A comparative analysis of the innovation environment in South Africa and Lithuania

Abstract

For comparative research into the innovation environments of different countries a duplicatable measurable method of analysis needs to be used to identify similarities and differences. This paper aims to analyse the environment in which entrepreneurial innovation takes place comparatively through a duplicatable and measurable method. The analysis method and its results set out in this article will form the basis of a larger research study that focuses on how the ecosystem in which an entrepreneur functions influences their creativity and innovation. The analysis in this article is done by utilising PESTLE and SWOT analyses on the Global Innovation Index (GII) rankings of South Africa (a developing country) and Lithuania (a developed country). Utilising the PESTLE analysis on the innovation ranking data enables a graphical representation of the environments in which innovation occurs. In turn, the SWOT analysis allows for identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to innovation within the country’s environment and in comparison, to the other. This results in a repeatable analysis method that allows for comparing different ecosystems in which entrepreneurs function. It is this standardised method which enables the larger body of work focusing on the ecosystem influence on an entrepreneur’s creativity and innovation.