Role of trade associations in economic development - V: misleading perception of R&D activities

In the present structure of world's economy, the sustainable development is significantly correlated with the technological advancement and knowledge creating activities. After several experiments and tests of the various economic development models, it is corroborated that sustainable economic development, technological advancement and knowledge creating activities in a country depend on the strength and gravity of the private sector.
In the post Soviet world, the private sector is considered not only the single largest contributor in the national exchequer to provide funds for development; it is also the largest provider of employment opportunities and the ultimate beneficiary of the research output.
Private sector representative institutions are responsible for intellectual development and policy research to create a dynamic environment for economic and business development. Unfortunately, it is a common observation in the developing countries that private sector representative institutions have failed to meet their responsibility of advancement in the intellectual development and policy research.
It does not mean the absence of research department or shortage of funds for research activities. Huge funds are spent in the name of research activities, but such activities cannot be transformed into sustainable economic development in the developing countries like Pakistan, because of the misleading perception of R & D activities. This misleading perception has two dimensions: the first belongs to the research staff and the second is concerned with the governance of the private sector representative organisations.
To establish a research department has become a fashion in the trade bodies. Almost all the trade associations and chambers have their in-house research departments, but those departments work as public relation centers.
In the so-called research departments, research means the collection and presentation of data. The research staff gathers and compiles data, and all such compilations are published under the title of research. Through "Cut" and "Paste" commands the researchers in the so-called research departments "generate the research".
Usually, they present their "output" in multi colors graphs and charts. The arithmetic calculations, sketches, tabulations, and even graphical presentation of data are labelled as 'high caliber research' work. This type of research is common not only in trade organisations; the financial institutions and brokerage houses in Pakistan also do the same.
To become an economist or researcher in Pakistani trade and financial institutions, one should know, how to present the data, how to tabulate the data, how to use windows (MS Word, Excel, and Power Point), how to draw the graphs and - most important - how to compare and calculate the percentage changes.
In fact, collection, presentation, and interpretation of information may be known as good analysis, but it cannot be considered as research. Such a statistical work may be the origination or input of a research work, but not research itself. The research goes beyond information to discuss underlying truths. 'Information is everywhere, research is all the rare'.
For research we should find out something or innovate something through a scientific process. This process includes logical sequence of arguments and a methodology to test the expected results. Research must recommend visionary, non-obvious or revolutionary solutions of the problems, which should not be based on slogans, public demands or popular views.
A good presentation, with good arguments, may be a good column, but not a piece of research. An analytical columnist requires a temperament that is quite different from that of a researcher. Just as a writer of a science fiction cannot be known as a scientist, similarly a columnist or analyst cannot be recognised as an economist or researcher, and by the same reason a research scholar cannot be known as an analyst or columnist.
To use the R & D Department for media coverage or public relations activities shows the misleading perception. Research is a dedicated job, which requires concentration, independence and in most of the cases a temperament contrary to the public relations activities. Research activities are performed usually in the backdoor offices; it is not a front office or public relations activity.
The second dimension of the problem is concerned with the perception of the research by the members of governing bodies of trade organisations. The governing body members and the influential personalities determine the definition and scope of the research. News clipping, record keeping of the fairs and exhibitions, listing the worldwide events, speech writing, preparing yellow pages directory, events management, cataloging the products, brands and businessmen, and net surfing or browsing are considered as 'core activities' of R&D Department.
Unfortunately, public sector 'authorities' also emphasise on this definition of research activities. These 'research activities' determine the desirable qualification of the researchers.
The members of the governing bodies much emphasise on frequent activities, like workshops, seminars and conferences. The so-called meetings, workshops, seminars and conferences do not bring a change in the patterns of business or economic policies. They promote pseudo intellectualism and a culture of self-projection.
Photo sessions, publicity on print and electronic media and development of the personal contacts are the final output of such meetings, seminar and conferences. The majority of the speakers and session chairs do not understand the difference between a workshop, symposium, seminar and conference.
