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Can the Future of South African Research Be Built with BRICS?

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Can the Future of South African Research Be Built with BRICS? INSPIRATION AND RESOURCES FOR QUALITATIVE RESEARCH F a l l 2 0 1 3 V o l u m e 1 2 • N u m b e r 1 How to Successfully (Net)work a room Should You replace Focus Groups with Social-media research? Special Inside! Preview of the 2013 QrCa Annual Conference october 16–18 San Diego, Ca W H eN e kS tH r No Wo GraPHY reallY • gLoBAL reSeArCh • Can the Future of South african research be built with BRICS? Cape town, South Africa 48 QRCA VIEWS FALL 2013 www.qrca.org By Corette haf Corporate research Consultancy (Cape) CC • Cape town, South Africa • [email protected] uring the last week of March 2013, general development, as well as to uplift the fifth BRICS summit took place humanity in order to establish a more d in durban, South Africa. This was equitable and fair world. the first summit to be held on the Afri- As a result of the global economic can continent, and it completed the first crisis, many countries in the world are cycle of BRICS summits, since each of looking towards emerging markets (and the member countries has now taken a the BRICS members in particular) to turn to act as host. stimulate global economic cooperation BRIC is the original acronym for a and growth to provide renewed impetus. grouping of the world’s leading emerg- A study by the International Monetary ing market economies, namely Brazil, Fund has indeed found that BRICS’ Russia, India and China. In December trade and investment with low-income 2010, South Africa was invited to join countries, of which most are in Africa, the bloc, which then became known as assisted these countries to weather the BRICS. The objectives of the group are impact of the crisis. wider than pure economic cooperation Some critics have questioned South and aim to promote peace, security and Africa’s right to be part of this group, Some Stats about BriCS • BRICS countries have increased their share of global GDP (gross domestic product) threefold in the past 15 years, amounting to between 20% to 25% of global GDP. • BRICS countries occupy 30% of global territory. • They are home to 45% of the world’s population. • Their contribution to global economic growth over the last decade has reached 50% (therefore, the leading power in global economic development). • BRICS’ combined foreign reserves are estimated at U.S. $4 trillion. 49 Can the Future of South african research be built with briCS? C o N t i N u e D since its economy is much smaller than the South African president peeping out imports and exports. Exports from S.A. that of the other members of the coali- of the jacket top pocket of the smiling to its BRICS peers rose from $12.1 tion. It has been said that other emerg- Chinese president. billion in 2010 to $15 billion in 2012. ing economies (such as Indonesia, Mex- South Africa does bring the follow- South African exports to China grew ico, Turkey and South Korea) are much ing strengths to the coalition: by 46%, to India by 20%, to Brazil by bigger than South Africa. It has also • Substantial non-energy mineral 14% and to Russia by 7% in the last been alleged that the BRICS group has wealth. South Africa is ranked as the few years. been “hijacked” by politicians keen to world’s richest country in terms of its Examples include: form a new power bloc in the world and mineral reserves, worth an estimated • 10 South African value-added prod- that South Africa was included to pro- U.S. $2.5 trillion. South Africa is the uct categories with unique selling vide broader intercontinental reach and world’s largest producer of platinum, points have been identified as export inclusiveness. It is, however, widely chrome, vanadium and manganese, opportunities to China. believed that the main reason why South and it is the third-largest miner of gold. • South African wine, with an estab- Africa was invited to join BRICS is to It offers highly sophisticated and pro- lished reputation as a quality product, provide a gateway to the rest of Africa’s fessional services with regard to min- is now in demand by Chinese con- markets. South Africa’s position going ing expertise. sumers. A joint venture (JV) with a into the summit was to align BRICS • Considerable construction and Chinese company has resulted in the member countries’ interests in support- engineering expertise. South Africa export of 5.2 million liters of premi- ing the integration agenda in Africa. is investing about $35 billion into um wine to China. Although this may Jim O’Neill, recently retired chairman expanding and improving its represent a minor share of S.A.’s total of Goldman Sachs Asset Management infrastructure. bottled wine market, the opportunity and the