. This benefit however, does not reveal the fact that other developing countries like China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and the Republic of Korea are the main gainers in the internationalisation of R&D worldwide (World Investment Report, 2005).
Sourcing of competitive technologies in South Africa
The history of South Africa and its political dispensation of Apartheid till 1994 led to international isolation causing t
Car Magnets Can Be Used For Various Purposes
Marketing a product or services has become one of the key aspects to survive in the world of business. In order to make your business run successfully, you need to make people aware of your services. Precisely, marketing will enable large audience to know about the products or a service which has been launched. Today, there are various mediums available in the market for the purpose of marketing. Some of these mediums can be posters, car magnets, pamphlets, television, newspapers, magazines, banners, internet and many more. Any of these means can prove useful for your business but it is better to choose cost-effective and easiest which you feel will prove successful for your business. A car magnet is one of the best and easiest possible mediums to popularize your products and services as they are cheaper and can be found easily.Now a days, car magnets are much used for the businesses as it can be put on any vehicle and hence the purpose of business can be solved as wherever the vehicle goes, the product or services will be advertised. People will notice the advertisement and hence the product will become familiar among the people. In this way, your business will get popularity and you may happen to make big profits from your organization. The best advantage of car magnet is that a large number of audiences irrespective of age, social status will look into your advertisement and will read your message. Your message or business promotion must be attractive and meaningful so that a large number of audiences will get attracted and will come to know about this. Easy and meaningful messages are very important for the promotion as these are easily understandable by a large number of audience.Car magnets are very important source of information through which a business owner can achieve several objectives. You can customize diffe
s given to R&D activities. Currently only R10.1 billion (+/- US$1.6 billion) is spend on R&D in comparison to a 2005 GDP of R1 250 billion (+/- US$208.33) comparing favourably with levels experienced in a country lie Portugal. However in comparison with other countries in Europe like Switzerland, Sweden, United Kingdom and the Netherlands which spend two percent and more of their GDP on R&D, South Africa are lagging far behind. Further, of the R10.1 billion available for R&D, only 13% is spend on the advancement of knowledge, whilst the most (60%) is spend on economic development. This indicates that too little is invested on human factors, which is considered a critical element for a successful knowledge based economy. The conclusion is thus that not sufficient funds are allotted for R&I activities in South Africa.
Capability of South Africa to transform scientific and technological inventions into commercial application
The first consideration in determining the capability of South Africa to transform R&D activities into commercial application demands an analysis of human resources availability in the scientific community. The Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology (2002) has made a comparison between four countries, South Korea, Malaysia, South Africa and Australia regarding the development of human capital as expressed by number of researchers per 1000 of the population as indicated by Table 1. Although performing better than Malaysia on this component, South Africa are performing weak on the broadening of research literacy in the general population. It is a further disturbing fact that South Africa has an aging research workforce. The Department also indicated that the number of science, engineering and technology (SET) practitioners, will vary between 7 and 11 per 1000 of the population in the years 2002 to 2012 and a university throughput in SET of only 2.7% to 3% during the same time frame. The latter figures compare extremely unfavourable with SET graduate throughput in some of the European countries like the United Kingdom (19.5% - 21.0%), Turkey (5.2%), Switzerland (7.0% - 7.7%), Sweden (13.3% - 13.9%), Spain (12% - 12.6%), Slovenia (8.7% - 9.0%), Portugal (7.4% - 8.2%), Poland (8.3% - 9.0%), Norway (7.7% - 9.3%) and the Netherlands (6.6% - 7.3%) for the same period.
Table 1: Researchers per 1000 of population
Researchers per 1000 of Population
Australia 4.843
South Africa 0.71
Malaysia 0.3
South Korea 2.771
Secondly, of the top 700 firms, by R&D expenditure in the world, only one namely Sasol is located in South Africa with a US$91 million spending during 2003, whilst more than 80% of these firms come from only five countries, spending more than 82.5% of R&D: the United States (42.3%), Japan (22.0%), Germany (7.6%), the United Kingdom (5.6%) and France (5.0%). The remaining 20% comes from Finland (0.9%), Sweden (2.1%), Switzerland (2.9%), Republic of Korea (1.4%), Taiwan (1.1%), China (0.1%), Bermuda (0.4%), Brazil (0.3%), Croatia (0.1%) and South Africa (0.1%). Of these firms more than 50% operates in the high and medium technology environments of information technology, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and automotive. In essence Transnational Corporations dominate the global business R&D and in all of this South Africa plays a relative insignificant role in participation. However, as internationalisation of R&D by Transnational Corporations increased, South Africa benefited from this approach and the amount of US$67 billion spent in 2002 of which US$24 million was allotted to South Africa. This benefit however, does not reveal the fact that other developing countries like China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and the Republic of Korea are the main gainers in the internationalisation of R&D worldwide (World Investment Report, 2005).
