China's Small Cos Voted Most Competitive In Asia - Survey
China's small companies were voted the most competitive in Asia by regional business owners, outranking those from Hong Kong and Japan, according to a business survey released Tuesday.
Chinese small businesses, defined as having less than 250 employees and turnover of under US$40 million a year, were ranked first by 73% of respondents in the UPS Asia Business Monitor survey.
Firms from Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan were also considered relatively competitive, while Philippine and Indonesian small businesses ranked the least competitive.
The study, commissioned by the parcel delivery company and prepared by research agency Taylor Nelson Sofres, surveyed 1,200 business owners and managers in 12 Asian economies between Aug. 16 and Sept. 28. It wasn't immediately clear why the results weren't released sooner.
Business leaders in China were less enthusiastic about their own standing, ranking small companies in Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Taiwan above their own.
Commenting on the results, Patrick Turner , director of the International Center of Entrepreneurship, INSEAD, said that it will be difficult for regional businesses to compete with China on a "pure price level."
"But you can rely on other areas like customer service and dependability, for example, improving the quality of your product," Turner said.
Responses were mixed about China's emergence as a manufacturing center for the world.
Some 43% of business leaders saw that as a positive development, while 27% saw a negative impact, 17% saw both positive and negative aspects, and 12% saw neither.
The availability of qualified staff was rated the most important factor for business competitiveness by survey respondents. Lack of innovation and access to funding and working capital were considered the biggest obstacles.
中国小型企业被推选为亚洲最具竞争力
周二公布的一项企业调查结果显示，中国大陆的小型企业被亚洲地区企业家投票评为亚洲最具竞争力，竞争力排名超过香港和日本的小型企业。
在接受UPS Asia Business Monitor调查的人群中，有73%的受访者认为中国小型企业最具竞争力。小型企业是指员工总人数不到250人，年营业额低于4,000万美元的企业。
香港、日本、韩国和台湾的小型企业也被认为具有相当的竞争力，菲律宾和印度尼西亚的小型企业最不具竞争力。
这项调查受联合包裹公司(UPS)委托，由调查公司模范环亚市场研究咨询有限公司(Taylor Nelson Sofres)进行准备。这项调查在2004年8月16日至9月28日期间对亚洲12个国家和地区的1,200位企业家和经理进行了调查。目前还不清楚调查结果为何没有早一些公布。
中国大陆的企业家则不太热衷他们自己的竞争力排名，认为香港、日本、韩国和台湾的小型企业竞争力排名超过他们。
International Center of Entrepreneurship的负责人Patrick Turner就调查结果评论称，该地区企业将难以单纯从“价格水平”上与中国大陆企业展开竞争。
但Turner表示，可以依赖客户服务和可靠性等其他方面来展开竞争，如提高产品质量等。
受访者对中国可能将成为全球制造业中心的看法不一。
大约43%的企业家认为中国成为全球制造业中心是有利的，27%的企业家认为这将带来负面影响，17%的企业家认为好坏参半，12%的企业家认为既非有利，也不会带来负面影响。
受访者认为人力资源是企业竞争力最重要的因素。缺乏创新、融资困难及营运资金不足是企业的最大障碍。
