Is making the list a matter of prestige or purchase?

Is the Corporate Research Foundation`s compilation of top information and communications technology (ICT) companies legitimate or does it come down to who is willing to buy their way on to the list?

This is the question I found myself asking as I attended the launch of the top ICT companies for 2003/4 on Monday.

The event announced the top 10 and top 51 ICT companies, as selected by a panel of 29 journalists and analysts. The companies on the list were featured in a hardcover book. Staring at my complimentary copy of the book after the event, I found myself asking where the money came from to publish the tome. I also noted with interest the omission of numerous successful ICT companies.

Speaking at the event held at the Johannesburg Country Club, Arthur Goldstuck, head of the research and writing team, said companies were not selected on whether they paid to be part of the publication, but on whether they met certain criteria: stable finances, a measure of success, a good reputation and a degree of innovation.

The companies that stood out, he said, were those that focused on client needs and return on investment. He added that it was not necessarily about profit, but about the company`s commitment to its business goals and those of its clients.

It did not matter whether the company was local or a multinational, said Corporate Research Foundation project manager Amelia Walton.

And so the top 10 were announced, with the top spot being shared by Allied Technologies and Hewlett-Packard, with CS Holdings taking third place.

Perhaps the book would be more aptly named: "Some of the top ICT companies in SA."

Stephen Whitford, journalist, ITWeb

So if foreign companies were just as eligible for selection, what about IBM or Oracle? And where were local companies like Datacentrix, Datatec, Grintek, etc?

These absentees raise serious questions as to the validity of the selection process and criteria. Surely a company like IBM has stable finances, a measure of success, a level of status and a degree of innovation?

And what about a company like Datacentrix, whose revenue increased by 48% to R770.7 million in the last financial year, and Datatec, which reported revenue of R20 billion?

In the book, the research and selection process states: "Specialist IT and business journalists research the identified companies that agree to participate and interview the nominated managers." Perhaps the book would be more aptly named: "Some of the top ICT companies in SA."

And although Goldstuck insisted there was no cost involved in the selection process, he neglected to mention the R29 000 the companies had to pay once they had been selected to appear in the book. Of that figure, R4 000 goes to the journalist who researched and interviewed the companies, with the remainder funding the publication of the hardcover book, marketing costs and so on.

Walton did note that if companies refused to participate and the panel still felt they needed to be in the book, then they were included free of charge. But one wonders where the line is drawn.

Surely, if one is going to research the best of the best, it must be based on objective, quantifiable criteria and companies shouldn`t have to pay for it? Otherwise initiatives like these run the risk of being meaningless.