While SAMRA has, in the past, been criticised for not publicly adopting a more constructive stance on which course to follow regarding industry transformation, according to SAMRA this ‘delay' was mainly due to the rigorous and all inclusive approach that the body adopted. This approach was chosen to ensure that all industry players were included in extensive education, debate and voting regarding the industry's commitment to the dti's Codes of Good Practice or to the Marketing Charter.
At the 4 May 2007 industry-wide meeting at which this final vote took place, prior to the vote EmpowerDex addressed the member companies and presented a comparison of the compliance targets required in terms of the dti BBBEE Codes of Good Practice and those contained in the Marketing Charter.
A vote was then taken to adopt the codes as the guideline on transformation for the marketing research industry. While this decision bodes well for the industry as a whole, SAMRA commented on the small showing of corporates at the vote, indicating that the industry still has some way to go before all industry players enthusiastically participate in transformation and other industry issues.
For more information on SAMRA, go to www.samra.co.za.