Sourcing of competitive technologies in South Africa
The history of South Africa and its political dispensation of Apartheid till 1994 led to international isolation causing t
10 Easy Steps to Creating an Internet Television Show
10 Easy Steps To Creating An Internet Television ShowInternet Television is gaining ground. The newest rage of the world wide web is video and a lot of people are wondering about the options. A major consideration is how to create a TV show for the Internet. Here are some tips.1.) Start in your own back yard. News shows and shows about local life will let you use ‘guerilla marketing’ techniques to promote your show. This will also allow you to harvest local sponsors to generate revenue.2.) Combine a list of the following:A.) local high schools and colleges and their a.) drama departments b.) Creative Writing departments c.) Computer Sciences departments d.) Audio Visual Departments3.) Design a ‘press release, flyer, or announcent” to for the list above.*Auditions, Contests, etc. for YOUR NEW SHOW.4.) Distribute this ‘announcement’ to the schools.5.) Build your team… * If you don’t have an idea for a show, let the ‘creative writing’ departments submit ideas and choose the one you like best.Choose a host, a video camera crew, a writer, a director. Put together the team that you think you need.6.) Get SET!If your doing something like a “Sites of Wyoming site,” you’ll need to pick your locations in advance, set up a production schedule, and use the site as your set, but if you’re doing a sit-com type show, you’ll need to design a set. There are several places you can do this. You can build a set anywhere, in your house, in your garage, at a warehouse, in a hotel room, or in a public place like a park.7.) Start filming…Depending on whether or not you have a ‘scripted show’ you can just film away and edit later, or you can have rehearsal, learn lines, film and edit later. That will depend on the show y
pital as expressed by number of researchers per 1000 of the population as indicated by Table 1. Although performing better than Malaysia on this component, South Africa are performing weak on the broadening of research literacy in the general population. It is a further disturbing fact that South Africa has an aging research workforce. The Department also indicated that the number of science, engineering and technology (SET) practitioners, will vary between 7 and 11 per 1000 of the population in the years 2002 to 2012 and a university throughput in SET of only 2.7% to 3% during the same time frame. The latter figures compare extremely unfavourable with SET graduate throughput in some of the European countries like the United Kingdom (19.5% - 21.0%), Turkey (5.2%), Switzerland (7.0% - 7.7%), Sweden (13.3% - 13.9%), Spain (12% - 12.6%), Slovenia (8.7% - 9.0%), Portugal (7.4% - 8.2%), Poland (8.3% - 9.0%), Norway (7.7% - 9.3%) and the Netherlands (6.6% - 7.3%) for the same period.
Table 1: Researchers per 1000 of population
Researchers per 1000 of Population
Australia 4.843
South Africa 0.71
Malaysia 0.3
South Korea 2.771
Secondly, of the top 700 firms, by R&D expenditure in the world, only one namely Sasol is located in South Africa with a US$91 million spending during 2003, whilst more than 80% of these firms come from only five countries, spending more than 82.5% of R&D: the United States (42.3%), Japan (22.0%), Germany (7.6%), the United Kingdom (5.6%) and France (5.0%). The remaining 20% comes from Finland (0.9%), Sweden (2.1%), Switzerland (2.9%), Republic of Korea (1.4%), Taiwan (1.1%), China (0.1%), Bermuda (0.4%), Brazil (0.3%), Croatia (0.1%) and South Africa (0.1%). Of these firms more than 50% operates in the high and medium technology environments of information technology, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and automotive. In essence Transnational Corporations dominate the global business R&D and in all of this South Africa plays a relative insignificant role in participation. However, as internationalisation of R&D by Transnational Corporations increased, South Africa benefited from this approach and the amount of US$67 billion spent in 2002 of which US$24 million was allotted to South Africa. This benefit however, does not reveal the fact that other developing countries like China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and the Republic of Korea are the main gainers in the internationalisation of R&D worldwide (World Investment Report, 2005).
Sourcing of competitive technologies in South Africa
The history of South Africa and its political dispensation of Apartheid till 1994 led to international isolation causing t
Bartering For More Business
One of the most overlooked methods of doing business is using the barter system. People assume that you have to pay money in exchange for the receipt of something of value. Not only is this not true, it makes good business sense to barter for the exchange of goods and services. Bartering is a great way to get and give something of value without spending a dime.Just exactly does it mean to barter anyway?Barter or trade is a powerful tool that represents a solution for companies with available inventory or services. By accepting payment in trade dollars instead of cash, a business maximizes their efficiency by increasing inventory turnover or billable hours. Using the trade dollars earned, the company can purchase the goods or services they want – without paying cash.Bartering can occur with almost anything. Any product or service can be bartered and it doesn't have to be a business only trade. In planning to barter, it’s important to think creatively. What have you got to offer that someone is willing to trade for? What do you need in exchange? When planning to barter it’s also important to understand that it never hurts to ask. Inquire and ask a supplier if they barter. Don't be embarrassed. You don’t barter because you don't have the money to spend. You should do it because it’s one of the smartest and fastest growing ways of doing business.You can barter at any time. It’s an excellent way to build relationships while conserving cash. Excess goods and services can be traded for things and goods that you need.Here are some examples:You are an expert in marketing. You need a new brochure; you can barter your marketing expertise to a printing company in exchange for them printing the product.You are an expert in customer service. You need a vacation; you can trade your expertise at the hot
firms come from only five countries, spending more than 82.5% of R&D: the United States (42.3%), Japan (22.0%), Germany (7.6%), the United Kingdom (5.6%) and France (5.0%). The remaining 20% comes from Finland (0.9%), Sweden (2.1%), Switzerland (2.9%), Republic of Korea (1.4%), Taiwan (1.1%), China (0.1%), Bermuda (0.4%), Brazil (0.3%), Croatia (0.1%) and South Africa (0.1%). Of these firms more than 50% operates in the high and medium technology environments of information technology, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and automotive. In essence Transnational Corporations dominate the global business R&D and in all of this South Africa plays a relative insignificant role in participation. However, as internationalisation of R&D by Transnational Corporations increased, South Africa benefited from this approach and the amount of US$67 billion spent in 2002 of which US$24 million was allotted to South Africa. This benefit however, does not reveal the fact that other developing countries like China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and the Republic of Korea are the main gainers in the internationalisation of R&D worldwide (World Investment Report, 2005).