person who originally created • A proven reputation for financial mar- for future growth is promising. the BRIC acronym 10 years ago, feels ket development and sophistication. • A Russian-South African JV will see that South Africa can more than justify The World Economic Forum’s 2011/12 the development of table grape pro- its presence if it helps Africa to fulfill its Global Competitive Index displayed a duction in the Krasnodar region, using remarkable potential. “If South Africa high level of confidence in the coun- South African expertise on growing could also help to lead the rest of try’s financial market development, and processing grape by-products. the continent to reach its own stand- ranking it fourth globally. Regulation • A recent JV between Airports ards where these are high, the conti- of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Company S.A. and Brazilian Invepar nent would be on an accelerated as well as South Africa’s auditing and resulted in an $8 billion concession to path to greater economic might,” he reporting standards, ranked number overhaul and operate Brazil’s busiest has reportedly stated (published quote one in the world. South Africa was and most valuable airport, Sao Paulo from “SA’s BRICS Score Not All Gloom ranked second for both the soundness Guarulhos International Airport. and Doom,” Mail & Guardian Online, of banks and the efficacy of corpo- • Significant growth has also been March 30, 2012). “By exploring cross- rate boards. reported in local tourism from other border expansion in trade and infrastruc- • Excellence in science, technology and BRICS countries. ture, as well as considerable improve- innovation — e.g., hosting the Square ments in domestic productivity, South Kilometre Array (SKA, the world’s Some Summit highlights, Africa will have more than justified its largest and most sensitive radio teles- Particularly for South Africa role as a BRICS member… I remain as cope, which will have a total collecting • The proposed creation of a BRICS excited about South Africa as I was 15 area of approximately one square kil- development bank and a $100 billion years or more ago.” ometer), for which other BRICS coun- contingent reserve arrangement to pool China, with the world’s second- tries supported South Africa’s obtain- currency reserves to protect against biggest economy, dominates trade and is ing the majority stake. volatility in global financial markets the top import partner for the rest of the • According to the World Economic and to head off short-term liquidity BRICS partners. At the end of 2012, its Forum’s 2012/2013 Global Com- pressures. Locally, it is hoped that the economy was almost 25% larger than petitiveness Report, South Africa bank will be hosted by South Africa, the other four BRICS nations com- remains the highest-ranked country in given the high regard for S.A.’s finan- bined. Standard Bank research analysts sub-Saharan Africa and third placed cial services sector and stock market. Jeremy Stevens and Simon Freemantle among the BRICS economies, after • The establishment of a BRICS busi- (among others) have sounded warn- China and Brazil. ness council, consisting of five top ing bells about the challenge posed by business leaders from each BRICS Chinese dominance. In particular, some South Africa’s Early Benefits member country. The first chairper- are very skeptical about China’s inter- from Joining BriCS son is South African mining mag- est in Africa. A cartoon published in According to Economic Development nate Patrice Motsepe. The objectives Business Day during the BRICS summit, Minister Ebrahim Patel, South Africa’s of the council will be to strengthen for instance, depicted the bigger four level of trade with BRICS countries now trade relations and promote business BRIC leaders next to each other, with accounts for a larger share of S.A.’s relations, technology transfer and 50 QRCA VIEWS FALL 2013 www.qrca.org Can the Future of South african research be built with briCS? C o N t i N u e D cooperation in banking, green and Japan in terms of RFPs received and collection methodologies” but that economy, industrialization and manu- projects conducted for international the lack of innovation moves beyond facturing. The council aims to boost clients by their company. research design and into technology. intraBRICS trade to $500 billion by Mari Harris remarked that the Ipsos “With mobile phones being ubiquitous 2015. The first project will be the lay- group in South Africa has seen most in emerging markets, it’s a wonder that ing of the BRICS cable, a 28,400 km growth coming from the developing no researchers have cracked data collec- undersea telecommunications cable world and believes that this also prob- tion on cell phones, ranging from the linking BRICS countries.
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