WHILE safety was a major concern, SA is
rated highly worldwide for its beauty and its friendly citizens,
according to a survey published on Tuesday.
The Global Perceptions Survey conducted by the Reputation Institute in collaboration with Reputation House was launched at the Wits Business School.
The survey ranks 70 countries based on broad range of factors including governance, business environment, friendliness and safety.
One of the key findings was that although SA continued to reap the goodwill and positive perceptions generated when it hosted the 2010 Soccer World Cup, foreigners were sceptical about safety and levels of ethics and transparency. SA was also perceived to be weak in brands, innovation and technology.
Dominik Heil, chairman of consulting firm Reputation House, said SA was weak compared with other countries because it had very few well-known brands.
"To some degree that has to do with the structure of our economy, which is still commodities based and isn’t the consumer goods type brand strong economy," he said comparing SA with Europe, North America and Japan.
SA was ranked 49 out of 70 countries. Sweden took top position in the overall ranking. It was also the country perceived to have the most progressive policies.
Among the top performers, Canada was rated the most beautiful country, while Italy was the most enjoyable and Sweden was perceived to offer the best lifestyle.
"The reason we do this research is (to understand why) people decide to come on holiday or decide to invest in SA," Heil said.
"Those are decisions that lead to actions that have serious consequences for the country. We want to know what drives those actions and how strong is that driver, " he said.
The survey found that South Africans were pessimistic about the country but this was not always the case. In 2011 South Africans had a high opinion of the country, buoyed by World Cup sentiment, but confidence waned soon after.
Heil said that in terms of the survey, most foreigners favoured visiting the country and buying South African products but would prefer not to study, work and live in SA.
The Global Perceptions Survey conducted by the Reputation Institute in collaboration with Reputation House was launched at the Wits Business School.
The survey ranks 70 countries based on broad range of factors including governance, business environment, friendliness and safety.
One of the key findings was that although SA continued to reap the goodwill and positive perceptions generated when it hosted the 2010 Soccer World Cup, foreigners were sceptical about safety and levels of ethics and transparency. SA was also perceived to be weak in brands, innovation and technology.
Dominik Heil, chairman of consulting firm Reputation House, said SA was weak compared with other countries because it had very few well-known brands.
"To some degree that has to do with the structure of our economy, which is still commodities based and isn’t the consumer goods type brand strong economy," he said comparing SA with Europe, North America and Japan.
SA was ranked 49 out of 70 countries. Sweden took top position in the overall ranking. It was also the country perceived to have the most progressive policies.
Among the top performers, Canada was rated the most beautiful country, while Italy was the most enjoyable and Sweden was perceived to offer the best lifestyle.
"The reason we do this research is (to understand why) people decide to come on holiday or decide to invest in SA," Heil said.
"Those are decisions that lead to actions that have serious consequences for the country. We want to know what drives those actions and how strong is that driver, " he said.
The survey found that South Africans were pessimistic about the country but this was not always the case. In 2011 South Africans had a high opinion of the country, buoyed by World Cup sentiment, but confidence waned soon after.
Heil said that in terms of the survey, most foreigners favoured visiting the country and buying South African products but would prefer not to study, work and live in SA.
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