Sourcing of competitive technologies in South Africa
The history of South Africa and its political dispensation of Apartheid till 1994 led to international isolation causing the country to adopt an internal innovation approach. Since 1994 however, the country began to participate actively in the global economy and a need exist to source new technologies locally as well as from elsewhere (NSTF, 2001). Lorentzen (2004) provided the following statistics regarding to the sourcing of competitive technologies in South Africa over the period 1999-2001 as indicated by Table 2. According to Lorentzen, the 22% foreign sourcing is primarily for radical innovations, whilst local technological sourcing happens within the domain of incremental innovations. It can therefore be concluded that knowledge resources do not meet the competitive needs of South Africa especially in high technology innovations.
Table 2: Sources of Competitive Technologies
Source Percentage
In-house 57
Local 24
Foreign 22
Further, whilst South African inventors secure around 100 United States patents per year, this represents only 2.5 patents per million of the population per annum. In comparison Japan secured 776 patents per million of the population per annum (Department of Arts, culture, Science and Technology, 2002).
Conclusion and Recommendations
The results reveal that South Africa performed poorly and insignificantly low in the export of high, medium and low levels technologies. The country is therefore poorly positioned globally to compete successfully due to a lack in ability to commercialise the results of R&I in the international markets. This can be partially be attributed to the fact that not sufficient funds are allocated for R&D as indicated by the gross expenditure on R&D. In order to sustain its competitive position South Africa needs to follow a three-tier approach. Import the technology it requires to fulfil in its trading needs by securing access to external sources of technology, establish strong links with the global production system and seek co-operation agreements with international expertise to ensure technology transfer to South Africa.
In order to strengthen the research and SET capacity in South Africa, the throughput at university level should at least be doubled to come in line with developed and developing countries in the European union and to contribute significantly to the formation of SET human capital and technological innovations. South Africa has also embarked on a process of embarking on an incentive approach that provides funding sources to different stages for commercialisation of research innovations.
Due to the fact that South Africa is not performing well in the area of patenting, a better approach could be to focus on trademarks, rather than patents based on the argument that final consumers are less concerned on whether a product has been manufactured solely on the basis of imported or self-develop technology that buying the right product that would satisfy their needs. Trademarks better address the latter component and are focussing more on the licensing of technology as opposed to protecting industrially applicable inventions as in the case of patenting. Whilst patenting is focussing on the supply side of the market to prevent competitors from copying the innovation, trademarks is focussing on the demand side of the market by influencing consumers, which trademark to buy. South Africa therefore could benefit to focus on establishing preferred trademarks in the marketplace in order to grow its competitive base in the global world especially in the field of indigenous technology applications.
From a global perspective South Africa is also performing poorly to attract R&D funds from Transnational Corporations. Funding obtained is primarily intended for the auto industry. The funds invested, represents a very narrow base on which to build the competitive edge through R&I.
It can therefore be concluded that South Africa founds itself on the periphery of global knowledge creation and innovation as well as in sourcing for technological innovations. If South Africa intends to maintain and grow its global competitiveness greater emphasis should be given to:
· Increase the budget for Research and innovation dramatically;
· Provide stronger support to universities to engage in knowledge transfer and commercialisation of inventions;
· Direct the preferred choice of students in the direction of science, engineering and technology education; and
· Form strong partnerships with international organisations known for R&I and with reputable scientists in R&I.
All this should be done in the realisation that that the precise returns in R&I investments cannot be determined and that the real benefits may only be reaped years later.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
ADAIR, J. 1990. The challenge of innovation. Great Britain: Biddles Ltd, Guilford and King’s Lynn.
Baumol, W.J. 2002. The Free-Market Innovation Machine. Princeton University Press: Princeton.
Bessant, J., Lamming,R., Noke, H. & Philips, W. 2005. Managing innovation beyond the steady state. Technovation. 25: 1366-1376.
CALOGHIROU,Y., Kastelli, I. & Tsakanikas, A. 2004. Internal capabilities and external knowledge sources: complements or substitutes for innovative performance?, Technovation, 24:29-39.
Chesbrough H. 2003. Open innovation – The new imperative for creating and profiting from technology. Boston, Massachusets: Harvard business

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