
Some companies spend a lot on research and development to stay ahead in business. Booz & Company, a consultancy, has ranked firms based on R & D spending in 2011.
Let's take a look at some of these companies.
Source: The Economist
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Toyota
Country: Japan
R&D spending (2011): $9.9 billion
R&D spending as per cent of sales: 4.2 per cent
Global rank: 1
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Novartis
Country: Switzerland
R&D spending (2011): $9.7 billion
R&D spending as per cent of sales: 16.4 per cent
Global rank: 2
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Roche
Country: Switzerland
R&D spending (2011): $9.6 billion
R&D spending as per cent of sales: 19.6 per cent
Global rank: 3
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Pfizer
Country: The United States
R&D spending (2011): $9.5 billion
R&D spending as per cent of sales: 13.5 per cent
Global rank: 4
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Microsoft
Country: The United States
R&D spending (2011): $9.4 billion
R&D spending as per cent of sales: 12.9 per cent
Global rank: 5
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Samsung
Country: South Korea
R&D spending (2011): $9.4 billion
R&D spending as per cent of sales: 6.1 per cent
Global rank: 6
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Merck
Country: The United States
R&D spending (2011): $8.4 billion
R&D spending as per cent of sales: 17.6 per cent
Global rank: 7
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Intel
Country: The United States
R&D spending (2011): $8.3 billion
R&D spending as per cent of sales: 15.5 per cent
Global rank: 8
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General Motors
Country: The United States
R&D spending (2011): $8.1 billion
R&D spending as per cent of sales: 5.4 per cent
Global rank: 9
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Nokia
Country: Finland
R&D spending (2011): $7.8 billion
R&D spending as per cent of sales: 14.5 per cent
Global rank: 10
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Volkswagen
Country: Germany
R&D spending (2011): $7.7 billion
R&D spending as per cent of sales: 3.5 per cent
Global rank: 11
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Johnson & Johnson
Country: Germany
R&D spending (2011): $7.6 billion
R&D spending as per cent of sales: 11.6 per cent
Global rank: 12
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Sanofi
Country: France
R&D spending (2011): $6.3 billion
R&D spending as per cent of sales: 14.4 per cent
Global rank: 13
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Panasonic
Country: Japan
R&D spending (2011): $6.2 billion
R&D spending as per cent of sales: 6.6 per cent
Global rank: 14
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Honda
Country: Japan
R&D spending (2011): $6.2 billion
R&D spending as per cent of sales: 6.5 per cent
Global rank: 15
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GlaxoSmithKline
Country: The United Kingdom
R&D spending (2011): $6.1 billion
R&D spending as per cent of sales: 14.3 per cent
Global rank: 16
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IBM
Country: The United States
R&D spending (2011): $6.1 billion
R&D spending as per cent of sales: 5.9 per cent
Global rank: 17