They adopt the same style and pattern of speeches and presentations in all events without knowing the objectivity. One can observe the lack of creativity and new ideas in such events. Spending on such programs has no relation with the business or economic development.
The undue influence and interaction of the governing body members with the R & D staff is one of the major causes of deteriorating research activities. It is not only against the principles of governance and separate entity; it also creates hurdles in the way of independent research.
To deliver the secretarial services - speech writing, drafting and typing - to the committee members, to find the immunity plots in the city, to provide detailed procedure and rules for the import of gold or export of footballs, to arrange passes for the fairs and exhibitions, to keep the record of all agreements between the two governments, to serve as a call center to deliver the messages of committee members to each other, to provide protocol services to incoming guests and outgoing delegates, to manage the events, including catering and hospitality arrangements etc are included in the responsibilities of research staff.
Denial or weakness in any service can be considered as lack of research activities and may defame the researchers among the governing body members and business community. It has become a very usual but painful practice to ask the research department to justify the causes of its existence, while providing justification on the basis of commercial viability to the persons of diversified understandings and with different wavelengths is a difficult task and may easily spoil the research activities.
To describe the quantum of research activities is almost an impossible job. It covers thousands of the activities from reading to writing. The functions of the accounts, marketing or human resource departments may be quantifiable to some extent, and may be recorded in a diary; but the activities of research department are not quantifiable.
Another astonishing fact is the appointment of ill qualified persons in the R & D related committees. The intellectual contribution by the members is required in the committees on higher education, science and technology, and R & D etc.
Unfortunately, the majority of the members or "professionals" who were included in the committees on the basis of their 'expertise' do not have relevant experience and qualification. Some of those have been finding projects for consultancy services; they do not have experience to conduct research or to manage industrial organisations.
They have failed to produce any research in their entire academic and professional life. To promote such persons from the chambers' platform may defame the trade organisations. Such a situation not only derails the research activities but may also create ambiguities to demoralise the research staff.
It is notable that in today's environment, one's research credentials and capabilities can be easily verified through worldwide citation index system and impact factors maintained by the various internationally renowned knowledge management institutions like ISI, NET, REPEC and IDEAS etc. If a person has genuinely been contributing in research activities, he/ she must be referred or cited by these networks.
Different search engines may also help to find one's research credentials. Unfortunately, the world-renowned citation indexes and the eminent institutions of research evaluation do not recognise the research credentials of those 'experts' who are included in the chambers' committees.
Here, it will be better to briefly describe the dissemination and implementation cycle of research activities. It will make a clear distinction between the research and non-research activities. The knowledge or innovative ideas are created after completion of a research activity - which covers the hypothesis, methodological development and conclusion. In the early stages, novel ideas are published in the academic journals.
After transformation into common language, the innovative ideas from academic journals go to the semi technical (or in some cases professional) journals. Corporate and business executives and statesmen pick the new innovations from semi technical journals to implement those ideas in their domains. From semi technical and professional journals the ideas are transferred also to the public media.
The implementation of the novel ideas requires visionary leadership. This is the common process in all scientific disciplines including business and economics. Unfortunately, the process is revered in Pakistan.
The powerful think tanks, statesmen, multilateral agencies and business executives in developed countries transfer the novel ideas and concepts to Pakistani statesmen and business executives. From Pakistani statesmen and executives, these ideas go to the media. The public media in Pakistan transfer these innovations to the research and academic community, and the research community re-invents the wheel.
SMEs' development, moderate Islam, globalisation, free trade, clash of civilisation, corporate culture, social responsibility, competitiveness, corporate governance, trickle down effects and thousands of the other concepts and theories were originally developed in the western universities and research circles.
They reached Pakistani research circles through public media. When leaders and statesmen get ideas from media and give those ideas with instructions to the researchers and thinkers, the role and status of research community will be changed. They become data collector, presenters and browsers.
(Concluded)
(The writer is Director General of Research & Development in FPCCI)