Launching Innovation | South African Outlook

Sub-Saharan countries are increasingly challenged to introduce high-technology into all their productive processes, as their economic growth and competitiveness depend on this. In this regard, Mr Thabo Mbeki, previous president of South Africa, remarked as follows: “The continuing growth of the global information society, will have profound implications for African countries. Some fear that it will only accelerate the marginalisation of Africa, as the pace of growth accelerates even more and the gap between those who are linked up and those who are not grows larger. Africa's main disadvantage is a function of its underdevelopment in general”. Internationally, Israel is ranked fourth, which South Africa is ranked forty-six among the world’s forty-six leading high-technology hubs. This book seeks to make a contribution to the successful introduction of high-technology products into the South Africa market, by investigating the most effective marketing strategies used by high-technology firms.