By Ian McConnell
SCOTTISH residents have ranked the television top of the charts in terms of the best things to have come out of the nation, in a survey published today by banking group Santander.
The bank published the results of the poll along with the results of a survey of Scottish companies’ international trade activities.
This found 48% currently trade internationally, with 92% of these businesses saying it is critical to business.
Of the Scottish companies which do not currently trade overseas, 43% believe their business is too small, the Santander survey found, with 26% considering their product or service is unsuitable for an overseas market.
The survey found that, nevertheless, 27% of these businesses aspire to take their products and services overseas in future. However, only 12% have a plan in place to make this happen.
Twenty-three per cent said grants would encourage them to take their business international, while 19% flagged less red tape as a driver in this context.
The top 10 things to come out of Scotland are ranked as:
1. The television
2. Flushing toilets
3. The refrigerator
4. Tyres
5. Sean Connery
6. Golf
7. The toaster
8. Encyclopedia Britannica
9. The first cloned sheep (Dolly)
10. Deep-fried Mars Bars
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