Letting the country down!

moulesy

According to an IMF report as relayed on Today this morning, the UK stands 152nd in the world (between Bosnia and Madagascar) in terms of private companies financial contributions to R&D (as a % of GNP). A new university based R&D scheme has won financial
support from the government and China & Singapore, but attracted from private British companies precisely £0.00.

Surely this is a disgraceful sign of the way the private sector regards its responsibilities to the country? Huge profits, huge salaries for those at the top, but what return for the country as a whole? 

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Rocky 2 buckets

Private enterprise proving not to be very enterprising M. Foreign Countries proving to have more confidence in the Bitish people than our own captains of industry. I dare say in the future those very captains of industry will be calling for-'a level playing
field' to help them make their big profits/big salaries

brue

Here's the BBC article see here. 

moulesy

Thanks, brue. I really must try to get to grips with this link posting thingy! 

brue

You never know the bright new web site might have had some R&D !!

moulesy

Not sure the Chinese are investing much in the CC though! 

Oneputt

Another IMF fantasy

moulesy

Another IMF fantasy

What makes you think that OP? The figures speak for themselves and, of course, the "league"position is surely a reliable guide? 

Kennine

ON reflection on the thread title 

Letting the country down!

IMO the people who are most letting the country down are the doom mongers and those who keep talking this country down. 

We have a good country called the UK - it's not perfect but - it's all right.  It deserves better than at every turn somebody is saying how rubbish it is.  

Cheers..................K

 

Bugs

Getting back to the topic introduced by the OP.....

R&D is vital in the field of innovation and it has to be disappointing that our private sector apparently cannot see that, but choose to spend their profits on other things instead.

So overall, yes I agree in that respect they are letting the country down.

Cheers

Bugs

KeefySher

Getting back to the topic introduced by the OP.....

R&D is vital in the field of innovation and it has to be disappointing that our private sector apparently cannot see that, but choose to spend their profits on other things instead.

So overall, yes I agree in that respect they are letting the country down.

Cheers

Bugs

Yes but.. if they spent on R&D their profits would be higher over the longer term. Short termism, avarice and greed are not good traits.

Lack of leadership is another factor, as alluded to by K above.

Rocky 2 buckets

KS, above is Bugsy's post, not K's

Merve

Perhaps this is the reason that the country is owned by Foreign Powers??