Hi folks, Just a quick note to say we've redistributed the server load for the mass TurboNote downloads, so there shouldn't be any further problems accessing the Canterbury Software Web site. And spotted this in the latest Royal Society Alert:
1. DOES R&D LEAD TO BUSINESS SUCCESS? Comment by Royal Society CEO Dr Steve Thompson New Zealand economists Richard Fabling and Arthur Grimes have given an insight into business success in an updated version of a paper they gave to the NZ Association of Economists in June. They drew on a Ministry of Economic Development 2001 survey of some 3000 firms which categorised various measures of firms' responses as to their profitability relative to major competitors. Buried in the paper, they found that firms investing in modern equipment have an 8% greater chance of seeing themselves in the "high profit" group than in the "low profit" group. Firms which commissioned external research stood a 17% better chance of being "high profit", and in-house research stood a 19% better chance. Fabling and Grimes also found that innovation helps: firms introducing more than 30% new products stood 11-19% chance of improving various profitability measures. While not ascribing cause or effect to these relationships, the authors note that their findings jibe with current policies emphasizing the importance of innovation for economic growth. Of all the variables covered in the study, investment, R&D, and marketing of new products showed the greatest explanatory power. They go on to say that small firms operating in competitive markets tend to have very limited R&D budgets. They may be established on the basis of an initial innovation, but they rarely embark on sustained innovative activity backed by research. Intriguingly, firms that perceived Technology New Zealand, Industry New Zealand (now NZTE), universities or polytechs as sources of help actually fared worse in productivity. Now is that cause or effect? Do policemen on point duty cause traffic jams or relieve them? ****** Sounds likely. Anyone looked at their research figures lately? Cheers, Vicki CSI Web wrangler ====================================================== SPIS Ltd, Box 19-760, Christchurch, NZ http://spis.co.nz * FREE TurboNote+ sticky note trial: http://TurboNote.com --> via Canterbury Software email forum: Success through Connections Email your messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Searchable list archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] Leave or rejoin the list: http://canterburysoftware.org.nz/forum.htm
